The Brechfa Forest in Wales will provide a stern test for around 130 EnduroGB riders when it hosts rounds seven and eight of the ACU series this weekend (25-26 July).
The Dyfed Dirt Bike Club-organised Brechfa Enduro will be run as a traditional long lap timecard event, thanks to the strong relationship and long-term land use agreement between the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU), its organising clubs, and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) which manages the Brechfa complex.
“Piecing a long lap together is pretty challenging in many places these days, but the 36-mile lap that Aled Evans and his hard-working team at Dyfed Dirt Bike Club have created for this weekend is amazing,” EnduroGB series manager Neil Hawker, explained. “Having the NRW firmly on board allows the creation of a traditional long lap time card enduro and I know a lot of riders and teams are excited by that prospect this weekend.”
As well as welcoming the top British and Welsh Championship contenders, the Brecfa Enduro entry list also contains two of the stars from the FIM EnduroGP World Championship; Steve Holcombe (Sherco) and Will Dennett (Triumph).
Both men will be using the event to get some saddle time before the final round of the world championship at EnduroGP Wales in Rhayader on 7-9 August.
Multiple EnduroGP champion Holcombe said: “I’ve spent most of my year in Italy so having some time back in the UK is long overdue and being able to tie Brechfa and EnduroGP Wales together is a bonus when it comes to getting some practice in and enjoying some of the best Enduro terrain in the world.
“I haven’t done a British championship round for a good few years so it will be nice to support the national series and its riders. That’s something I rarely get the chance to do.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on the series from afar and it looks like the guys are going pretty well. I’m hoping I don’t get too involved with the championship standings because that’s obviously not not a nice place to be when you’re getting in amongst people. My result won’t matter too much this weekend, whether I’m first or fifth. But obviously it’s nice to see a Sherco on the top step of the podium!”
The start and finish of the event will be located in Cwmann which sits outside the town of Lampeter. The riders will depart for the three brand-new tests at 09.00 on Saturday and Sunday morning. The service and spectator area will be at the Test 3 (Extreme) location.
Rieju Yorkshire and Ramsey Enduro winner Jed Etchells (Sherco) takes a narrow 11-point lead over Jack Edmondson to Brechfa in the Elite Championship, while Nieve Holmes (Sherco) continues to dominate the Elite Women Championship standings with five maximum scores from six rounds.
The battle in the Expert class is expected to be fierce this weekend with Kris Price (Beta) and Josh Lawer (KTM) tied on 96 points apiece. They’re only five points clear of round six winner Henry Life (KTM).
Will Keenan (GASGAS) leads the Expert Vet Over 35 class, while Ailbe O’Connell (Rieju) holds an eight-point advantage at the top of the Clubman standings. Ceri-Wyn Jones (GASGAS) is the clear leader in the Clubman Women points, and Gavin Hunt (Husqvarna), Alex Pringle (Sherco) and Shane Tasker (KTM) are separated by just eight points in the race for the Clubman Over 40 title.
Karl Greenall (Triumph) will be looking for another strong Clubman Over 50 performance after underlining his series lead with a 40-point maximum at the Ramsey Enduro earlier this month.
