Here’s the news from Team Diamond Back manager Gary Coltman;
Just one week after the ‘epic’ event of the season – the RedBull 24 hour, the Professional Mountain bike Team of Diamondback were back atthe race track with business as usual on Sunday July 1. Trentham Gardens in Staffordshire was the venue with the event being the 3rd round of the British National Series, which this season shall be a four round series – shortened due to the foot and mouth crisis early in the year. The Red Bull event is like no other. 24 hours of tough, tough racing with little sleep is something that takes a great deal more recovery than the usual 2 hour race and with this majorrace just one week later, it was never going to be an easy event.
The Diamondback riders had recovered well however and as the race got under way it was clear that Barrie Clarke had put his years of experience to good effect, not only in recovering well enough to be at the head of the field but also to know how to hang in when the going gets tough. The going was tough but Clarkie’ had the leaders yellow jersey and wasn’t going to let it go without a fight.
The race settled down to see Clarke together with 2nd placed rider in the series – Oli Beckingsale (Scott) and the young up-and-coming Liam kileen (WCPP) who won round 2 riding together with a claear lead over the rest. Defending series Champion Nick Craig had made slow start hampered further by some gearing problems but was riding his way back into the race as it reached distance.
The last lap saw Kileen slide backwards with some technical problems as Beckinsale emerged on his own to take the win from Clarke as the effects of the Red Bull were just a little to much for the Diamondback rider against his ‘fresh’ opponent. Diamondback’s Craig had moved through the field well and finished in a creditable 4th position as he just lost out by inches in a sprint finish with Ian Wilkinson (WCPP). Dave Collins – Diamondback’s new recruitin time for the Red Bull event performed extremely well to finish in 6th position after spending much of the race with Nick Craig.
Round three’s result sees a tie for the lead between Clarke and Beckinsale which means that the series will be again decided on the final round that takes place at the end of September. Defending Champion Craig lies in 3rd place overall. Before that series title is fought out however there’s plenty of racing to be done. The National Championships are confirmed to take place at Ludlow on July 21 /22 and Nick Craig has his sights set firmly on a successful defence of his crown….but then Clarke would also like to get a 4th title…..all of which guarantees some great racing on what no doubt will be an excellent venue. Downhill will also be on the agenda again at the National Champs after F&M has wiped out many events this year. Diamondback’s Matt Farmer shall be hoping for a medal performance to go with the one he won back in ’99 but firstly has to overcome a neck injury sustained at the recent European Championships where he was due to compete for Great Britain. However the crash in training put him out of the final competition.
Berghaus / Bianchi racer Jenny Copnall also had a hard fought race;
As a late change from Margam Park, Trentham Gardens, which has previously staged the Red Bull 24hr & the Enduro 6, provided racers with a challenging course & saw some exciting racing. While not possessing the kind of elevation that South Wales would have offered Trentham instead offers a mix of drag climbs, single track, fast & loose descents & one steep climb with a charge on foot at the top. While we racers all knew this course would be fast & furious I think that many of us underestimated how hard it would feel after five or six laps. In fact, it is often the way that the easier a course is to ride, the harder it is to race.
Feeling fantastic I decided to take the race to them in the elite women. Leading from the gun I pushed the pace up the first climb & then got a break on the second climb &, by the end of lap one, was leading by about 35 seconds. With four laps ahead of me I hoped that this initial lead would allow me to take my first ever National Series win but alas, the early effort took its toll & a storming Louise Robinson caught me mid second lap &, despite me getting her back once, she eventually rode away leaving me to grovel my way around the remaining laps to finish second.
It’s not all doom & gloom though since my ride has allowed me to take the series lead & this is a first for me. I got second overall in the series last year &, with one round of this year’s races to go, I hope that I may go one better in 2001.
Meanwhile the National Championship is once again looming & I hope that my form continues for this. I’ll be working very hard for the next couple of weeks to ensure that I arrive in the best shape ever at Ludlow on the 22nd.
See you there!