Challenging and enjoyable for the riders, exciting and entertaining
for spectators
Bigger, Better, Tougher - Following on from Britain's first ever two-
hour extreme, sprint hare scramble - The Tough One '05 - WOR are
pleased to announce that The Tough One '06 will be taking place at
Nantmawr Quarry, near Oswestry, on January 21. Competing in the event
Britain's best enduro, hare scramble and cross-country riders will
battle it out head-to-head for a guaranteed prize fund of £2'500.
Once again kicking off the '06 UK off-road scene with a bang, the
second running of the event will not only be tougher but will see the
final 45 minutes of the race take part in the dark. Headlining The
Tough One '06 will be Britain's World Enduro Champion David Knight.
It promises to be an event not to be missed…
The concept…
The Tough One '06 will see the return of extreme, sprint hare
scramble race action in the UK on January 21. With the event the
first of its kind to be run in the UK in '05, for '06 the one-off
race receives several changes – all aimed at making the racing closer
and spectator enjoyment better than ever. Again two hours long, The
Tough One '06 will see Britain's best riders compete over a mixture
of natural and man-made obstacles
The number of invited Pro riders has been increased from 20
to 30 for '06 while at the same time a one-hour morning Clubman race
has been added to the schedule. From the Clubman race the top 10
finishers will get their chance to compete against Britain's best and
the challenges of The Tough One '06.
Lining up alongside one another, the drop of a flag at 3.00pm will
signal a Le Man style start to the two-hour race. After that each
competitor will have to battle his rivals, as well as the demanding
mix of natural and man-made obstacles the 3-5km Nantmawr Quarry
course offers. Shortly after 4.00pm darkness will start to fall and
the course will become harder still.
The race winner will simply be the rider who reaches the chequered
flag first, having completed more laps than his competitors during
the two hours. With cash prizes awarded to the Pro class rider
leading the race at the end of the first lap, at the end of the first
hour, as well as at the end of the race, exciting race long action is
assured.
The venue…
The Tough One '06 will return to Nantmawr Quarry, just five miles
south of Oswestry town in Shropshire on the England/Wales boarder.
The venue proved to be an excellent location for The Tough One in '05
thanks to both its accessibility and varied and challenging terrain.
Offering a multitude of different natural obstacles such as extreme
climbs and descents, single track woods sections, water holes, bogs,
slippery off-cambers and numerous rock sections, man-made spectator
areas - all of which have been revamped for '06 - will again be used
to spice up the action and make those competing earn their right to
call themselves Britain's best.
Getting to Nantmawr Quarry couldn't be simpler. The venue is
signposted from the A483 Welshpool to Oswestry road at Llynclys. From
there it is simply a case of following the brown Nantmawr Quarry
signs that lead you straight to the event, just five minutes from the
A483
The riders…
David Knight, reigning Enduro 3 world champion, winner of last year's
The Tough One `05, and the world's best extreme off-road motorcycle
rider has already confirmed that he will be competing in The Tough
One '06. There he will make his first competitive UK outing of '06
and race with #1 on his factory KTM. The rider to beat, Knighter will
again start the event as clear favourite…but winning will be anything
but easy for the Manxman!
Alongside the reigning World Enduro Champion will be between 30 of
Britain's best off-road riders - all well proven in `tough' events.
All competing on an invitation only basis, the Pro riders will again
be selected from all four corners of the British Isles. Already
confirmed as competing alongside David are '05 Enduro 1 British
Enduro Champion Edward Jones and '05 Hell's Gate runner-up Wayne
Braybrook. The full Pro class rider line-up will be announced in the
coming weeks.
Also competing will be a maximum number of 25 Expert riders,
which will be eligible to compete by simply filling in the event
entry form and returning it with the race fee to WOR. Lining up
behind the Pro class riders, the Experts will compete on exactly the
same course as the Pro riders…rocks, ruts n' all. New for '06 will be
a one-hour qualifying Clubman race in which 30 riders will compete
for 10 places in The Tough One '06. Those interested in competing in
either the Expert or Clubman class should check out
www.wirraloffroad.com as soon as possible because interest for places
is already high.
Knighter's Unlucky Dip…
To make the racing even more exciting, the WOR will again handicap
David Knight - the world's best extreme hare scramble rider. Made to
fit the wheels into his factory KTM last year, which resulted in him
starting five minutes behind the rest of the Pro class, for '06
Knight will face a new challenge - to be known as Knighter's Unlucky
Dip.
Shortly before the start of The Tough One '06 Knighter will learn the
severity of his penalty by selecting at random one of half a dozen
different handicap options. With the luck of the draw determining
just how far behind Knight will start, as well as determining just
how hard he will have to work during the race, Knight may have to
start one lap down, two laps down, change two tyres before he starts
or run and fetch his bike as the rest of the Pro class blast away
from the start. Only on the day will Knighter and his competitors
know exactly how far behind the Manxman will start.
As if the Nantmawr Quarry course wasn't going to be tough
enough, Knighter will again have to first catch the Pro class before
then attempting to work his way to the front!
The cash prizes…
An additional £1'000 has been added to last year's cash prize fund
resulting in a guaranteed £2'500 being up for grabs at The Tough
One `06. As in '05 £1'000, the event's largest single prize, will be
awarded to the Pro class rider that reaches the chequered flag first,
with the best finishing Expert class rider getting £500 for their
efforts.
The remaining £1'000 will be split into three and will form
the `Grab A Grand' prize. £250 will be awarded to the Pro class rider
that reaches the end of the opening lap first, £500 will be awarded
to the Pro class rider leading at the half way point of the race
while any rider, Clubman, Expert or Pro, will be eligible to win the
remaining £250.
The place to be on January 21…
The Tough One '06 will certainly be an event worth watching. With
last year's action packed race proving to be highly entertaining,
the '06 running of The Tough One will be every bit as exciting.
Spectator entry fees have been frozen at last year's prices, ensuring
watching Britain's best won't cost the earth. With a parking fee of
just £5.00 per person (based on four in a car) or £5.00 per
motorcycle, the Wirral Off-Road hope to encourage spectators to `take
their mates' to what promises to be a great day out. Close racing
action and the first chance to see Britain's only '05 motorcycling
world champion David Knight in action for the first time in '06 are
reason enough to take a trip to Nantmawr Quarry on January 21.
The venue provides a 100 per cent hard surfaced parking area
with the natural amphitheatre of the Nantmawr Quarry allowing
excellent viewing, even from your vehicle…
Steve Ireland (Event organizer): "The aim of running The Tough
One '05 was to establish an early season event that would not only
attract Britain's best hare scramble, enduro and cross-country
riders, as well as selected European stars, but shine a spot light on
the county's top off-road racers and allow them to show off their
talents. Last year The Tough One was a huge success and WOR have been
working hard since then to ensure that the second running of the
event will be even better for both the riders and spectators.
"I'm delighted that David Knight will be headlining The Tough
One '06. After his fantastic '05 season WOR are extremely pleased
that he will make his first '06 appearance at the event. Last year he
was awesome, this year I expect him to be every bit as exciting to
watch.
"The fact that the event's last 45 minutes is in the dark is
a great thing for extreme, sprint hare scrambles in the UK. WOR
worked extremely hard last year to get the event off the ground and
we will make sure that it is bigger and better come January 21. In
the coming weeks WOR will announce the confirmed rider entry list,
which we hope will include some surprises – some may even give
Knighter a run for his money!"
www.enduronews.com