Hafren CC 10

Road works popping up on the morning of the event saw the scheduled Hafren CC 25 truncated to a 10 in Round 8 of the Friction Hydraulics Series – as Victor Chetta stepped out of his comfort zone. Looking for a fast qualifying 25 towards the Shropshire Best All Rounder Championship long distance specialist Chetta instead had to dig deep at a distance not particularly to his liking – and took the County win with a fine effort of 21 minutes 15 seconds.

The Mid Shropshire Wheeler pushed Wrekinsport’s Chris Halford into the runner-up spot by 16 seconds on the fast Berriew – Welshpool course, riding within his abilities as he attempted to revive the muscle memory of how to ride the distance, stating: “I hadn’t done a 10 in two years so wasn’t sure what to expect of myself so I paced it conservatively, it hurt less than expected. I enjoyed the course on a good road surface, it was well run and marshalled by Hafren“. Chetta wasn’t finished there either, tying for third spot in the Veteran’s Championship with an excellent +4:52.

With a tailwind out and a headwind back riders had to be careful to save some strength for the harder return to Berriew, with Halford losing most of those 16 seconds to Chetta in a torrid final three miles. Halford’s tongue-in-cheek post-race comments spoke volumes about the struggle for the line: “I felt like Bradley Wiggins to the turn and Elmer Fudd on the return! I blew up after seven miles“. Wrekinsport’s Halford sets the bar for performance high, but despite that personal disappointment he doubled-up on runners-up spots by taking second in the Veteran’s Championship too with a fine +5:05 Standard.

With Hafren CC’s principal rider Bryn Davies out for the rest of the season Ian Nisbett stepped up to the task of leading his club superbly by taking equal third Overall just eight seconds behind Halford in 21:39 – as well as tying with Chetta for the same spot in the Veterans. He wasn’t finished there either with great support particularly from Sam Holwill and Ben Oliver-Lewis ensuring Hafren returned to the head of the Top Club Award standings. Nisbett commented: “It was a shame about the 25 – I would probably have preferred that to a 10. I felt rough during my warm up, so I opted for smooth and steady during the race to try and avoid the pain. I expected a stronger headwind on the return leg, I felt better for that and was able to push on for the last few minutes. I’m pleased with a competitive time. Good organisation by Hafren CC“.

Nisbett tied for third Overall with Junior Series leader Kieran Morris, who extended that lead to 60 points despite the close attentions of Holwill who was just 12 seconds off the pace. The strength of the Junior competition is clear with all three youngsters featuring in the Overall Top 10, with Henri Bedford recording a giant personal best 22:06 knocking 51 seconds off his benchmark. Nisbett wasn’t the only rider feeling under par as Morris reported not feeling right as well – but still equalled his course best: “I felt rough in the warm up and didn’t get going at all. I was surprised by my time and equalled my course PB. Well done everyone, and thank you organisers on getting us a race in difficult circumstances“. Holwill meanwhile beat his course best to set a new standard of 21:51 and was delighted with his performance: “I was pretty pleased with going under 22 minutes for the first time on the Berriew course – getting faster all the time“!

Deb Hutson-Lumb isn’t content with pulling away at the head of the Women’s standings as she homes in on the top of the table in the Veteran’s too in the tightest of all County Championships. Doubling up her Women’s win in a fabulous time of 23:41, pushing Hafren CC’s Emma Serjeant out by 33 seconds, Hutson-Lumb made it her fourth Friction Veterans Series win of the season with an unbeatable +5:46. This means the Top 4 in this Championship are now split by just 15 seconds in what is turning out to be a fierce level of competition. The Nova Raider stated: “It was a good evening for it though a bit chilly compared to when I last rode this course back in May. I was really pleased to win the Women’s against some strong competition. Thanks to all the Hafren guys for another great event and their speedy re-planning due to road works“.

Result

Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series – Round 8

Pos’n Name Club Cat Time Points
1 Victor Chetta Mid Shropshire Wheelers V 21:15 60
2 Chris Halford Wrekinsport CC V 21:31 55
=3 Ian Nisbett Hafren CC V 21:39 50
=3 Kieran Morris SCCA Private Member J 21:39 50
5 Samuel Holwill Hafren CC J 21:51 40
6 Ben Oliver-Lewis Hafren CC S 22:04 35
7 Henri Bedford Revolutions Racing J 22:06 30
8 Tom Richardson Oswestry Paragon CC S 22:09 25
9 Dean Callister Nova Raiders S 22:14 20
10 Alex Leek SCCA Private Member S 22:19 15
11 Dean Dovey Nova Raiders V 22:22 10
12 Tony Harvey Mid Shropshire Wheelers V 22:48 5
13 Ian Pollard SCCA Private Member V 23:11 5
14 Steven Ford Nova Raiders V 23:17 5
15 Deb Hutson-Lumb Nova Raiders WV 23:41 5
16 Philip Gardner Mid Shropshire Wheelers V 24:10 5
17 Emma Serjeant Hafren CC W 24:14 5
18 Simon Brown Ludlow Brewery Race Team V 24:52 5
19 Alison Dockney SCCA Private Member W 25:14 5
20 Bob Elliott Wrekinsport CC V 25:32 5
21 Jenny York Mid Shropshire Wheelers V 25:49 5
22 Louise Downward Hafren CC W 26:04 5
23 Helen Tudor Oswestry Paragon CC WV 26:23 5
24 Les Boughey North Shropshire Wheelers V 26:39 5
25 Richard Goddard Newport (Shropshire) CC V 27:05 5
26 Elizabeth Breeze Oswestry Paragon CC WV 29:14 5
  Andrew Rose Nova Raiders V DNS  
  Andy Davies Wrekinsport CC V DNS  
  Charlotte Chapman Nova Raiders W DNS  
  Ed Middleton Nova Raiders V DNS  
  James Neale North Shropshire Wheelers S DNS  
  Jason Davis Paramount CRT V DNS  
  Matthew Davies Holohan Coaching Race Team S DNS  
  Paul Carroll Nova Raiders V DNS  
  William Baugh Ludlow CC V DNS  

Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship – Round 8

Vets Pos’n Name Club Cat Vet +/- Vets Points
1 Deb Hutson-Lumb Nova Raiders WV +5:46 60
2 Chris Halford Wrekinsport CC V +5:05 55
=3 Ian Nisbett Hafren CC V +4:52 50
=3 Victor Chetta Mid Shropshire Wheelers V +4:52 50
5 Dean Dovey Nova Raiders V +4:45 40
6 Tony Harvey Mid Shropshire Wheelers V +4:40 35
7 Jenny York Mid Shropshire Wheelers V +4:20 30
8 Ian Pollard SCCA Private Member V +4:11 25
9 Steven Ford Nova Raiders V +3:41 20
10 Philip Gardner Mid Shropshire Wheelers V +2:44 15
11 Helen Tudor Oswestry Paragon CC WV +2:43 10
12 Bob Elliott Wrekinsport CC V +2:41 5
13 Simon Brown Ludlow Brewery Race Team V +1:53 5
14 Les Boughey North Shropshire Wheelers V +0:38 5
15 Elizabeth Breeze Oswestry Paragon CC WV +0:24 5
16 Richard Goddard Newport (Shropshire) CC V +0:02 5

Friction and Hydraulic Services Women’s Championship – Round 8

Women’s Pos’n Name Club Cat Time Women’s Points
1 Deb Hutson-Lumb Nova Raiders WV 23:41 60
2 Emma Serjeant Hafren CC W 24:14 55
3 Alison Dockney SCCA Private Member W 25:14 50
4 Louise Downward Hafren CC W 26:04 45
5 Helen Tudor Oswestry Paragon CC WV 26:23 40
6 Elizabeth Breeze Oswestry Paragon CC WV 29:14 35
  Charlotte Chapman Nova Raiders W DNS  

Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship – Round 8

Junior Pos’n Name Club Cat Time Junior Points
1 Kieran Morris SCCA Private Member J 21:39 60
2 Samuel Holwill Hafren CC J 21:51 55
3 Henri Bedford Revolutions Racing J 22:06 50

Top Club Award – Round 8

Pos’n Club Points
1 Hafren CC 135
2 Mid Shropshire Wheelers 75
3 Wrekinsport CC 60
4 Nova Raiders 40
5 Oswestry Paragon CC 35
6 Revolutions Racing 30
=7 Ludlow Brewery Race Team 5
=7 Newport (Shropshire) CC 5
=7 North Shropshire Wheelers 5

Cumulative Standings after eight rounds

Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series

Position Name Club Cat Best 12
1 Bryn Davies Hafren CC V 385
2 Ian Nisbett Hafren CC V 360
3 Victor Chetta Mid Shropshire Wheelers V 325
4 Dean Dovey Nova Raiders V 260
5 Kirk Vickers Holohan Coaching RT S 130
=6 Ed Middleton Nova Raiders S 115
=6 Kieran Morris SCCA Private Member J 115
=8 Dean Callister Nova Raiders S 110
=8 Henri Bedford Revolutions Racing J 110
10 Chris Halford Wrekinsport CC V 105

Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship

Position Name Club Best 12
1 Bryn Davies Hafren CC 360
=2 Dean Dovey Nova Raiders 350
=2 Ian Nisbett Hafren CC 350
4 Deb Hutson-Lumb Nova Raiders 345
5 Victor Chetta Mid Shropshire Wheelers 285
6 David Wilson North Shropshire Wheelers 130
7 Ian Pollard SCCA Private Member 110
8 Chris Halford Wrekinsport CC 105
9 Gino Trasatti North Shropshire Wheelers 100
10 Stephen Minton Ludlow Brewery RT 90

Friction and Hydraulic Services Women’s Championship

Women’s Pos’n Name Club Best 12
1 Deb Hutson-Lumb Nova Raiders 355
2 Helen Tudor Oswestry Paragon CC 280
3 Charlotte Chapman Nova Raiders 240
4 Emma Serjeant Hafren CC 225
5 Jenny York Mid Shropshire Wheelers 100
6 Jane Chapman Nova Raiders 80
=7 Alison Dockney SCCA Private Member 50
=7 Jenny Newton Nova Raiders 50
=7 Natalie Brooks Paramount CRT 50
=10 Elaine Langley North Shropshire Wheelers 45
=10 Louise Downward Hafren CC 45
=10 Milly Deer North Shropshire Wheelers 45

Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship

Junior Pos’n Name Club Best 12
1 Kieran Morris SCCA Private Member 240
2 Henri Bedford Revolutions Racing 180
=3 George Coombes Evolve 55
=3 Sam Holwill Hafren CC 55

Top Club Award

Position Club Total Points
1 Hafren CC 855
2 Nova Raiders 795
3 Mid Shropshire Wheelers 445
4 North Shropshire Wheelers 335
5 Holohan Coaching RT 285
6 Wrekinsport CC 280
7 Ludlow Brewery RT 180
8 Revolutions Racing 115
9 Oswestry Paragon CC 90
10 Ludlow CC 85
11 Clee Cycles 80
12 Newport Shropshire CC 40
13 Paramount CRT 30
14 Evolve 5
  • Round 9 of the Friction Hydraulics Series takes place on Saturday, 15th June when Mid Shropshire Wheelers present their 10 mile event on the Waters Upton – Hodnet course. This race will be preceded by the Liverpool District qualifier for the National Youth Championship, and points will be awarded based upon the combined times of these events.