Wild & Woolly 26/12/13
Northampton Motorcyclists Club's 88th Annual
Wild & Woolly Scramble
Report: Fraser Law
Photos:
For most of December it looked as if this would be one of
the driest Wild & Woolly’s on record. The massive storms and floods that
battered the British Isles in the three days prior to Christmas however meant
that was not the case. It was still dry compared with some years before the
start and the water levels in the river were low. The temperature never rose
much above 3oC all day, but the sun shone and a record crowd of
approximately 5-6 thousand turned up from the surrounding villages to once again
witness this historic event.
For this year there was not only a new track layout but
also a rejuvenation for the entire event. There was more enthusiasm for the race
than ever, a full line up of riders and a real buzz in the pits. Practise went
smoothly with most riders completing their two laps relatively unscathed. It
became clear towards the end that crossing three would as usual prove to be the
difficult one. Despite widening and rebuilding it during the summer it proves a
test for all but the best. A mixture of riding techniques make it hazardous as
some chose to drop in and ride through, while others attempt to jump it and
bounce of the far bank.
At precisely 11am the starting flag went up for the
traditional dead engine start and the eerie silence was broken as the machines
fired into life and headed for the first corner. Twice previous winner Jack Lee
lead from start, arriving at the first water crossing with a comfortable
advantage. Catching him towards the end of the first lap was Michael McClurg,
but as he attacked the whoops after the canal side hill the bike swapped
violently before spitting him off and bending his bars down. This required an
immediate pit stop losing the best part of a lap to the leader. Ten time
previous winner Ryan Griffiths also crashed on lap one and was forced out of the
race with a broken clutch lever. Swapping his bike for a microphone, Ryan then
climbed the PA tower and assisted with the commentary for the remainder of the
race.
The early leader’s brother Chas Lee was now in second
followed by James Barnwell and Neil Prince. By lap three James Barnwell had
moved up to second place with Neil Prince in third. Neil tried in vain to hold
off Jack Lee for a lap or so before he forged past to go a lap ahead. James
Barnwell went down on lap three and also broke off his clutch lever, but managed
to get going again and carry on without one. James somehow managed to develop a
no-stop technique that saw through to the end of the race. As Jack Lee came
round for his sixth lap Neil Prince went missing from second place. Consistent
riding from Chas Lee saw him promoted back to second at this point, with James
Barnwell running in an incredible third. Jon Lee was fourth for a while, making
it an incredible three out of the top four for the Lee family although he was
unable to keep it going to the finish.
Around the three quarter distance the leader went down hard
tweaking his already injured knee, but he was soon up and going again and able
to ride it off. After an the hour of racing the chequered flag went out to Jack
after a cold and wet 17 laps. He finished three laps ahead of the entire field
and in total command of the race. Brother Chas finished second on 14 laps, with
the clutchless James Barnwell completing 13 for an impressive third overall.
Fourth place went to another Woolly veteran Rob Saunders who completed 11 laps.
John Abbott and Matt Willis finished fifth and sixth respectively after 40 river
crossings each, both on 10 laps.
Congratulations to all the riders who took part in this
historic event once again, and particularly to Jack who led for the entire race
and never looked like he could have been beaten.
Results:
1.
Jack Lee- 17 laps
2.
Chas Lee- 14 laps
3.
James Barnwell- 13 laps
4.
Rob Saunders- 11 laps
5.
John Abbott- 10 laps
6.
Matt Willis- 10 laps
Full results - http://www.mylaps.com/en/classification/2949445
1st
- Jack Lee- Ladies Cup
2nd
- Charlie Lee- Griff Jenkins Bowl
3rd
- James Barnwell- Harrison Cup
Oldest Finisher- James Higgins- Doug Desborough Cup
First Junior- Rob Saunders- Margaret Anderson Cup
First Novice- Harry Saunders
Youngest Finisher- Joe Tobutt- Doug Griffin Tankard