McConnell Stapleton
15/16-4-2006
Grampian MCC organised Lossiemouth Enduro
’06 British Enduro Championship – round 2
Electraction TM UK riders Jake Stapleton and Euan McConnell repeated their good results from the opening round of the ’06 British Enduro Championship at the second round of the BEC series, the Grampian MCC organised Lossiemouth Enduro staged in Scotland, where the pair placed as runner-up and in third position respectively in the competitive Enduro 2 class.
Finishing behind reigning British Enduro Champion Paul Edmondson in the E2 class at the opening round of the series both Stapleton and McConnell were keen to go one better in Scotland and claim the top E2 spot. Frustratingly for both riders they again placed behind the former four-time world champion but again showed to have good speed and consistency and posted some impressive special test times during the event.
Finishing in third position overall and as runner-up in the Enduro 2 class on both days Jake Stapleton started the event steadily finding the deep sand of the Lossiemouth Forest test difficult to master. Performing better with each passing lap Jake finished day one behind Edmondson, just as he had at the opening round of the series held in late February. On day two Jake again started steadily before increasing his speed and, like all riders, enjoyed the event’s special tests. Remaining upright on the special tests all weekend Jake claimed the E2 class runner-up spot again on day two making it three second place finishes in the E2 class of the ‘06 British Enduro Championship so far this season.
Competing in his home round of the BEC Euan McConnell saw his result affected by a carburetion problem, which was later traced to a worn needle. Despite being unable to get to the bottom of the problem during the event Euan performed well and placed as third best E2 class rider despite failing to finish as close to his team-mate Jake as he had hoped. Finding it difficult to get to grips with the sandy beach side special test all weekend, on day two Euan wasn’t able to reproduce his speed from day one yet still managed to claim third in the E2 class.
Jake Stapleton: “It was a good weekend for me really and pretty uneventful, which I guess is a good thing. I felt a bit tight on the sandy test in the forest early on day one and made lots of small mistakes, which cost me some time. I got into it a bit better towards the end of the day though and felt good on the test with the motocross track in it. My bike was working really well and I felt that my riding was good as well. I just need to be faster at the start of the day. I’m ok after a lap but I need to work on being faster right from the start.
“Day two was very much the same as day one – I started steadily and then got faster. I felt really good towards the end of the day. I was tired towards the end of the second day, but I think most riders were after the eight-hour first day. All in all it was a great weekend.”
Euan McConnell: “It was a great event but my result was spoiled a bit by a problem with my bike’s jetting. We tried everything to fix it, even changing the ignition, but we couldn’t fix it during the event. After the race we put a new needle in the bike, which was exactly the same and with the clip in the same position and the bike was perfect. I guess it’s just one of those things.
“Trying to work out what the problem was distracted me a bit during the race and I didn’t really get to grips with the sandy test, which cost me some time. I was pretty happy with the way things went on day one really though and I felt that I was riding well enough. The test close to the start of the event was awesome, I really enjoyed it and felt good on it. I wanted to be a little closer to Jake but I guess considering the carburetion problem I had I’m happy enough with third in the E2 class.
“My speed dropped off a bit on day two but I still managed to finish third in the E2 class so I’m happy with that. I guess the carburetion problem is just one of those things that can happen. I’m learning more about four-stroke jetting all the time and am really enjoying riding the bike.”
Results Day 1 – Championship class (overall)
1. David Knight (KTM) 3050.83
2. Paul Edmondson (Honda) 3212.97
3. Jake Stapleton (Electraction TM) 3296.29
4. Euan McConnell (Electraction TM) 3330.79
5. Si Wakely (Honda) 3374.12
6. Edward Jones (KTM) 3381.03
7. Richard Hay (KTM) 3395.71
8. Andrew Edwards (KTM) 3412.54
9. Tom Sagar (Honda) 3415.22
10. Ricky Mair (Husqvarna) 3418
Results Day 2 – Championship class (overall)
1. David Knight (KTM) 2428.87
2. Paul Edmondson (Honda) 2545.49
3. Jake Stapleton (Electraction TM) 2569.52
4. Euan McConnell (Electraction TM) 2632.77
5. Si Wakely (Honda) 2637.79
6. Ed Jones (KTM) 2662.3
7. Jason Thomas (Honda) 2662.75
8. Andrew Edwards (KTM) 2708.08
9. Richard Hay (KTM) 2708.79
10. Ricky Mair (Husqvarna) 2724.17
Issued for and on behalf of the Electraction TM UK by Jonty Edmunds. Any questions or comments to be directed to either nick@electraction.ie or jonty.edmunds@attglobal.net