After raining all night, the course was very wet and there was a lot of water on the ground. Rob Garbet the organiser of the event cut the race time down to one hour for safety reasons.

The bike was running well after Dad had finished his work on the engine and made a few alterations to this and that. After a tricky start because I had trouble kick starting the bike (can't use electric start as there is so much compression now), I soon started pulling through the rest of the pack. The first lap took about 25 minutes and it was just under 8 miles a lap and very wet. There were bikes everywhere. I came into the pits to change my goggles as I'd used all the roll offs in the first lap. After this stop I was lying third. I managed to do another two more laps and I can say that I was glad to see the chequered flag. I finished third in the end which I was pleased about. The bike ran well through the race and I'm looking forward to the next round which is at Stourport on Severn on 26th April 2008. See you there..... Luke Davies - Team Apache.

My Apache F100 before the race!

YES THIS IS ME after the race - the course was very muddy!

The rain had finally eased up and the track was looking quite dry. It is not my favourite track as there are a lot of rough areas where other events have been run. We were out first, Rob the organiser got us to warm up our engines and then switch them off ready for the start. When the flag went down I gave it the biggest kick I could and it fired into life giving me the hole shot into the first bend. It was flying. I managed to hold the lead for three laps but it was so rough my hands my hands were hurting my Dad had put some new shocks on for the race but we had not got them set up quite right. Everyone was feeling it and getting tired. I managed to finish in third and was happy with that. Looking forward to the next meeting which is on home turf in Stourport again, but at a new venue. See you there.............Luke Davies...... Team Apache.

Note: The address for the next meeting 17th May is Burnthorne Lane, Dunley, Stourport DY13 0TN.

Race Meeting Report: 18 May 2008 - Riding Apache F100 Liquid Cooled - Race Prepared Quad -----------The First of Four Rounds of the IOPD UK Quad Cross Country Championship - Hawkchurch Devon (Run by Gravity LC).

It was the first round of a four round I.O.P.D UK quad cross country championship at Hawkchurch Devon run by Gravity LC.

We arrived on the Saturday and it was raining quite badly and the tack was very boggy in places but when we got up on Sunday it was brilliant sunshine. It stayed like it all day. We had the bike scrutineered and put it on the line ready for the sighting lap. All the officials and first aid turned up so we went out on the sighting lap which is just one lap following a marshall so we all know where the track is. I am glad I got to scrutineering early because it meant I was first out and didn’t get plastered in mud like the ones behind me. We went in the line ready for the race and I was fifth the flag went down and I was third into the first corner but I had a good line on the inside and by the third corner I was first. It was very muddy in places and I dropped a couple of places by the time I came round for the first lap. The position changed several times, and then I took the lead and managed to pull away from the rest f the group. I pitted three times during the race for petrol and goggles. I manage lap up to second place to take the win, I enjoyed the tack and the bike when really well.

Hopefully see you at the next race which is another gravity LC at Dorset.......See you there........Luke Davies.....Team Apache.

Yes - it's me covered in Mud again!

 

Ahead of the field on my Apache F100.

 

Race Meeting Report: 2008 - Riding Apache F100 Liquid Cooled - Race Prepared Quad -----------Report for 3rd and 4th round of IOPD British Enduro Championship held at Stone in Stafford.

We arrived on Friday late afternoon which meant I had chance to walk the track and work out a few good lines. The track was very fast and slippery as it was grass and had just been mowed. It was 5.5 miles long and a lot of it was the same, flat out back to the stop. We took my sister’s bike as a spare just in case anything happened to mine as it was a two day Championship, but Dad had put another engine in and other bits and pieces to make it fast enough for the day. Saturday was fantastic sunshine, which made a change, we were on the line ready to go, the flag went down and off I went. Second to the first corner, the bike was running well but Dad had said don’t hold it flat out all the time as we didn’t want the bike to blow up. It was important to get a finish, as it was a championship round. The bike never missed a beat the whole race. I pitted to fuel once and finished third.

Sunday
It was brilliant sunshine again, there was talk that the track had been altered but it hadn’t. It was going to be a bit boring second time round but there was nothing I could do. We went to the line again to get ready for the race. We warmed our engines and had a riders meeting with Rob the organiser. The flag went down and we were off, second yet again into the first corner (I will have to pay attention a bit more and I might make it first next time). My dad decided to let me ride the spare bike just to see how it went, after the first lap I pulled into the pits because the engine was missing a bit out of the corners. Dad told me it was nothing to worry about and to get back out there this put me back down into 8th place so I had to work hard to pull some places back. At the half way mark I was running forth, I pitted for fuel and managed to pull another place back in the second half. I finished third on the day, which gave me some good points for the championship.
The next round is at Long Compton on 12th July. See you there...... Luke Davies.......Team Apache

 

Ready to Go!

 

Staying Ahead of the Field on My F100.

 

Race Meeting Report: 2008 - Riding Apache F100 Liquid Cooled - Race Prepared Quad ----------- Report for 15 June 2008 - IOPD Cross Country Championship held at Oswestry

We arrived at the meeting in Oswestry on Saturday afternoon giving me and dad plenty of time to walk the track and find some smooth lines out of the rough stuff. It was then an early start Sunday morning with the sighting lap kicking off at 8.30am, the track was very good. We then got ready on the line and when the horn was sounded we were off and I was fifth into the first corner. At the end of the first lap I was third and soon made it up to second and then first for a while until I pitted fuel. This put me back into second. The bike ran really well and I finished second. The track was very rough and tiring and after the race dad found that the frame had cracked in two places. That means major strip down and welding in time for the Gravity this weekend in Chard. See you soon..... Luke Davies...... Team Apache