Red Kite flying high Report by Bob Mullins www.enduronews.com The Welsh Trail Riders Association returned to the Halfway Forest near Llandovery on Sunday 4th April for the 2nd running of the Red Kite Enduro. The event was limited to 100 riders & the cancellation of the Lossiemouth BEC resulted in a late surge that ensured a full entry. The 14 mile lap was a reverse of last year's course & it was divided into 2x7 mile stages with the test on the inbound leg. The weather was cool & dry but the driver training course was wet. The Championship class had 6 laps, Experts 5 laps, Clubman 4 laps & sportsman 3 laps. After a sighting run on the first lap, all the tests were timed. Andrew Edwards & Craig Reynolds led the riders off at 10.00am. In recent years WTRA's notorious Beacons has become a trail run whilst the Red Kite has developed into a tough forestry enduro. Watching some of the sportsman depart from the start with their indicators & big number plates it was difficult not to conclude that there was still a bit of confusion. One rider who knew exactly what to expect was #121 Bob Hamilton - both he & his Suzuki PE175 were  probably riding around the Halfway in the early 80s. From the quarry the riders climbed & then clambered over the ridge to the Driver Training Course on the Eppynt. Riding up the DTC means that the water splashes are more of a surprise. #85 Paul May, #87 Andy Baxter & #89 Lee Cross were very surprised. They entered together, they rode together & they sank together. The toughest part of the course was the second half of the test. It felt a bit like looking for the quickest queue at Tesco's. Andrew Edwards was in the "10 items or less" line while Tyson Maytom-Jones (right) got stuck behind a granny with a purse full of vouchers. By the end of the first lap, all the bikes & riders were well pebbledashed with mud with the exception of Wyn Hughes who still looked flesh as a daisy. Gary Jenkins' trials background had prepared him well & he had plenty of time to chat to his family at the check. Sidecar driver #111 Aled Evans was on a solo for a change but he still kept shouting for Iwan to lean further out on the corners. Daniel Thomas on the KTM 690 R retired but he will be back for the Beacons in August. Bob Hamilton also did a lap of honour on the PE before retiring. Leighton Roberts' 3 month old EXC 200 seized & let him down for the 5th time. Look out for a bargain on the For Sale page.  Andrew Jones went out when he lost his rear brake fluid. After 4 laps, Steve Biddle fitted a new set of rear pads. Steve guessed the pads wouldn't last but he didn't want to waste them. They say that oil & water don't mix but Mick Mills' KTM crank was just the tool to do the job. Noel Fletcher was lucky that an eagle eyed scrutineer spotted his rear wheel nut was hanging on by a thread. Unfortunately Noel's luck didn't last as he went out on his last lap. Andrew Edwards won the Premier from Manchester Extreme's Craig Reynolds. Neil Thomas was the best Expert & Gary Jenkins was the runner up. Midwest's Tyson Maytom-Jones was 3rd. Brothers Dan & Ben Bishop kept each other company to finish 4th & 5th. Wyn Hughes won the Expert Vets ahead of Calvin Williams. Anthony Moore from Coleford was the best Club Vet & tyre man Paul Green was the runner up. The Clubman class took a big hit with 50% retirements but Ade Deeley kept a clean card to take the win & Michael Jones was 2nd. There were 2 types of Sportsman - the quick & the dead. 50% finished clean & 50% retired after the first lap. Thanks to WTRA for once again investing their Winter fuel allowances into putting on another cracking event. Running “proper” enduros since the 1980’s Red Kite ENDURO Sunday 4th April 2010 (Easter Sunday) WTRA Ltd - Company No 02959274                                email: mail@wtra.co.uk                        Phone: 07890 345 695 (only between 18:00 and 21:30hrs)           . This years event was sponsored by Many thanks to Paul Green Tyres  who supplied a set of tyres as prizes for the event. These have been awarded to the Clubman Winner – Ade Deeley of Cwmbran and Sportsman Winner – James Wilden of Coleford.