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2nd June 2010
After my ride in Scotland I came home and really went through what I needed to do at the final round of the Sprint Challenge to lift my confidence again and ride like I know I can.
Arriving at Saints Well in mid Wales the weather was beautiful and the team were actually watering the track to keep the dust down, how ever good things weren't to last as the forecast rain came in and what was to be a dust problem was now a fight to keep the track tape up, on that note I would just like to thank Jonty Edmunds and his team as it was a bloody brilliant series and think they all deserve a pat on the back.
With the format of racing being special tests it was the first time in a long time I really enjoyed riding in the rain! If that's possible! There was no getting cold on long road checks or stuck in the forest needing new goggles.
Saturday started well, Julian suggested we try something slightly different with the bike and it worked brilliantly, my first test was 3 and a half seconds of Knighter which is the closest I've been to him for a long time, the rest of the day went really well and all bar one test where I made a small mistake I was second on every test, coming within 3-5 seconds on more than one occasion to Knighter.
On Sunday the rain had past and the sun was out with a strong breeze which was drying the track up with every test. The first test was still really slippery but I was only 2 seconds off David, at this point I knew if I had a chance of beating the multi world champion on a test then this was my best chance for a long time. At the start of the second test I told myself just to push as hard as I could without any mistakes, the test was drying and knew the times would be quicker, I was 15 seconds quicker and I felt really good at the end of the test so I awaited David's time hoping to be within 1-2 seconds and then it came up, I had to take a double take at the clock as it said I was 4 hundreds of a second quicker than Knighter, I felt like I had won the championship in one test, what a feeling to be the first person in the country to beat Knighter this year.
I didn't think it could get any better but then with my new found confidence and with David under a bit of pressure he made a rare mistake and I beat him again but this time by 5 seconds, I was now leading the day by 4 seconds and knew Knighter would be wanting to get back in front,the next few tests weren't to bad but Knighter was edging away and Special wasn't to far behind, just when I thought the day was over on the last test I made small mistake and crashed and with Greg setting his fastest time he beat me to second overall on the day.
Overall I'm really pleased with series on finishing 3rd overall as I had that bad first day when I finish 12th! It was a KTM 1,2,3 with both KORR riders in the top 3. Just like to say a massive thanks to all my pit crew and team and all my sponsors.
I'm off to get ready for the Hafren Enduro, see you there
2nd June 2010
Hi everyone, sorry I haven't managed to update the site in a while, with the amount of racing , training and work commitments I simply been running out of time.
After the last sprint challenge it was a mad rush to get all things ready for the 2nd round of the BEC in Scotland. In Scotland I was a bit disappointed with my riding, on Saturday I was riding OK but not on the pace I should have been, I normally love the sand but for some reason I just didn't click and I couldn't find my rhythm, I didn't crash or anything but just couldn't find the pace to be challenging for second overall, I manage to win my class and 3rd overall.
On Sunday I felt a little bit better and pushed really hard from the start to try and force myself into my rhythm which ended up biting me in the ass. The start of the day was good but still not on the pace and found myself in 3rd overall for most of the day, how ever I think I pushed a little to hard at the start and with a tough days riding a few mistakes occurred as I started to tire a bit, coming into the last 3 tests I had a 30 second advantage in class and then a crash on the Enduro test and 2 rubbish motocross test I gave the win away, at least I know what I need to work on and look forward to the Hafren.
26th April 2010
Rounds 3 and 4 of the sprint enduro took place at Rogershill Raceway near Dorchester, it went well for me but it wasn't without its ups and downs!
I had been to Rogershill before but on arrival it looked like a different area, Danny Hall had done lots of work and changed loads of things since the last time I was there, from making new jumps, improving the extreme sections and digging a tunnel to go under the road in, and the changes looked awesome. Day 1 started OK for me, I had a bit of a training crash in the week so I was a little tense starting off but that soon wore off and I just wanted to get a no mistake test under my belt, which I did and had second fastest time to Knighter with Wakely,Special Greg and McLaughlin just behind me. The next couple of tests went good and I was in 2nd with a 14 second advantage over Greg in 3rd, however on the 4th test I made a mistake in a corner, lost my balance, gave it a big handful and it jumped out of my arms. I fell off the back and when I got up to pick the bike up it wasn't there! It was still rolling down the test on tick over!! I gave chase on foot and just as I caught up to it, it fell awkward and twisted the bars a little, I tried hard to make back some time but with the bars not straight the 14 second advantage had gone. At this point I think Greg smelt blood and he upped his pace on the last few tests and I wasn't able to match it, so 3rd on day 1 was the best I could do.
Day 2 came round and there had been some rain over night which would help with the dust but also make the hard pack track a bit slick, with a few changes to the course as it was now in reverse I took a slow sighting lap to have a good look around. I watched the under 23's to see how slick it was and then Mark Roberts proved it, he had a huge crash on the rhythm section and just about wrote off his 450 KTM.
For me I wanted to get on the pace straight away as I knew Greg would be on it, I was having a good test and then as I was heading back towards the finish there was a log section and me trying to gain every second I tried to double some wet logs, you can guess the outcome! I didn't crash heavy but my foot was stuck under the bike and it took me a while to get back on, I'd lost 10 seconds to Greg and Si before it had really started. The second test I felt a lot better and all three of us set the same time to with in a few hundreds of a second. I knew that making up 10 seconds wasn't going easy, and I certainly couldn't do it on one test, that's the good thing about the sprints, if you make a mistake you have got time to make up for it. Unfortunately for Si he made quite a costly mistake and lost a lot of time which just left me chasing Greg, but Greg had found his rhythm and every time I pushed harder he did too and I just couldn't quite match his pace. So 3rd again which is good for me in the championship and good for KTM as it was a KTM 1,2,3 on both days.
Massive thanks to all my pit crew, sponsors and Julian for all the work they do.
Next event is the BEC in Scotland for me so I'll see you there.
Daryl.
If you like this website and are thinking about how much you want your own, then drop me an email for more details as the guy that built this site for me has got a special deal on at the moment!!
Check out the new video on here, one of my hot lines at about 2mins 30secs!!
31st March
A mixed start for me at the first round of the British sprint championship at the weekend.
Arriving at the event on Friday I really thought we were in for a hard time as the ground was so wet, with people struggling just to get into the field. In actual fact it turned out to be just about perfect conditions by the end of the first day.
Day 1 didn't go according to plan for me, I completed the practise lap fine but then on the first timed lap I had a bit of trouble with the bike,we changed some electrics and went out for the second lap but it was still the same, by this time I had lost to much time to gain back so I sat out of the next lap to fix the problem which turned out to be fuel starvation and not electrical. I joined back in on the 4th lap and all seemed well so I got my head down and used it for practise and bike set up and ended up setting some really good times finishing about 10-15 seconds off of knighter's pace on a 10 minute test. Overall I was happy because I knew I had the pace and I was learning a lot every test about my new suspension and also about the way I should be attacking a test.
Day 2 was a new day and after the practise lap I felt ready to push even harder than day one, each test my confidence was growing on day one so with the course now reversed I set of and started attacking every every part of the test, about a third of the way in I felt great and then I caught a root which fired straight into the closest tree! It stopped me absolutely dead and twisted the front end up a little, my time was only 5 seconds off Taddy and Greg so I wasn't to angry. After that I got more and more confident and me and Taddy had a good little battle right to the end of the day where he would beat me and then I would beat him until the end where I finished 6 seconds behind him, maybe without my crash on the first test I could of just pipped the factory KTM rider.
Overall I'm really happy with the weekend, the bike was working perfect and the hitch on day 1, Big thanks to Julian and the KORR KTM team, my pit crew and of course my sponsors.
My next event would have been the BEC in Scotland but dew to the weather it's been postponed so my next race will be the sprint enduro at Rogers Hill raceway.
See you there
Daryl
March 2nd 2010
The first round of the BEC is now done and dusted, with a 2nd in class and 3rd overall. For me the event went OK, I was happy with my result but frustrated with my riding, I knew I could go faster but for some reason I couldn't quite clicked with the special test and it seemed the harder I tried the more mistakes I made. The event was hit hard by the weather causing the test to look like something you might find in Wales rather than Norfolk, previous to the Muntjack I had just concentrated my training on the sand and to find the normally sandy test full of slippery mud and deep ruts I just didn't have the feeling with how hard to push on the wet ground.
I didn't make any major mistakes on the tests but I did make lots of little ones that add up after a while around the Muntjack test. With everyone being close on times it was much easier to lose time than to try and make it up, Paul Edmonson was riding really well and after getting stuck behind someone and losing a handful of seconds, it was going to be very hard to catch him, and with Si wakely not far behind me I didn't want to push and make a mistake so I settled for where I was.
The event was cut shot by 2 laps and a test which I think was the right decision as it was getting badly cut up and the tight lap would have been to dangerous, overall I'm happy with the result as I know now what I have to do for the next BEC.
Massive thanks to the team, pit crew and the sponsors that came to support me on such a rainy day,
see you at the next race
Daryl.
February 8th 2010
Had my first taste of my race bike under race conditions on Sunday at the second round of the REME hare and hound championship. The race was at slab common which is perfect training for the up coming British championship, the first impressions for the bike were amazing and I would quite happily race it as it is, but KORR KTM team manager Julian Stevens reckons that with a few tweaks here and there it will be even better. The race was very good and the REME boys put on a cracking event and I would recommend putting in your entries for the 3rd and final round. Having not raced for a while I have a few blisters for my efforts but overall I'm really happy with the way I rode and my fitness levels. I'm now looking forward to this weekend as the KTM team are getting together to do some serious testing and special test training, I'll let you know how it goes!!
January 21st 2010
The start of the season is fast approaching, I have just returned from a break in Egypt which was amazing! I have just about finalised all my plans for the new year and the training programme is under way. The new KORR KTM team has planned some training weekends to get ready for the first BEC and we will be attending the REME training weekend to give our advice, and racing the hare and hound on the Sunday the 7th . See you there.
7th January 2010
Thanks for using the site and following my progress throughout 2009, I've had a good year winning the British E1 championship and the GBXC pro Lites championship and would just like to thank my sponsors and support crew once again for all their help.
For 2010 a new KTM team by the name off KORR KTM created by Julian Stevens will be supporting me this year at all the main events. Also, I can announce that I will Be involved with Putoline Oils.
Testing the new bikes is under way and I'll keep you informed on the Progress!
Why not visit the new KORR KTM team website? Click here
12th October
Hi everyone,
What a busy few weeks it's been, From the week before Weston Beach Race I don't think my ass has touch the ground. Work has been busy and bikes even more so,
The work started with preparation for Weston, and with this event being notorious for killing bikes you have to do everything you can to keep it cool and keep the sand and water out of every part of the bike. Having done all that prep and then the event being cancelled was gutting at the time but when we were told what had happened and the extent of some of the injury's I think the right decision was made, just glad to hear that all involved are getting better.
After Weston I put the bike back to it's original form and I had two weeks to train before the World indoor enduro at Sheffield I travelled north to Fat cat motoparc and couldn't believe what an amazing place that is, the enduro cross track and the motocross track were prepared beautifully and rode so good, just wished it was about 4 hours closer!
The week before Sheffield I just practised nearer to home as I had to start getting my race bike ready for the indoor and then when I'd finished practising I had to get the other bike ready to go to the Dirt bike show on the MD racing stand.
Sheffield was was an OK event for me, I would of liked to get to the final but that's racing, my timed practise went well and my lap times were in the top 8, my qualifying race started well and I was 3rd into the first corner and then Antoine Meo decided to try and pass me on the rocks and crashed in front of me which put me at the back of the field, and one mistake in this racing and its nearly impossible to catch up. In the LCQ it was only the winner that would go through and with such names as Paul Edmonson, Paul Bolton, Greg Evans and Oriol Mena to name a few it wasn't going to be easy, I got pushed out on the start and was last round the first and with only 3 laps to catch up it was difficult, I managed to get to 4th which wasn't to bad but wasn't good enough.
Then for a bit of fun they ran a night race where they turned the lights off in the stadium and the non qualified riders from the world cup had a bit of fun, I didn't know about the possibility of a night race and as a result didn't come prepared! All I had was the dim light of a standard headlight but some how I managed to have my best race of the night and finished 2nd!
With Sheffield out of the way it was time to start getting both bikes ready with one going back to Premier Bikes and the other going to the show, the one bike from the show is done and will soon be for sale at Premier Bikes and as you read this I'm probably in the garage getting the other ready for sale!
As of next year it's looking really good and can confirm I will be back on a KTM with some new sponsors on board which I will confirm when I get the go ahead.
September 29th
The British championship has now come to an end and after a good start and then a rubbish second round, I manage to win the British Enduro 1 championship and 5th overall.
The Natterjack is always an event that I look forward too, sand is one of my favourite terrains to ride on and with the REME team behind the organisation its always a good event to ride. I arrived on Friday morning and before unloading I decided to get the tests walked first, as I wanted to walk the enduro test at least 3 times because of all the different line choices there were. Both tests looked really good, my only criticism would of been that the moto x test was a bit thin in places where as the enduro test was really wide which was good because you had lots of line choice.
As I only live about an hour away from the event I went home Friday night to get a good night sleep ready to try and win my first major championship for KTM. I woke up Saturday morning feeling as ready as ever to get on that bike and start stretching them throttle cables! Derrick Edmonson done a great job of sorting out times for everybody that wanted them so cheers Derrick. My start time of 10:02 soon came around, the bike fired up first time and off I went and for some reason I started to feel a bit nervous and a bit of pressure, I think it was because I really wanted to win the championship in my first year at KTM but I knew Greg Evans was going fight me all the way for it. I arrived at the first moto x test still feeling a bit tense so decided to ride it at 95% with no mistakes and ended setting quite a good time, after that I felt fine and settled into my normal rhythm.
The enduro test then started to bug me as there was a fast route which involved a big wall to get up and trails isn't my strong point, The first lap was untimed so I thought I would have a go and if I failed I would take the safe option and go round sacrificing about 10 seconds in the timed laps, I was one of the first riders to arrive at the wall and Lee Edmonson was first to have a go and he crashed which I then decided not to do it and take the safe option, at the end of the test my dad came up to me and said that the riders with the trails backgrounds where getting up it without to much bother. So if I wanted to get a good result overall I would have to attempt the wall on the first timed lap, I tried and as quickly as I went up I came back down so stuck to the safe route where I was still beating some of the people that were going up the wall.
The rest of the day went well until the very last back to back enduro test where I needed to beat Phil McLaughlin by 4 seconds to get 3rd overall, I put my all into the test had was going really well until about 200 yards from the end when I lent into a corner and clipped a stump with my foot which put my knee into my elbow which pulled my hand of the bars and I couldn't get it back on in time for next corner where I hit the deck! I wasn't to mad because it was the class win that was more important and I managed to win it, roughly working out the points it was enough to secure the championship.
Sunday was a different story, I wanted to finish the championship in 3rd overall and to do this I think I just needed to finish top 5, with a lot of pressure off my shoulders I was ready to give it my all to try and stick with Nambotin, the bike fired up fine again and off I set and 5 minutes into riding I heard a weird noise from the engine so with the class already won I decided to stop and save the bike in case there was anything major wrong.
So that's it for another year in the British championship, I done what I set out to do and next year set my goal on winning it overall, my next race is the Weston beach race next weekend so I'll let you know how it goes!
Massive thanks to my family, pit crew, sponsors and everyone cheering me on through out the season. 7th September
Hi again,
The weekend just gone saw the team travel to north Wales for the final round of the GBXC series at Carrog Isa. The track was set up on the side of a hill using a mixture of forestry and moorland and made for a long tiring walk!
Having already wrapped up the pro lites championship at round 5, I rode a 450 at round 6 for a bit of fun and to see how I would get on having never really rode one before. For the last round I was back on the trusty 250 as I didn't want to take any points of anybody in the other pro class.
The start was a short ride up the hill or a long walk for those wanting to see the start! As the flag dropped I got a good start and was 4th into the first corner, the first few corners was just a matter settling down as it was to thin to make any passes and then in opened out onto the moorland where it was a lot faster with long bumpy straights and flowing corners. I managed to get passed Mark Roberts who got the hole shot again! And then got my head down and tried to push hard for a couple of laps to gap the field but Special Greg was right on my case and there was nothing between us for a few laps until we hit a bit of traffic where I managed to get a good run through the back markers and Greg got held up a bit which gave me enough gap to up the pace and start to pull away.
Me and Greg were pushing hard and Si wakely wasn't to far behind when he disappeared and I later learned he had had a huge get off and decided it was better to stop, this put Tom Sagar into 3rd a couple of minutes behind Greg. After the fuel stop I think I was about a minute up on Greg and I was feeling good so just concentrated on trying to find a smooth line and make no mistakes. Towards the end of the race I was starting to get a little tired and my blisters were starting to hurt where the track was so rough so my I slowed my pace a little to save some energy if I needed it. A few laps from the end I came round by the finish to see Greg sat there and could see he had a problem with his rear shock, I felt gutted for him as it was only a few laps to go and he had been riding awesome until that point, this allowed Tom into second and Ash Woods into 3rd and that's how it finished, I think I was 2 or 3 minutes up on 2nd place which I was well pleased with as I was only on the 250.
The last few weeks have been really positive for me, I feel good on the bike and believe I can still go faster, I'm already looking forward to next year and can confirm already that a new sponsor will be on board in the way of Lazer helmets, keep a check on the website to keep up with the latest news on next year!
A massive thanks to firstly my team/pit crew(mum,dad,Kate,Julian,Phil and Kay Evans,Michael Ranger) and secondly thanks all my sponsors that help and support me and made it possible for me to win the championship
24th August
Preview: 1st Putoline Oils Sprint Enduro - See videos
Hey all, The weekend just gone saw me travel to mid Wales to the amazing track at cymthig hill, Rhayader. The event was the Putoline oils elite sprint enduro, a new style of event which is a bit of a mix between motocross and enduro. How it worked is we had a long special test like an enduro but with no going in between and we rode the test back to back similar to motocross.
I arrived on Saturday to find Jonty and his team had been busy building the test that used nearly all of the area at the motocross track, it looked awesome to say the least. I decided to use my race bike which needed a fresh piston so a big thanks to Giz and Julian who put it in at the last minute. A quick look at a few parts of the test and it was off to find the B+B.
By Sunday morning I was really excited to see how this new event was going work and couldn't wait to get started, after signing on and a quick briefing on the format we all had one practise lap, followed by a prologue to determine our starting positions and then it was 10 timed tests. On the prologue I was second fasted to Greg Evans and to spice things up the faster riders went at the back of the field on the timed laps.
The first of the 10 tests was perfect for me, I felt good when I got to the end of the test and I didn't make any mistakes, I clocked a time of 8 minutes 34 seconds which turned out to be the quickest test of the day, by the next test it had started to drizzle and the track was getting a bit greasy on top, Also I started to get a few problems with the running of the bike, which was quickly found to be that the silencer needed packing! The rest of the tests went well for me bar a few small mistakes I managed to take the overall win by 42 seconds from Greg then Phil.
At the end of the day and for a bit of fun there was elimination races where we got drawn into groups of 4 and had little races round a shorter version of the test, 2 riders would go through from each group until there was 4 riders left at the end for the final. In the final was me, Greg, Lee Ed and Ash woods,even though it was a bit of fun when that flag dropped we all wanted to win as any racer would, Greg got the hole shot which was a big advantage as there was only really one line on the wet track so I just stuck to his back wheel hoping for a mistake which after a few corners he got a bit cross rutted and left just about enough room for me to squeeze through. From there I just needed to hold my line and make no mistakes, Greg pushed me all the way to the end but I managed to hold my nerve and take the win.
Overall I think the best thing about this event (bar the riding!) was how good it was for spectators, you could see all the action unfolding in front of you like a motocross event and you didn't have to stand at a fuel check all day seeing no action.
A big thanks to all my sponsors and to all those involved with the event, making it a great days riding.
see you at the races,
Daryl
20th August
Hi everybody,
Sorry I haven't updated the site in a while, I'm not the best with the computers and I managed to block something on my computer so that I couldn't use word! Thanks Wayne for sorting it out.
Anyway, the last couple weeks haven't been to bad apart from the BEC at Knighton, I'm not to sure exactly what the problem was there,all I can say is I rode rubbish! I tried some different things with the bike that didn't work, I should of tested it before racing but didn't have the time due to work commitments. Having a bad day on Saturday made me angry and I got so wound up with myself that I rode even worse on Sunday, one event best forgotten about.
Then it was on to the BEC in the Dyfi forest, I had changed the bike back to a set up that I knew worked so this time there was no excuse! I have to say that the test at the Dyfi was my favourite test so far this year, it had a mix of everything from rocky gulleys to grassy fields to steep rutted hills to man made obstacles. As soon as I started the bike it felt so much better and filled me with confidence again and with the test at the end of the lap it was perfect for me to get back into how I should be riding. The first day was going really well until the final lap, I was in second behind knighter on test times but then me and Greg Evens got really badly held up behind slower riders on a tight check and both dropped a minute, which in turn dropped me from 2nd to 6th overall.
Sunday was a lot better for me, I was determined to do well and had my best day in the BEC this year, I felt good all day and was rewarded with 2nd overall. The only problem I had was on the very last test about a minute and a half from the end, I had a stone go in the front sprocket and strip it of all its teeth! Lucky for me the chain stayed on and I still set the 3rd fasted time! So overall a good weekend and also as I slightly extend my points lead in the E1 championship.
Onto the GBXC at Baden Hall and this was going to be a good test for me as I was going to race a 450sxf for the first time, having ridden the bike for all of about half an hour before the event I was a little nervous of what to expect. I had never even practised a start so when the bike fired up at the touch of a button I got a little excited and dumped the clutch forgetting what was between my legs, I was soon looking at the sky as I nearly looped it out!! I managed to get round the first corner in second and then after about 300yards I realised I had forgotten to tighten my seat up as it hit me up the back side!! Lucky for me Kate and the rest of my pit crew saw what happened and pulled me in at the end of the lap to put it back on.
So after my good start I was now at the back of the pack on a strange bike playing catch up, I felt good and got into a good rhythm and before long I was back up with the leading pack, just before the hour mark I was back in the lead and started to pull a gap on the field. The rest of the race went really well and I finished with a comfortable lead, it was good to know I can ride the 450 at a good pace and it now maybe my choice for Weston.
10th August 2009
Courtesy Al Ranger
Daryl Bolter is celebrating winning the Pro class at the Great Britain - Cross Country Series last Sunday. The penultimate GBXC round took place at the picturesque setting of Baden hall in Staffordshire.
Having already won the "Pro Lites" class with in the series which is for 250cc machines, Daryl elected to ride a 450 cc KTM for the first time. Having no time to test the bike prior to the event this was a gamble for the Team KTM UK rider.
Look ... No seat!
Over the course of the three hour event it took Daryl a few laps to get use to the heavier, but much more powerful bike.
Daryl says "I really enjoyed riding the 450, and it was nice to show people that I am not just a 250 rider. But in certain situations particularly in wet event I know that I would be quicker on the smaller lighter bike, two weeks ago for example in the mud at the British Enduro round in Wales I came second to World Enduro champion David Knight, the 250 was ideal in those type of conditions"
Daryl is pictured Centre, with second place KTM Team mate Greg Evans, and third place rider Aston Bird, Team Husqvarna.

29th June
Welsh 2 Day Enduro
"Daryl Bolter was the right man in the right place at the right time to win" Enduro News
 Photo: Enduro News/Martin Harding
28th June
Hi all, as most of you know in sport, whatever the sport, you need a certain amount of luck, and luck was definatly on my side at this year’s welsh 2 day.
At last year’s welsh luck was against me, after I had set the fastest special test times I made a small mistake on the last tight check trying to overtake someone and managed to slip off my pegs, caught my leg under the back wheel and twisted my ankle really bad, I was unable to put my foot on the peg and had to ride the rest of the check standing on one leg, consequently this injury made me lose a minute and gifted the win to Tom Sagar who cleaned the check.
At this year’s welsh mother nature was on my side, I arrived on Tuesday with Kate and was really excited to see the new test at Cross Gates so we got on and walked Cross Gates and the Abbey test, Cross Gates test looked awesome and even though there was a hare and hounds a couple of weeks before it looked in good condition, the Abbey test looked good as well with a few changes just to keep us thinking. On Wednesday morning me and kiwi got up and went straight to Cwmythig hill, it looked similar to last year which made for easy remembering but the ground was baked hard and with the grass on top it was going to be a bit slippery. After the morning walk we went to the paddock at the lake and finished tinkering with the bike and putting my numbers on (thanks to Scott evans from customised signs for them) and put the bike in parc ferme, as always with the welsh, parc ferme and signing on was well organised and by lunch time I was back out walking tests.
Thursday morning soon came around and I was really up for it after my bad luck the year before I was out to try and prove a point, a quick ride from the start up the road and it was straight into Cross Gates, having done no off road riding before the test it was going to be hard to get into it but it was the same for everybody, I felt pretty good considering and with the exception of a few mistake’s which I think everybody made, I couldn’t off done much more. I was second overall 2 seconds behind Si Wakely and with Paul Eddy in 3rd one second behind me. From Cross Gates it was up the road and of into the welsh hillside where we encountered some really nice riding even though it was a bit dusty. The last two test were near enough at the end of the day with the first being at Cwmythig, I struggled to push 100% round there and can only put it down to not riding any enduro’s, after all this was only my second enduro of the year, and my mind set was on 3 hour races which was all I had done, Si put in a blistering test and extend his lead while Eddy edged ahead of me and now Greg evans was right on my case, at the Abbey test I pushed a lot harder and I felt good with me and Greg on the same second, Si a couple in front of us and this time Eddy set a blistering time, at the end of the day I was 3rd overall behind Eddy and Si.
On Friday the course was reversed and this meant it was just 2 tests as there wasn’t enough time to get the timing gear back to the Cross Gates test, first up was the Abbey test and for me It was sh*t or bust as they say! And for the first time I got to the end of the test and felt like I had put in 100%, but I still couldn’t quite match the pace of Si and Paul. I got word that it was due to rain at Rhayader and prepared myself for a wet test, at the check before the test there was still no rain and as I looked up to the sky to see what it was doing the first drop hit the lens of my goggles, this was my que to get a move on and get to the test quick! Arriving at the test and it was spitting with rain and I Literally dropped my bum bag, put fresh goggles on and straight into the test behind Lee Edmondson, I suppose we got about half way round the test and the heavens opened, with every corner it was getting more slippery, I managed to negociate a few clubmen going round in circles and got to the end without crashing, me and Lee got very lucky and with every minute going by the test got worse and worse, Unfortunately for Paul and especially Si the rain couldn’t have come at worse time, I can only imagine how slippery the test was, the ground changed so quickly and even though they still set very quick times in the wet it wasn’t quite enough to hold onto their positions and gifted me the win, we all need a bit of luck in this game for a change the luck went my way.
A big thanks to all the organisers, land owners and marshal’s for another great welsh 2 day, Also big thanks to Dad, Kate, Giz, Julian Hinam, Michael Ranger (my pit crew) for getting me round and of course a massive thanks to all my sponsors, Cheers DB
8th June
Firstly, I need to say a massive thanks to my parents and Gareth 'Giz' Edmunds for helping me to get everything ready in time for the latest GBXC. Giz has race prepped my bike that I will be using on the Welsh two-day and the rest of the BEC and to be sure that the bike was fine I decided to test it at this race. Well it was frankly, bloody awesome! Giz has done an amazing job with setting it up and I can’t wait to ride it again.
The race started excellently for me, I wasn’t last off the line! I went into the first corner in fourth and set off after the leading three. I was slightly off the pace to start with, with having to learn the new bike and the track. I was losing ground on the first three and then I made a small mistake that let Tom Sagar and Phil McLaughlin through.
After about half an hour I was feeling good on the bike and got myself into a good rhythm. I could see I was catching the leading group of Si, Tom and Fast Eddy. Coming up to about the half way mark I was on the back of Fast Eddy and there was nothing between all four of us. I went by Fast Eddy and was trying to find a way past Tom when he made a small mistake and the gap was just about big enough to squeeze through. I was now chasing Si with Tom trying to get back past me and we were having a great little battle between the three of us. Coming up the last hill we were still really close and then Si dove off into the pits, followed by Tom and fast Eddy, which left me out front.
I now knew I had to push like mad to get as much time between us because I was next to fuel and I wanted to get out of the pits in the lead. Dad gave me the signal to fuel next lap, so I kept pushing hard hoping to have gapped the group. I took a look over my shoulder towards the end of the lap and saw I had pulled time on Paul and Si, but there was a Husaberg chasing me down. Tom must of had the same idea as me and wanted to be in the lead after fuelling. As I was just firing the bike up I could hear Tom coming up the hill and he just got in front of me as I was coming out of the pits.
Tom managed to pull a few seconds on me and I just knew I had to keep pushing as anything can happen in racing. Then I came to one of the long rutty sections and he got slowed up by some back markers, which allowed me to get right on his back wheel and we pushed each other as hard as we could. Tom made a small mistake on the penultimate lap, which let me through and we started the final lap like it was our first and just let it hang out, which was great fun.
We got into the woods and Tom had a good line on the slippery rocks and passed me. Further round the woods there was a long downhill rut and it was now my turn to get caught up behind a back marker. Tt allowed Tom to get away just enough. I couldn’t do anything about closing the gap and after two and a half hours of good close racing he crossed the line seven seconds in front of me.
Another good weekend for me with 1st in class and 2nd overall, so I’m happy. Massive thanks to all my sponsors and my pit crew and to everyone out there shouting me on. My next race is this Sunday coming at Canada heights, which I’m really looking forward to.
4th May
Me and my girlfriend Kate arrived at the GBXC on Saturday lunchtime, the setting for the event looked awesome and with the sun shining we put our walking boots on and set off to walk the track. With the first two rounds being a relatively easy walk, looking up at the hills around I got the feeling this was going to be a bit harder to walk! Within about 15 minutes Kate and I were both panting away! The track was looking good and had a bit of everything in it, including a few big hidden rocks! It took us about 2 and half hours, a lot of sweat and a couple of blisters to walk round the track. With the morning race just about underway I went for a look about again and with some heavy rain through the night the track was cutting up quick, the surface layers soon disappeared and went down to rock, the climbs in the woods were getting trickier by the lap and bumps getting bigger with every rider going through. This is when I realised that we were in for a beating! My bike was now on the line and ready to go, I was feeling confident and just wanted to get going before the nerves set in, I’d fuelled my body up with food and walked up to the start line ready to put my start practise to the test. We got word that somebody was badly hurt out on the track and the air ambulance needed to come in so there would be a slight delay, in all we were delayed for about an hour and a half but they got the guy of the hill safely. With such a long wait before the start my focus had wandered slightly and guess what, I fluffed the start up AGAIN! One day I will get the start right and won’t know what to bloody do with it! Anyway with making my life hard as always I set of trying to pick my way through the pack, coming over the crest off a hill all I saw was the TM of Gordon Clarke and the Aprilia of Euan McConnell kart wheeling down the track, I managed to come through quite quick and could see Greg, Si and Aston having a good battle, all of a sudden I caught Greg, he didn’t look to good as I passed and I got the message he had hit his head on a branch. I set off after the husky’s and had a good battle with them for a few laps and once I’d passed them I was in 2nd overall and trying to chase down Tom Sagar, I managed to close the gap down from a minute and a half to about 25 seconds and then I hit a wall, I’d pushed myself so much in the beginning and with the track being so demanding I started to feel sick and everything was cramping up, I could push no more, I don’t like to settle for second but I had no choice, I started making big mistakes and with a couple of laps to go didn’t want to injure myself. So a win in the pro lites class and second overall wasn’t too bad considering my appalling start, massive thanks to my pit crew and all of my sponsors and everybody screaming at me to go faster, and thanks to Michael Ranger for purchasing my new dump fill from Andy at flatoutracing.com that worked perfect.
26th April 2009
Hi all, I’ve finally had my computer lesson’s (thanks Wayne) and now able to keep on top of my website. Today saw me race with the ever popular track’n’trail series at kings hill near Salisbury , with it being a local race for me and with the fast flowing fields, technical ups and downs and a nice stream section it was perfect preparation for the forth coming 3rd round of the GBXC series in north Wales. I’ve always enjoyed riding at kings hill and waking up to another beautiful morning I was eager to get going. With Si Wakely, Jon Hinam and James Jackman all entered it was going to make for some good racing. With the sighting lap done and everybody happy Mike dropped the flag and off we went. For the first time this year I got a good start!! I’ve been working on my starts a lot recently as normally I’m one of the last off the line! So with a hole shot under my belt I decided to push on knowing the chasing pack would be trying to reel me in, I arrived at the first water section and jumped straight into the deep rut that most people proberly found! and my nice clean gloves and goggles were now soaked, the race unfolded pretty well from then on and I settled into a nice comfortable pace and worked on improving my corner speed, with Si unfortunately dropping out and Jon pushing hard, keeping me on my toes throughout the race it was all good practice for next weekend. My bike was awesome and never missed a beat, I thought the track held up really well and made for an enjoyable days riding, My next outing is the GBXC in north Wales so log on to see how it goes!BEC Muntjack enduro - 22 February 2009
28th February 2009
I had been looking forward to this race for ages. I've always liked the Muntjack as I enjoy riding in sandy conditions.
I felt good coming into the first round. I'd done as much pre-season training as I could. It’s hard to get the time on the bike now I'm back working Monday to Friday!
Me and my girlfriend arrived Saturday mid-day and stuck our walking boots on and got straight into walking the test. The test was looking good, and it was very well prepared and mostly dry. There were few changes to last years test to think about so I walked it again just to make sure I knew where I was going, everything was in place and I couldn't wait to fire the bike up and get started.
I woke up before my alarm on Sunday morning with eagerness to get going. I was a little nervous being it the first major event on my new KTM. The clock clicked over to 9:02 and I fired the KTM into life and set off for my first lap. I arrived at the test for the first time and was still feeling a little nervous. I decided to go for a fast but safe option on the first test. I didn't want to make a mistake before I started, and was happy with the time and set off for the rest of the lap. Completed lap1, fuelled up and set off for the second test. the nerves had gone so I decided to up my pace and take some more risks. I was 3 seconds faster than the first test and was really happy with the way I felt on the new bike. It was working awesomely. After completing the the second lap my dad told me I was in 3rd overall behind Si Wakley and David knight. The next three laps gradually got tighter and then there was the last lap - 41 minutes of fast riding to stay clean.
I think Andy Walters and his team did a great job and got the times pretty much spot on. There were about 10 riders who stay clean, and I made the time with 30 seconds to spare. After a splash of fuel and a quick breather it was back to the final test of the day. It was all to play for as Si and David were only just in front, and I had Tom Sagar creeping up behind me, I finished the test without any major mistakes and was happy with my riding. As I waited for the rest of the riders to come through they all had good tests. David put in the best test of the day and took the win just ahead of Si. The times were close between me and Tom as we waited for the overall times to come up, and he managed to just pip me by 0.2 of a second. So overall I was pleased with my result. 4th overall and 1st in class. A massive thanks to all my sponsors and a special thanks to my support crew and those that made the journey to cheer me on. My next race is the GBXC in 2 weeks. Log on to keep informed on how I get on.
15 February 2009
www.darylbolterracing.com & www.darylbolterracing.co.uk launched.
23 January 2009
As most of you probably know by now; I have now jumped ship to KTM. I have had many good years with Husqvarna (7 to be exact!) and enjoyed every one of them. I have won many championships with them and will continue trying to win championships on the new machine. I would like to say thanks again to all those who were involved.
So, what's new?
I am now riding under Premier Bikes, a KTM dealer in Didcot (near Oxford). They have been helping a regular BEC rider, Rich Warner, for a while now and have decided to start a Premier Bikes team consisting of me and Rich.
I will be competing in the BEC, GBXC series (riding #2) and then other selected events. I will also be competing or helping out at the track'n'trail events that don't clash. I will be riding these events on a 250 excf.
I'm looking forward to my new challenge for 2009 and helping me to achieve a good year are:
* As every year, my parents are my main sponsors * KTM UK * Premier Bikes * MD Racing Products * Pro Clean * Fro Systems * Gaerne Boots * Bell Helmets * Scott Goggles * Metzler Tyres * Devizes Building Supplies
I'd just like to thank everybody involved in helping me out this year. On a personal note - thanks to my parents for making me the rider I am today, and special thanks to Ali, Andy, uncle Sid, John Towle, the Rangers Crew and my girlfriend Kate for all your help and support, and of course Wayne for sorting this cool site out. All I need to do now is get the results!
Visit www.darylbolterracing.com to keep up to date with what I'm doing and my race reports through out the year.
See you at the races,
Daryl
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