Ian Brown's XC Series Round 4 - Delancey Park
The fourth round of the Ian Brown’s XC series drew fifty eight participants to Delancy Park. The shortened track resembled an XCC race, requiring riders to stay on the pedals throughout an intense race. The starting line featured seasoned riders James Roe, Matt Osborne, and race favourite Mark Le Page. Also vying for a podium was youth rider Zach Smith, making his return to domestic racing, and junior rider Charlie Tourtel, promising an energetic showdown from the outset.
From the start Utmost & Ian Brown's Academy riders Smith & Tourtel, joined by Island Games rider Le Page were at the front of the pack, exchanging positions multiple times. By lap seven, Tourtel had surged ahead, closely followed by Smith, leaving Le Page unable to respond. On lap ten, Smith made his move, creating a gap of fourteen seconds over Tourtel and extending his lead over the next eight laps to secure victory by more than a minute.
Le Page managed to catch Charlie Tourtel, and the two remained neck and neck until Tourtel made a decisive move, clinching second place while Le Page settled for third. Despite a slow start, James Roe consistently completed eighteen laps to finish fourth ahead of Matt Osborne, who was locked in a battle with Remi Le Compte. Remi pushed Osborne hard until lap fifteen before being dispatched, while Le Comple celebrated a well-deserved win in the Advanced category.
Ben Langlois took second place in the Advanced category with James Shorto Grinding out a well deserved third spot.
The veteran class never fails to disappoint with Peter Sargent taking the win with ease. Some two laps down Tristan Robilliard put in a big shift to beat rival Wayne Piercey and take second place, with Piercey having to settle for third.
The Grand Vets would see Mark Smith firmly in control as he also took a convincing win (eleventh overall) ahead of Kieran Lee and new rider Tom Fotheringham taking second and third spots respectively.
Mark Naftel and Richard Robins both took the wins in the Super Vets and Sport categories with Jamy Petit-Fulgoni taking the win in the Lady’s race.
Utmost & Ian Brown’s Academy riders Harry Manning and Holly Smith took the wins in the U16’s with Freddie Martel taking the win in the U14’s from a charging Luca Robilliard who just couldn’t manage to hang on in a sprint finish, taking second with Jacob Piercey also in a sprint finish with Arun Scales taking third.
Hugo Johnston and Ethan Shorto continue to be riders to catch in the U12’s and U10’s, both registering wins in the junior boys categories. Sophia Fulgoni was the stand-out rider in the U12 girls category with Orla Pipet dominating the U10’s.
Coming up next is round three of the Gravity series (Enduro) and the next XC round will be held on 17th May starting at 9am - venue to be confirmed.
