Fat Face National Championships Moelfre, Wales

Jo Smith takes flight

Coming to a hillside near you...

This weekend Moelfre plays host to the three day long National mtb Championships. With riders from all over the country from downhill, 4x, trails and XC all competing at the same venue the scene is set for a fantastic weekend. The organizers promise a big and exciting event with beer, and fireworks almost more of a mtb festival than a straight race. The team are on the road today making the trip down to be ready for Fridays downhill qualifiers. See you there!

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Where back and its official. What has to be the ultimate mtb festival took place last weekend, namely the Fat Face national mtb Championships at Moelfre in Wales. A three day event with riders from downhill, 4x, trails, and XC competing for the coveted title of national champion in their respective categories.

We rolled into the race site late on Thursday evening to set up camp. The atmosphere was brilliant despite a few small organisational niggles, and with most people camping on site there was always someone around to talk to, new people to meet and things to do. Everything was very relaxed with hours of practice for all the disciplines before any racing took place.


Jack Geoghegan astonhill/ancillotti

The downhill took place on a very long yet pretty much straight down track. It was high speed all the way featuring flat out corners, braking bumps and jumps. Major features included the infamous ‘Big Bertha’ - a massive jump onto a loose off-camber landing which loomed near to the top of the course. The conditions were very dusty and the track got pretty cut up as the weekend continued. Some corners in particular where very loose and dusty and caused a lot of problems with peoples wheels just sinking sending them off over the bars.

The uplifts where running smoothly all weekend allowing riders time to get up to nine practice runs of the course in if you were quick on Friday. Riders were hitting the bottom section faster and faster as they became more used to the nature of the course. The weather was gorgeous with not a cloud in sight and it was baking hot all weekend. Qualifying runs kicked off around 4.00pm when the heat was less extreme. Everyone on the team qualified highly except for Matt Kemp of astonhill/Ancillotti who had suffered a really unlucky crash on the top section of the course meaning he just missed out on getting into the Sunday final runs.


Big air from Dave Young

The combined Ancillotti and astonhill team pit area was the place to be between runs, the pit was buzzing with activity with both Andy and Steve working on the team bikes making sure everything was running perfectly after every run. Rich Thomas had also come down for this event but with an arm still strapped up from a nasty crash at the World Cup in Willengen it was only to spectate and enjoy the event.

After qualifiers were over it was time to head up to the 4x to relax and watch the floodlit racing, have a drink and reflect on the day as the 4x racers battled their way round berms, slid round flat corners and over jumps shoulder to shoulder. A very atmospheric way to end the day.


Factory Ancillotti line-up

Saturday and it was time for the Youth, Juvenile, Women and the Juniors and Seniors who had not qualified for Sunday to take to the track to decide who would be taking home the national champ jerseys. Youth saw defending champion Joe Smith take second in Youth coming in with a time less than a second, 0.688 of a second to be exact, off the number one spot. Jack Geoghegan astonhill/Ancillotti rode hard to take sixth. Jules took a well deserved first place in Master Womens coming in thirty-four seconds up on second placed Renee Diwell.

Another chance to chill out this evening after the 4x finals. Fat Face the title sponsors of the event laid on a fantastic party with a spectacular firework display and glowsticks. I think its safe to say a good time was had by all.


Tony T speed crouch

Sundays saw final run for the top 20 junior and top 50 senior riders who had qualified on Friday, Matt Simmonds after looking strong in practice flew down the track and took tenth in senior, Nick Geoghegan astonhill/ Ancillotti put in a fantastic ride to take eigth in Junior, Dave Young got knocked off line after going huge off the last jump coming into the final section of the course he managed to hold his bike on track and cross the line with a time quick enough to take sixteenth in Senior, unluckily after really fast run in qualifying a big and really unlucky crash on the top section of the track saw Fergus Lamb unable to complete his final run.

Well done to all the riders for yet another fantastic weekend. Thats all for now folks, check back soon for more racing news.