Jack Ayres in action.
MOTORCYCLE TRIALS
SKILL and endurance helped Shanklin motorcycle trials rider Jack Ayres to an impressive result at one of the world’s most challenging motorcycle enduro races, the International Erzberg Rodeo.
The event took place in a 20,000-acre opencast iron ore mine, known as the Iron Giant, located in the town of Eisenerz, Austria.
Jack, 27, who has been the IW Motorcycle Trials champion several times over, took up enduro racing in February and entered after winning a number of races in the UK.
The rodeo, which attracts riders from around the world, was staged in two parts — a qualifying race in which riders have two attempts to race along the Iron Road, a rock and gravel track normally used by the monster diggers and trucks in mining operations, and the Red Bull Hare Scramble, where the fastest 500 riders race in the quarry and surrounding forests.
Jack qualified in 239th place out of the 1,850 starters on the first run, returning to the paddock thinking he could reduce his lap time considerably on the second attempt.
Unfortunately, Saturday’s qualifying was cancelled due the thick rolling fog, covering the mountain.
But during the main race, Jack managed to improve his final position to 172nd overall, and all this despite torrential rain and thunderstorms.
The race was actually won by UK rider Jonny Walker with 12-time world trials champion Dougie Lampkin in second.
Jack thanked his sponsors Wight Fencing Ltd, John Peck Construction, Richard Carter Ready Mix, Groundsell Landscaping and Andrew Kennerly for their sponsorship and support.