Stuart Jenkinson

Stuart Jenkinson

JENKO RACING

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SDA Round 1- APRIL 21st/22nd

17-05-2012

SDA Round 1 – APRIL 21st/22nd A week after a pleasing BDS result at Combe Sydenham, it was closer to home and Round 1 of the SDA Series at Innerleithen. Days of rain meant a wet and sloppy weekend but practice went well and I was happy with both my set up and pace. With two race runs – fastest to count – it is always good to get a ‘banker’ in your first run but that didn’t quite go to plan when I slid off in a turn around midway which spoilt my run. With just a little added pressure on run 2, it was disappointing to make another mistake on some slippy roots and drop the bike again – so not quite what i was looking for which made the trip home a bit quiet. However, looking for positives out of the results sheet, I was surprised to see myself 17th overall which, given the ‘offs’ I had just confirmed that my pace was perhaps not that bad – maybe I need to slow down a bit to go quicker!!!! Next up is Farmer Johns North West race near Stockport – Report Coming Soon!!

Farmer Johns Race

17-05-2012

Farmer Johns Race Team Knox set out on a trip to Farmer Johns – with myself, Liam and Paul looking forward to a relaxed weekend in Stockport!!! Paul’s hardtail obviously wasn’t prepared for the hammer it was going to take, so a switch onto my Nicolai All Mountain bike kept him on track. Saturday practice was just a load of good fun riding and Sundays race day followed in the same vein. Again, a 2 run format, but this time I got a good first run in, to lead the field. In run two I managed to shave a few more tenths off to take the win so happy with that. Next week though, Fort William BDS will provide a stiffer challenge!!

Fort william BDS Round 2 - May 12th/13th

17-05-2012

Fort William BDS Round 2 – May 12th/13th It’s always a bit of a worry when the organisers issue a weather warning on Thursday before race weekend. So as we all headed up to Fort Bill, we sort of knew it could be all over by Saturday night. And that’s just how it worked out with the heavy rain and high winds forecast for Sunday, meaning that Saturdays Qualifying run would ultimately become the final results! Practice went well on Saturday morning in perfect conditions, but even as I went up for my last practice the weather was changing and I managed to pick up a puncture – oh well, better now than in my ‘race’ run. So imagine the frustration when, after a good top section, I punctured again just before the woods section, exactly the same place as in my last practice. To rub it in I then picked up a front flat before the bottom motorway section, so rolled into the finish arena with two flats!!! You can ponder on this and start questioning ‘why’ but on such a rough track, I think it is just down to luck so I’ll just move on and try and finish with some air in the tyres at Glencoe SDA round two next week.

SEASON OPENER – APRIL 14th/15th

16-04-2012

At last!! After a good winter training campaign and some adjustments to the GT Fury which seems to be working perfectly, the season finally started for me with Round One of the Halo British Downhill Championships at Combe Sydenham in Somerset. We made the long trip down south on Friday, and I was feeling quietly confident and excited about finally getting my season underway, at a track that we last visited in 2003. A track walk on Friday evening brought it all back to me, it was the same old Combe Sydenham that I remembered all those years ago, and I could recall some strong results for me here in the past. Saturday morning saw a wet and cold start to the practice, and I was keen to get on the first uplift and get the job started – probably a bit too keen actually, as I stacked it on the big step down, which was not part of the plan!!! Anyway, despite a few bumps and scrapes, I was determined to put that behind me and for the rest of the day I picked up the pace and by late afternoon was feeling good about the place – particularly as the Sunday forecast was for sun and a dry fast track – ideal for a bit of hard pedalling!. After two good practice runs, seeding saw me 25th overall with a time of 2.41, which was pleasing because I knew I had a bit in the locker – with 2.30 looking like a strong time. In my race run I had a really strong top and mid section, and didn’t take any chances in the last wooded section to post a time of 2.37 and an overall finish in 21st place. As I thought – only two people went sub 2.30 so I was generally pleased with my pace, given that many of those in front of me are top ranked full time World Cup riders – and as an added boost I was also pleased to see my ‘speed trap’ ranking of 7th fastest at a speed of over 29mph – faster than podium stars like Josh Bryceland and Brendan Fairclough. It was good to confirm that I was ‘on the pace’, the GT Fury performed superbly well, and the new Knox kit not only felt good – it looked superb!! (Thanks to Geoff for all his hard work in getting it all sorted in the run up to the race – there was a bit of midnight oil burnt there I know!!) Next up is SDA Round One at Innerleithen on 21st/22nd April – Report Coming Soon!!

Scandinavian Open - Hafjell Norway

14-08-2011

Arrived Friday afternoon to beautiful sunshine. Firstly went up to walk the track, to find it very similar to last years course (this is supposed to be the track for the 2012 world cup final) this is a superb track. Saturday morning practice started at 10am, I went up for my first run just to get a feel for the track, set off the start ramp right into four high speed jumps and into the first woods, and suddenly thought hang on, this is my first run, it was crazy. Ended up doing 5 good runs including a timed run what was good and felt right on it. Sunday morning/race day woke up to another sunny day, practise started at 8.30, so did two runs just to get warmed up, everything went well and was looking forward to qualifying. After having a good mornings practise, things started going wrong – firstly 3o seconds into my qualifying I ended up with a rear puncture. Then Finals started at 1.30pm and I could not believe it when I punctured at exactly the same place so that was my race over – although I did manage to also pick up a front puncture too before I got down It is a real downer to come all this way, have good practice and then lose it all to flats. Oh well move on – tomorrows another day!!!

National Champs Llangollen

08-08-2011

June 23rd / 24th saw us at the National Championships at Llangollen. After the BDS round there a month earlier, I was looking forward to the weekend - particularly with a good weather forecast to make it even more enjoyable. The track was a real 'Champs' track and the top section was the steepest I have come across. The Friday track walk was muddy, and to be honest it would probably have helped if the track had stayed a bit tacky, but a weekend of sunshine meant that the top section in particular was blown out,which made it very tricky, with nothing to hold you up in the turns. To be honest, by Sunday I was finding it hard to get a clean run in and so it proved in my race run when I had an 'off' in that top section, although my splits showed that my pace was good in the more raceable bottom section. Still, it was a great weekend, and we all really enjoyed the event. Next up,in mid August, we are hoping to go out to Hafjell in Norway for a Scandinavian Open race. I raced there last year, and it was superb, so I can't wait to get out there! (Hafjell has been selected as the final World Cup race in the 2012 calendar)

BDS Round 4 Llangollen

11-07-2011

25 /26th June - My first visit to Llangollen and as I had heard, it is a really good venue with a steep technical track. The track walk on Friday night in the pouring rain was 'interesting' to say the least - it would have been easier to ride down instead of sliding down on my ass!! Saturday practice went well in drying conditions and as all the forecasts were showing a nice sunny Sunday, it was good to get a good 'dry' run late on Saturady afternoon. Sunday morning saw the sun shining and I got two good practice runs in and felt good. Qualifying went well and I was happy with 26th place - but more importantly only 8 seconds off the fastest time. In my final run I felt a bit quicker, but the clock showed only a slight improvement on qualifying, but 25th place was still OK, and it shows how tight things are in UK Elite Category with so many World class riders in front of me. It was a good weekend, and I will certainly be looking forward to going back there in July for the National Championships.

Scottish Championships - Killin

11-07-2011

After an enjoyable BDS at Llangollen, we headed to Killin for the Scottish Championships on July 10th / 11th - again a first visit to this track for me. Also, this was a 'push-up' venue with no uplifts so I knew we were in for an energetic weekend. I walked the track on Friday night and it was similar to Llangollen - a short track but steep and technical in places with a lot of wet areas to keep you on your toes. I pushed up early on Saturday and did a full run, before spending a few hours sectioning the track. I seemed to get to grips with it fairly early and enjoyed the day, whilst a few seemed to be struggling to get into a flow so I was feeling confident as practice started on Sunday morning. I had two good practice runs and really had a good feeling about my chances. In my first timed run though I made a couple of stupid mistakes which gave me a very poor time, and although angry with myself I still felt I could put myself up in the frame. I went to the start line and tried to relax before my run - and it seemed to work. I hit all my lines fairly well and kept my momentum going - crossing the line in 1min 26secs, to take the win AND fastest time of the day by nearly 2 seconds. The £100 prize for fastest time was welcome, but the win and performance meant more to me as I know I needed that to prove to myself what I can do if I put it all together.

Fort William SDA

30-05-2011

14/15th May - Fort William - THE BEST DH track in the UK always provides a tough test of both rider and bike. A fast rugged 5 minute plus World Cup track has to be treat with respect. On Saturday I managed 6 runs - gradually building speed, and after feeling a bit 'rusty' during the morning (it's been over two years since I raced here) I felt more up to speed in the afternoon, and settled down at night happy with the days work. Sunday morning, I managed to get two practice runs in as my first timed run was to be at 2.30pm so there is a bit of sitting around between practice and race. As it turned out, we went up on the gondola for my first run when unfortunately an injury to a rider held up the proceedings and it was actually after 4pm when I finally came down in a time of 5mins24secs to finish 10th in Elite category.(not ideal sitting up in the cafe for over an hour and a half!!) Second runs were cancelled due to time restrictions and so that was the weekend over - fairly happy with my weekend, but just need to 'let it go' that bit more to be right up with the top boys!

British Downhill Series - Glencoe

30-05-2011

28th / 29th May - Glencoe isn't my favourite place in the world as it holds some unhappy memories - two years ago, at Scottish Series race, our motorhome was badly damaged by high winds literally rippping the awning off the side of our camper!! Not good at all. Imagine how we felt when similar weather was waiting for us at this weekends British Downhill Round 3. Wet and windy all weekend, it really did seem the weather was going to be the only winner, and so it proved when the race was finally cancelled at 11am on Sunday morning. For me, practice on Saturday (3 runs) and Sunday (2 runs) was OK although my last run down was a bit wild to say the least, with 80mph winds on course. Oh how I would love to ride this track on a lovely sunny day, now that would be good because i really think it is a real 'ballsy' track - but I have only ever seen it in driving wind and rain.

SDA Round 1 Ae Forest

21-04-2011

16th / 17th April It was good to be back at an SDA race, as they really do put on a super series in Scotland. Ae Forest too has been a good track for me in the past so I was looking forward to a good weekend. With the weather over both days superb - especially Sunday - I put in two really good days. 8 runs on Saturday with no dramas at all really had me feeling good and even a puncture in Sunday mornings practice was not going to dampen my confidence. (After two puncture the previous weekend though, we did move to a different brand of inner tube today to try and eliminate the problem!) I had a good solid run to 5th place in my first run, then improved that by over 2 seconds and finished 6th overall - but importantly only 5 seconds off the winner and under 3 seconds off a podium place. The weekend as a whole had been superb and I know now that with a little more bike time I can be right up at the sharp end if I ride to my full potential. Next up is Maxxis Cup 2 in Lousa, Portugal (better than watching that royal wedding!!) with Paul Farrar coming along for the ride and hopefully keeping the GT Fury in good order. Will report back soon

British Downhill Round 2

20-04-2011

9th /10th April - Moelfre Hall, Wales I was looking forward to Round 2 of the British Downhill Series as I always feel strong at this very fast open track. The plan was to gradually build my speed over the two days without pushing too hard to keep something in the tank for Sunday afternoons final run. Plans this weekend though just seemed to go astray, and I had a few mechanical mishaps, punctures and an off - but in amongst all this I still felt very quick. Putting all this behind me, I still felt confident that i could get a good result as I went to the uplift on Sunday afternoon. You cannot imagine how gutted I was to suffer a puncture only 30 seconds into my run! Normally in these circumstances you just roll down the hill, but I was so pumped I just pedalled as hard as I could to the finish - the only glimmer of a positive being my 23mph through the speed trap with a flat rear tyre (only a few mph slower than some with air in their tyres!!!) Oh well, must move on and look forward to the SDA at Ae Forest next week!

Maxxis Cup International - Portugal

21-03-2011

Just got back from Gouveia, Portugal Round 1 Maxxis Cup International Series, which has been a bit of an annual event for me for the past 5 years. It is a 'season opener' for many of the world's top riders. This year we had 3 glorious days without a cloud in the sky, and temperatures of 22 degrees. After a track walk on Friday morning I got 5 steady runs in on Friday afternoon without pushing too hard. It would have been easy on Saturday to go crazy and do 10 or 12 runs, but instead i built up to a good pace and settled for 7 runs, going into Sunday morning, After 2 warm up runs I was ready for qualifying. I felt confident that I could qualify without pushing too hard and kept a bit in reserve. Even so, I was surprised to qualify 11th from the 300+ entry. In the final I pushed hard and was feeling good and finished 14th overall. My split times showed that I had picked up a further 2 seconds on the top half of the track- going exactly to plan and on reflection I probably eased a little too much to get the result when keeping it pinned could have seen me comfortably in the top 10. However, I am pleased with the result as it shows that I can compete at this level, and i can now look forward to Round 2 of the British Downhill Series at Moelfre in Wales, followed by a Scottish Series race at Ae Forest, Dumfries in April

SEASON OPENERS

16-03-2011

RACE ONE - FEBRUARY I entered round 1 of the Alpine Bikes Winter Series at innerleithen. Arriving at the track on Saturday morning, we found the paddock under 2 feet of water after 4 days of non stop rain!! It was a good chance to get some track time for both me and the GT Fury, and with so much rain, the track was actually running very fast as the mud was washed off leaving the racing line very good. Pilot error on both race runs was a bit disappointing, but I was happy with my pace over the weekend and it was just good to get back in the saddle!! RACE TWO - MARCH Alpine Bikes Round 2 at Innerleithen, and for Saturday practice we had Paul Farrar (Knox Designer and Tea Boy) with us after his fell running and helicopter rescue antics a week earlier. Another good weekend with the Fury working perfectly, and after a good first timed run I was pleased to trim a further five seconds off in my second run to finisn 7th, but more importantly within striking distance of a podium finish which at this early stage is ideal. My fitness was good, and with a bit more bike time on the Fury I should be up where I want to be by the time we get to the serious stuff. Up next is Maxxis Cup 1 in Gouveia, Portugal on 20th March - I'll let you know how I get on when I get back!!

CLOSE SEASON

08-03-2011

There are so many good bikes out there it wasdifficult to make a choice for our 2011 rig. We had liked the look of the GT Fury for a while, and fortunately I was able to call factory GT rider Marc Beaumont for the inside story. Marc offered me a test ride on his bikes at the end of 2010 and after just a few runs I knew this bike was something special. Getting hold of one was a bit more difficult, but luckily I managed to get a frame from the States which arrived just before New Year. We have been able to build the bike up to a really good spec. and gave it a run out at Hamsterley in January on a bone hard frozen track. It's always a bit of a nervous time when you try a new bike because it is so important that it feels right. Thankfully, I can honestly say it felt superb - everything I wanted from the bike, so came home knowing we had made the right choice for 2011.

Scandinavian Open Championships – Hafjell Bike Park Norway 1/8/10

08-08-2010

I’m looking to pick up world cup points for next year so went out to to the Scandinavian Open last week. Man it was fast at the top and I thought I’d got the line from heaven but they closed it of after finding I was gaining too much time. Then in practice I stacked it again in the rock garden and bust my nose. When will my luck change! It was a big face plant and I reckon I broke my nose but I snapped it back and ended up with a big cut and stitches, so I lost out on qually. I finished 9th overall and perhaps I shouldn’t be to miffed with but I didn’t get the finish or world cup points I'd hoped for. Don't know what's next but I'll keep you posted. Stu.

AE Forrest Nationals 18/7/10

08-08-2010

Considering it was my first race back from the scaphoid injury I’d suffered all year my qualifying went really well and I was chuffed with 12th. Naturally that keyed me up for race day and I felt strong for the final. I went of like a bullet but unfortunately lost the front in the first turn which cost me 10s or so. Of course this put down the field to 34th and while I was disappointed with the position I have to be positive because I was riding well. Better luck next time eh…. Stu

Happy now

13-07-2010

Just returned from Morzine with the Knox lads. Apart from the general great riding and good fun the main objective has been achieved and that was to get back into riding after the long layoff due to my scaphoid injury. The first few days were a little sore but a good pint or 2 at Robo’s bar at the end of each day soon sorted that. By day 4 I was feeling real good and did 3 hours of practice runs one after the other. On the last day I had a bet with Fireman Sam about how much time I could take out of him on the Pleney and I managed to do it in 3m53s which I was happy with. And Fireman Sam? Let’s just say he didn’t like losing! I'm now ready to start my season and I’m looking for races. I’ll stick them up when I know. Jenko.

Yeah!!!

29-06-2010

At last I've been given the all clear from my Doctor to ride again. I've still got the pin in my scaphoid and its a bit sore but I've got a pretty good range of movement so I'm just strating riding again. Just to break things in again Ioff to Morzine with the Knox crew for a week. Those guys are out there test new product so I thought I'd tag along and see if the wrist stands upto it. Stu.

Portugal season opener

28-05-2010

JENKINSON MAKES TOP 15 TO SECURE WORLD CUP HOPES FOR 2010 SEASON Stu Jenkinson from Harrington, Workington, known as ‘Jenko’ in the world of Downhill Mountain Bike racing, has had a dream start to his 2010 season. Last weekend Stu travelled to Portugal to compete alongside 140+ riders in the Maxxis Cup International competition knowing that he needed to secure a top 15 place to guarantee him the final 2 points he needed before the start of the World Cup Series in May. Racing conditions were not ideal and the pressure mounted on Saturday after the practice session was hampered severely by torrential rain. The track became extremely boggy and rutted in parts. Strength and power were required in order to cut through the mud and then speed and skill to get through the rocky sections and tight twists and turns. Competition this weekend was immense; with top riders competing from all over the world, including Gee Atherton (the 2008 World Champion) who won the race. Stu’s determination saw him successfully finish the race in 14th place, the 4th fastest British rider, securing the points he needed and his place in the 2010 World Cup Series. Stu commented after the race “I’ve been training very hard for the start of this season, I feel fitter than ever. To come here to Portugal and get this result under these weather and track conditions is the best start I could ask for. There are a lot of top riders here, all looking for points for the World Cup series too, now I have all mine, so I am really pleased and can concentrate on my goals for 2010. The weather today was glorious, compared to yesterday’s downpour; the atmosphere and the crowds were electric, a really great weekend. I just can’t wait for the World Cup races to start now”. As well as the World Cup series, Stu will be competing in the European Championships and the British Nationals. His next race is a British National in Wales on the 10/11th April and we all wish him well. Stu has all the skill and determination to compete at World Championship level, but without the aid from sponsorship, it would not be possible and he would like to extend thanks to his sponsors – Nicolai, Printexpress, Knox Armour, J Edgar & Son, Laundry Studio, Lazer Helmets, Carlisle Leisure, Rock Oil and UFO Clothing for their continued support.