Disability Grand Prix of Wales 2008
Report by Neil Smith Event Organiser
neil.smith@btinternet.com
Photographs by Bryan Pilot
Once again the Disability Grand Prix of Wales attracted top riders from around the World to Newport for a very exiting evening of Competition. Teams and riders from New Zealand, Australia, USA, Germany, Italy, Ireland and GB squad and club riders mingled in a very busy and extremely warm track centre.
What an evening was in store with 9 “World Best” times being set over the evening of competition.
The event was kicked off with one of the newest riders taking a lap of honour. The 11 year old LC3 rider has been on the bike for only 5 weeks and is showing great promise to be a competitive rider of the future.
The racing started with a flying 200m for all riders, which was appreciated by all especially those who have seen the event removed from their Paralympic events.
200m FS TT Female
Greta Neimanans was the first riders up to kick-off the evening and recorded a time13.819.
The first “World Best” of the evening was set by Natalie Simanowski of Germany in a time of 14.729 taking seven 10ths of the previous record.
200m FS TT Male
What an event this turned out to be with not one but three “World Bests” being achieved by the field of seventeen riders.
The two riders from Germany Erich Winkler and Pierre Senska (both LC4), started the charge, with Pierre firstly setting a “World Best” of 15.032 taking of 7/10ths of a second of the World Record time only to see Erich his fellow countrymen shave another 2/10ths off with a time of 14.836.
The next “World Best” went to Great Britain, with Darren Kenny (CP3) shaving under his own World Record of 12.530 with a 12.497 for the flying 200m.
1000/500m TT LC Categories Male/Female
LC1
With the largest field of all the classifications at the event the LC1 male was a close contest with Germany’s Woolfgang Sacher setting a 1.11.848, only to be beaten by his German team mate Mario Hammer who completed his kilo in 1.11.017.
In the womens 500m Greta Neimanans completed the 500m in 41.690
LC3
Simon Richardson couldn’t repeat his “World Best” from the World Cup the previous week recording a 1.19.222. Whilst Germany’s Natalie Simanowski showed she was on form just missing the World Record time by 18/100ths of a second to set a time of 44.979.
LC4
The German team mates Winkler and Senska where within a 10th of a second of each other over the 1000m
1000/500m TT CP Categories Male/Female
In the CP3 category Jayme Paris of Australia proved to strong for America’s Barbara Buchan setting a time of 48.826.
Whilst GB’s Darren Kenny the reigning World Champion. Set his 2nd World Best of the event with a 1.11.892.
One of the highlights of every Wales Grand Prix is the final event of the evening, a 10km scratch race for all LC and CP riders.
This year was no exception with Darren Kenny and Russ White from GB making a number of breaks only to be hauled back by the eventual winner from Germany Wolfgang Sacher.
Newport Velo’s successful disability program received a very welcome donation from the Freemasons of Monmouthshire at the Disability Grand Prix of Wales.
3000/4000m Pursuits LC Categories Male/Female
Once more it was Germany’s Natalie Simanowski in the LC3 categories leading the way with her second World Best of the night setting a time of 4.13.482.
The competition was strong across the four categories, but it was the LC4 men and the German duo of Winkler and Senska that stole the show. Once more taking World Best times with Erich first setting a 4.26.254 only to see Pierre once more and for the final time of the evening set a World Best time of 4.24.322.
What a performance from the two German riders.
3000m Pursuits CP Categories Male/Female
GB’s Darren Kenny missed out on his hat-trick of World Bests by just of 4/10ths of a second, settling for a 3.43.184 for the 3000m pursuit.
Irelands Edna Smyth finished his 3000m in 4.03.866 and Wales’s James Brookman (U14) completed the hat-trick of personal best for the evening.
Whilst Barbara Buchan from the USA reversing the result of the kilo against Jayme Paris from Australia setting a women’s time of 4.45.773, showing she has a preference for the endurance events.
3000/4000m Pursuits BVI Categories Male/Female
Ireland’s Catherine Walsh and Joanna Hickey straight from their Bronze medal at the Paralympic World Cup, where pushed hard by the first time pairing of Janet Newman and Becki Rimmington holding off a strong attack to complete the 3000m in 4.02.638 with the GB pair close behind.
Having previously donated a tandem to the clubs disability program the members of the Province of Monmouthshire showed their continued support to disability cycling with the very generous gift of two performance handcycles.
The new handcycles will allow the club to further expand its disability program and assist greatly in the training, development and competition use for future Paralympic handcyclists.
Trophies presented by VIP Guests Jon Morgan Executive Director Disability Sport Wales and Alan Davis Chairman Welsh Cycling
