Daryl Bolter tops Welsh Two Day

Topping the event overall for a fifth time, Daryl Bolter battled his way to the top of the results at the 2013 edition of the Welsh Two Day Enduro…

Daryl Bolter had plenty to be pleased about at the end of last week as the KTM UK backed rider claimed an impressive fifth outright win at the prestigious Welsh two Day Enduro, held in Llandrindod Wells, Mid Wales.

Enduro21.com caught up with Bolter after the event…

Daryl, congratulations on a fifth Welsh Two Day Enduro win. How was this year’s event?

Bolter: “Thanks. It was really good, possibly the best I’ve ever raced. The organisers decided that the Championship class would ride all of the tests back-to-back, which transformed the event for me. You never know what you’re going to get in terms of the weather at the Welsh, so like always I went into this year’s event with an open mind. Things turned out great.”

Talk a little bit about the back-to-back tests, that’s a big change for an event that doesn’t seemed to have changed too much in a long time?

Bolter: “The thing always used to be with the Welsh that if you were able to stay upright on the tests you’d probably do ok. But with only two or three tests per day it was pretty much impossible to make back any time if you did make a mistake. The back-to-back tests were great. They meant that you could push hard, knowing that you didn’t have to worry too much. It was hard to push hard on some of the tests because they were so slippery, but having more tests was definitely a good thing.”

Day one ended with Jamie Lewis leading. What was the competition like during the first day?

Bolter: “It was close. There wasn’t much at all between myself, Tom Sagar and Jamie on the first couple of tests but then I seemed to gel really well with the test used for the third and fourth tests. I really liked it, it had a good mix of everything in it, and I got a couple of test wins. Things started moving in the right direction for me there, but it didn’t last too long.”

Taking it easy: Daryl Bolter secures a fifth W2D win in 2013

What happened at the end of the first day?

Bolter: “Jamie was riding really well and I fell on the fifth test. I lost the lead with an average last teat, and ended the day second, right behind Jamie. It was a good day because the lead was back and forward.”

Day two didn’t start too well for you, what happened?

Bolter: “I was too nervous, Jamie was riding well again, and after the first test I started to question whether I could win. I knew that the third and fourth tests were where I could turn things around if I was going to, so I gave it everything there. I was riding well but I slid off on the third test, and was pretty mad with myself. But my time was ok. The fourth test was good, so I got to the final two tests leading.”

You didn’t win the final two tests, but it must have been a relief to have finally got to the end of the event knowing you’d won?

Bolter: “Honestly, I thought Jamie had won at first. He was 10 seconds faster than me on the fifth test, so I thought the win was his. I didn’t want to push too hard and crash, but thought I’d not pushed hard enough. As it turned out I’d done enough to win, which was great. It was a great event, I really enjoyed the racing, and to get another win at the Welsh is fantastic.”