Stan Watt back in the saddle

Exactly 7 days after knee surgery, Stan Watt from Front Row GB gently tries out the strength of his left leg/knee plus the new KTM690 Enduro R as a realistic dirt bike for round 1 of the SCEC.

Although, in theory Stan should be nowhere near ready to start training, never mind throw his leg over a dirt bike, and definitely not a combination of the unknown territory where 70hp+ meets with lattice frame, fuel injection and a 6 mile enduro loop at Inside Park, in Dorset.

With the Southern Counties Enduro Club running round 1 of their 2009 championship on Sunday 29th February, Stan took the opportunity to assess if he could physically circulate at the event for three hours and see if the KTM690 Enduro R was a machine he could use for the full 3hours Hare and Hounds race.

The initial test was promising to say the least and Stan found the bike surprisingly manageable over the course, with exceptional power delivery to a point where standard suspension struggled

to allow the transfer of power adequately to form positive grip.

A standard set of '09 front forks were inserted into the 690R with great success, allowing the front suspension more travel and able to soak up anything the course threw at it. Rear suspension is a struggle as the standard unit limits adjustment. An attempt is being made prior to the event tomorrow to make an adequate rear shock available, purely with a view for testing purposes.

Further evaluations by the Team of the 690 Enduro R will continue throughout 2009 putting it through situations it probably wasn't initially intended for. As a start point views are positive but only time and distance will provide accurate information.

Anyone directly interested in the KTM690 Enduro R and the Team's findings, then do no hesitate to contact any member of Front Row GB.

If you want to see the Enduro R in action, just drop in at Inside Park, 1 mile out of Blandford on the A354 towards Dorchester, in Dorset. Start time is 11am and Stan will be riding his usual n0.62

We are keeping expectations fairly real as Stan's priority is not to further damage his left knee after only 8 days from surgery. This event will be classed as a test session for bike and rider plus we are really only looking at Stan be back to full strength for the Snow Run in mid-April if we are lucky.

FRGB

SIDEWAYS HOST AN EVENING WITH STAN WATT

Sideways KTM based in the village of Crossways, Dorset are hosting an evening with Stan Watt at their dealership premises on 19th March at 7.30pm;

Hybris Business Park

Crossways

nr. Dorchester

Dorset

DT2 8BF

Stan will be presenting his experiences of Dakar 2009 in Argentina, followed by a question and answer session.

The evening will also be in conjunction with Rogershill Raceway and Southern Counties Enduro Club, closely affiliated with Front Row GB, Sideways and Stan Watt.

FRGB

Great News For Front Row GB

Finally, some good news for Front Row GB and Stan Watt.

Stan went under the knife yesterday afternoon with what was intended as keyhole inspection surgery to 'confirm' fears that Stan would need a new anterior crucite ligament (ACL), etc, etc. putting him out of action for at least 6 months.

Although Stan is struggling to get around temporarily, the news is very positive in comparison, as it appears Stan's ACL is intact but his posterior crucite ligament (PCL) is badly damaged.

The PCL will not need operated on as it does not affect stability, thus a dose of physio should do the trick.

This would suggest that Stan will be on a bike very soon and preliminary plans for Dakar 2010 in Argentina are underway. Initial thoughts for the rest of 2009, is that Stan and Jon Stamper will ride the new KTM690 Enduro R at all events, including the British Enduro Championships.

FRGB

TRAIL RIDING FELLOWSHIP - Devon Group

AN EVENING WITH STAN WATT

Wednesday 1st April 2009 - 7.30pm for 8pm

The Devon TRF are proud to announce their first fund raising event for 2009…

An invitation to hear about the Dakar 2009 from one of the UK’s highest placed finishers – Mr Stan Watt

Hear his stories – and lets face it, there will be plenty

Entry is by ticket only & places are limited

£5.00 per TRF Member & £10.00 non TRF Members

Tickets can be obtained by contacting
Debbie Hutchinson on 07966 438907
Payment to be sent in advance to,
Marcliff, Bakers Hill, Exeter, EX2 9TE

(Please have your TRF membership number(s) to hand when booking)


FUNDS RAISED GO DIRECTLY TO ENSURING THAT AS MANY DEVON GREEN LANES REMAIN OPEN AS POSSIBLE

To be held at

The Gipsy Hill Hotel
Gipsy Hill Lane
Monkerton
Exeter
EX1 3RN

Directions ……………

From J29 of M5 motorway turn right towards Exeter sign posted A3015. At the first roundabout turn right into Exeter Business Park. At the next roundabout turn right again sign posted Monkerton and Gipsy Hill, carry on straight into a little country lane and you will see the sign for the hotel on the right.

From Exeter City Centre follow the signs for Honiton, A30 and the M5. Just after the signs for the Met office turn left at the roundabout into Exeter Business Park (Sowton Industrial Estate is on the right) Turn right at the next roundabout sign posted Monkerton and Gipsy Hill. Carry on straight along this road out of the business park into a little country lane and you will see the signs for the hotel on the right.

WORST NEWS FOR FRONT ROW GB

After two years waiting for the Dakar Rally to get underway, Front Row GB have lost both their riders for the foreseeable future.

Jon Stamper crashed heavily on day 5 of Dakar 2009, where he sustained further damage to his left shoulder, which was injured during a five day test in Spain, prior to the Team heading to South America.
Back in the UK, Jon's recovery has been slow due to fractures to the collar bone, dislocation of his left shoulder and damage to his shoulder blade. Jon is hoping to have a full season of road racing in 2009 on board his factory built Yamaha TZ250 two stroke, whilst continuing to prepare and practice for Dakar 2010 in South America.
All racing will be dependent on his recovery rate.

Stan Watt, who also crashed heavily on day 5 of Dakar 2009, will be out for the most of 2009 after having xrays and MRI scans to check potential damage to his left knee. It can be now assumed, Stan will need a lengthy operation and recovery, as it has been diagnosed he has multiple small fractures and chips to the top of his tibia and bottom of his fibula, where they meet in the knee joint. In addition he has torn his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments plus sustained damage to his lateral and medial ligaments, causing further damage to his cartilage.

For those of us not medically minded, his left knee is basically f****d and if the operation doesn't go ahead then he will not continue to ride competitively or take part in any further forms of physical sport. Specialists are confident hisknee can return to full strength without too much difficulty.

Worst case option is both riders will be out of action for the next 9-12 months but on a positive note, may be back in action at around the 6 month period. Recovery dependent. We will keep everyone informed. Outside plan is to have the riders back together and fully fit for Dakar 2010.

Best regards

FRGB

Interview with Stan Watt

View part 1 and part 2 of the interview with
Stan Watt after the 2009 Dakar Rally in Argentina and Chile.












Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWOaiUgrEXE

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nLSZ-MGrJ0

These interviews have been recorded and edited by Adventure-Spec, clothing sponsors of Front Row GB for 2008 & 2009

SAND TRAINING

Stan took an excellent opportunity to sit in with some training for the UK GAS GAS team as they prepared for the season and primarily the first British Enduro Championship event (The Muntjack), Norfolk, in late February.

This was the second of two purposely organised weekends to assist the team prepare physically and mentally for the coming season. Stan ventured out on the Sunday for the first time since returning from the Dakar Rally and was keen to get back on his smaller and more manoeuvrable KTM250 Six Days.

The day was set in Hampshire on a non-disclosed training area with the 3 GAS GAS riders, Ashley, Gareth and Bradley, joined by Steve Plain of Steve Plain Suspension, Rob Sartin of Talon Engineering, Al King from K4 ATV and Dave who organised the weekend's location. In addition the group had the pleasure of David Knight's company for two days who showed exactly what the new BMW450 can do.

The training concentrated on timed loops in deep sand and got all the riders thinking of how to get around a 2-3 minute loop as fast as possible, changing lines and practising various techniques to maximise the benefit.

Sunday seen the predicted 'Russian' weather close in from the east and hit the training location by mid-morning. Sand froze to the spokes of the rider's wheels, plastics and engines, primarily giving the KTMs a problem with carbs freezing, but this didn't deter a full day's riding and David setting a fastest time of 1min 56secs nearly 10 seconds ahead of the nearest rider, which is impressive on such a short training loop.

Everyone progressed well over the weekend and it's now just putting everything into practice as the season opener looms.

Thanks to Steve Plain and Rob Sartin for all the help with riding and suspension. Best of luck to the GAS GAS boys for 2009 and to David at the WEC on the BMW

At the minute Stan will not be competing at the BEC in Norfolk due to the entries being full when he returned from Argentina, but still looking at an late entry if possible.