On the second lap (which was the first where the special stages were timed) upon finishing the second special, Andy and I came across Jonty Edmunds. His HP2 was leaning on it's right hand sidestand, ie the cylinder, as he tried to force the back tyre over the security bolts on the rim with a small screwdriver. As we both carry tyre levers, we lent them to him and he explained what had happened. He had felt the flat in the first part of the stage, an undulating section of single track going, with some assorted rockery and lumps of tree scatered about. He must have caught one of these in passing, but thought he could make it to the end of the stage. Sadly the tyre came off the rim and ripped the valve out of the tube, in the latter part where the ground was whooped out from the Hafren Enduro earlier this year. He tried to get the tyre back on with a stick, and ended up pushing the bike out of the stage, and that was where we found him. Paul Blezard, on the second HP2, arrived in time to take pictures of the scene. With the tyre back on the rim, and the rim locks tightened up, Jonty's intention was to take the shortest route back to the pits to get a new tube. When we passed him a few seconds later, the noise of the wheel on the gravel didn't sound too healthy. At least he made it back under his own steam, the number of bikes that had died out on the course led the organisers to cut the last lap for fear of too many riders ending up left out overnight.
There were two R80's IIRC, and yes, Phil was one of them.
Mark
