RHAYADER & DISTRICT MOTOR CLUB – SIMON REES MEMORIAL HARE & HOUNDS
SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER
CWMYTHIG HILL, RHAYADER
Report: Chris CZORA
Rhayader Motor Club’s memorable 2026 season drew to a close on Sunday, as the club held it’s final race meeting of the season, the traditional Simon Rees Memorial Hare & Hounds.
A healthy entry of 108 riders travelled to the Cwmythig Hill circuit, and whilst much of the entry was comprised from the local clubman scene, there were still plenty of riders from further afield in Wales, and more than a few English riders crossing the border to join in the action, with some as far travelled as Oxfordshire and North Devon.
Having once again taken centre stage on the world level at August’s Enduro GP of Wales, Sunday’s paddock looked a little more modest, although the fantastic new race control headquarters, hardpack paddock and improved access road meant they enjoyed the same great facilities as the world aces. Organisers had laid out an impressive 3 mile course, that took the faster riders a little over 10 minutes per lap. The course featured the Cwmythig Hill motocross course, an array of sweeping grassland sections, and the technical hard-enduro quarry section, albeit with the fearsome vertical cliff-face not included!
The weather was bright and breezy as the riders gathered, the dusty sun-parched fields back in August now replaced with more traditional greenery. Weather forecasts saw a mixed bag with rain showers expected to blow through during the 2.5 hour race, however after a few initial showers, the rain then stuck around and made the later stages of the race particularly treacherous and slippery, with the dry hardpack base being topped by a greasy, muddy top soil.
There were a few spills, and the pace started to drop in the final 45 minutes as the weather deteriorated but there was a good rate of attrition as of the 108 starters, 99 crossed the line after 2.5 hours of racing.
Before the main event got away, some of the young guns took to the track in the pre-event Revvi races. Riders as young as three years old competed in a series of short races on a special track constructed next to the paddock, with a few tricky off cambered corners thrown in to test the riders’ skills. With no trophies, but medals for all participants the emphasis was on fun, and it was certainly an enjoyable event as the little rippers took to the track with plenty of good-natured encouragement from the parents.
So, onto the main event and a true ‘Hare and Hounds’ format with the five championship standard riders required to start at the back of the grid! This meant that they started four and a half minutes after the initial flag drop, once all other classes had got away.
Taking the role of ‘Hare’ as the riders got away was Expert rider Tomas Jones. In one of his final events before a lay off to repair an existing knee injury, Jones did not push to his limits but at the end of the first lap had nonetheless pulled out a decent gap over the remainder of the field, and he looked smooth at the front.
Further back, the chasing Championship riders had broken into the top 60, with Charlie Chater making the early running from Aaron Gordon and Rees Jones, as Harry Houghton and Jack Probert followed just a few positions behind.
The early lead group saw a mixture of classes at the front, as Tomas Jones was initially followed by Clubman rider Josh Lucy, who had got past most of the Experts on the fresh, greasy circuit and looked very comfortable in second place. Morgan Lewis headed off the Under 19 star Charlie Walters who was running comfortably within the top five.
The circuit had begun to dry as the early showers dissipated, but as the rain returned, the Championship stars began to really show their skills after the first hour, and made fast inroads towards the leaders. Josh Lucy, Morgan Lewis and Charlie Walters were soon shuffled towards the edge of the top ten as the championship riders moved through, with Walters locked in a close battle for Youth honours with Ceri Williams, Although both were comfortably leading their respective age groups, the bragging rights for top Youth rider were on offer, and at the mid point Williams moved ahead of Walters and into the top ten.
A crucial move on lap three had seen Aaron Gordon get past Charlie Chater to become the leader of the chasing Championship pack, a lead he only relinquished once on lap 8 after the mid-race pit stops. At this point, Gordon was gaining on leader Tomas Jones by the rate of 30 second per lap, and Gordon was able to close and pass Jones within two laps, Chater soon following.
The final six laps became tough as the circuit got more muddy, and Gordon was able to establish a gap of just over one minute from Chater, Rees Jones alone in third place but looking comfortable, as Harry Houghton got past Tomas Jones into fourth.
As the final few minutes approached, Gordon went past the finish line and onto his 15th and final lap just two minutes before the chequered flag fell at 2 hours 30. He was still pulling away from Chater, however the second placed rider was also able to cross the line before the flag and stay on the lead lap, keeping the pressure on Gordon who could not afford any kind of fall or error. However Gordon kept his cool with a solid lap to ensure victory, Chater following just under two minues behind.
Rees Jones failed to make the final lap but posted a solid third from Houghton, with Tomas Jones’s endeavours rewarded with Expert victory and fifth overall. Josh Lucy finished sixth to take the Clubman honours, with Jack Probert seventh, and Charlie Walters winning the Under 19 class and being the top Youth rider as he staged a late fightback to finish eighth, with Expert Morgan Lewis ninth and Ceri Williams taking the Under 16 honours as he finished tenth.
So at the podium ceremony, it was the top three overall, Aaron Gordon, Charlie Chater and Rees Jones who took the Championship honours, whilst Tomas Jones (5th overall) was rewarded with the Expert win from Morgan Lewis (9th) and Jordan Davies (16th)
Josh Lucy’s impressive ride to sixth overall saw a comfortable Clubman class victory with local star Sean Grovesnor finishing a lap behind him to take second place (11th overall), just ahead of Harry Clarke (12th), the margin between second and third in class being just over 30 seconds, incredible close after over two hours of racing!
The Ladies’ class saw Rheanna Morgan Rogers emerge as the rider to beat, she pulled a lap on her rivals to finish 35th overall and take the class win by one lap. Further back, Chrssie Harcourt and Olivia Powell had enjoyed a good battle, Harcourt getting the better during the final laps to take second (58th overall), finishing just over two minutes ahead of Powell (63rd overall)
Youth riders were split into Under 19 and Under 16 classes respectively with Charlie Walters completing his impressive eighth place finish with a comfortable class win. He was two laps ahead of his nearest rival Cai Allen, who posted a respectable 12 laps to finish second in class (26th overall) with Billy Thomas putting in a respectable eight laps to finish third (92nd overall)
Ceri Williams may have lost out to Walters, but he still took a comfortable victory in the Under 16 class, tenth overall he completed 14 laps to stay one lap ahead of the trio of Harry Jones, Theo Jones and Tommy Lewis who were battling furiously for the final two podium spots. In the end, it was Harry Jones who got the better, finishing in 13th overall and just one minute ahead of Theo Jones (15th overall) for the final two podium spots.
For Theo Jones, third place rounded off a notable family day, as he competed in the same race against his grandfather, the mid-Wales enduro stalwart Huw Watkins who was racing in the Over 60s class. The bragging rights were firmly with the youngster, as Watkins finished in 82nd place overall, but for both riders a wonderful family occasion to race together!
Speaking of the Veteran riders, there was a healthy contingent of elder riders with age groups for Over 40, Over 50 and Over 60 riders.
A closely fought Over 40 class saw five riders finish on 12 laps. Leon Morris had made much of the early running but dropped back by a few minutes later on, eventually finishing fourth. The battle for class honours was very close with only 26 seconds covering the top three riders!
Lee Humphries put in a late charge to move from third to first on the final two laps to match the win (29th overall) but a late charge from Matthew Foreman saw him finish second, a mere three seconds back (30th). Cosmin Radu had led the early stages but hung onto a solid third for the remainder of the race to get on the podium and finish 32nd overall.
Over 50s saw late drama as Karl Willerton, on his 12th and final lap snatch the lead from Duncan Bowen who had led throughout. Willerton’s perseverance saw him take 43rd overall and the class win, just one position and a mere 17 seconds ahead of Brown. Christopher Kelly was a lap down, but put in a solid ride to take third in class (64th overall)
Age was no barrier for Martin.P.Jones in the Over 60 class, he led throughout all of his 12 laps to take the win, and by finishing in 27th overall had the bragging rights of being the top Veteran rider overall! Allan Price put in a good shift, although finishing 9 minutes down on the runaway winner Jones, he nonetheless managed to stay on the same lap and take second in class (48th overall). Trefor Davies was a lap down but put in a good steady ride to take the final podium step (56th overall)
The class honours were rounded off by the Sportsman classes, with a Junior level ‘A’ class, and a ‘B’ class aimed at novices. The coveted Simon Rees Memorial Trophy would be awarded in the ‘B’ category to a local newcomer.
Sportsman A was closely fought, with the top five all covering 12 laps and separated by less than seven minutes. Vaughan Humphries recovered from a tricky start outside of the top ten to snatch the class lead by lap six, going on to finish 38th overall and take the class win from Robert Brymer-Griffith (47th) and Barry Evans (49th), just over five minutes covering the top three riders.
Bradley Williams took the Sportsman B lead on the second lap and never looked back, he completed eleven laps to finish in 59th place overall and take the win by six minutes from Gary Williams (67th). Tom Jones was a lap behind, completing ten laps he took the final class podium spot (72nd).
The Simon Rees Memorial Trophy was awarded to local rider Owen Ross, who put in a solid ride in the tough conditions to finish 85th overall and seventh in class with nine laps completed.
Also awarded was the Jean Bates Memorial Cup, the winner for 2026 was Charlie Walters, who took home the coveted award along with his Under 19 Youth class victory.
There was an optional team event, the Championship duo of Rees Jones and Charlie Chater combining forces to take a comfortable victory.
As the continual rain gave way to late sunshine, riders and officials bode farewell to Cwmythig Hill for the 2026 season, with plenty of fond memories to cherish, be it as a rider, or spectator.
The 2027 calendar has already dropped with all of the club’s popular events on the calendar, whilst there is still one last event to look forward to this year, with the club hosting a practice day on October 31st. Both a motocross and enduro loop will be available, and local dealer E.T James will have the Sherco enduro range of motorcycles available for tests. Check out the club website at www.rdmcc.co.uk for all the latest news and details!
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