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made th ird-quickest time, followed b y Sala, Charbonnel, Cha rb onnier a nd Esquiro!. The Dutch duo of Henk Knuiman and Gerard Jimmink, who had both been impressive at their home Six Days last October, were ha ving trouble with the unfamiliar conditions; they langui she d 23rd and 25th, respectively . Lewis slipped back to 43rd . With the test complete, Jonsson still led overall. Soon after the second test came another grass track, with Charbonnel posting a blazingly fast time, six seconds ahead of Pidoux. Further back were Olivi e r, Esquirol, Peterhansel, Sala, Anders Eriksson and Edmondson. Overall leader Jonsson was in big trouble - he had fallen and had trouble restarting his bike. He finished 67th, one minute and 13 seconds behind Charbonnel. As the riders left the St. Junien La Bregere test and headed for the hills of the Limousin region, Jonsson's lead was gone, as the consistent times of Pidoux had moved him into the overall lead. Jonsson's misfortune in the third test dropped him off the pace considerably, while Charbonnel, Edmondson and Peterhansel all kept near the front. Notable disappointments were Sa1a and Knuirnan, both of whom had lost route points at the checks. Sala slipped to 19th and Knuiman to 28th. Riding a Gas-Gas 125, Edmondson was slightly slower than the bigger bikes in the special tests, but he was still competitive. The gallant Englishman was also a favorite with the French crowd, who still recall his show of emotion at the 1988 French ISDE. There, Edmondson's bike had expired, ending his ride in full view of the crowd. Edmondson had wept uncontrollably, permanently endearing to the French fans. Esquirel was holding a top-five pos ition after posting eighth-, seventh-, and fourth-place times in the first three specials. The young Frenchman made up his mind in 1993 that he wanted to be World Enduro Champion, after finishing second to Sala in the 500cc class. Most experts believe he will win the '94 title. As the riders made their way towards the halfway mark, the morning's final special test awa ited them. The grass track was situated in the hills above Peyrat Le Chateau, former home to Gilles Lalay. A huge crowd turned out, many of the spectators former friends of Lalay. "He was not only a legend in France, he was a friend to everyone in the village," recalled a local fan. "We were all shocked (when he d ied). It was frontpage news all over France. He had won everything - Paris-Dakar, ISDE ; yo u name it, he won it." The final test of the morning gave Charbonnel the lead after the first half of the day; he again posted the top time. This time Karlsson was second-fastest, third was Pidou x, and then came Esquirol, Peterhansel, Edmondson, Olivier, Sala and Jonsson. Th e early leaders had a two-and-a-half hour re st, whil e international riders outside the top 40 had to pack their bags and go home. As the riders entered the parc ferme, it was Edmondson w h o looked the least harmed by the tough start. "We have to start all over again," he said. "This was just the beginning, wasn't it?" Defending champ Jonsson was a wreck, and wa s even heard telling his crew he wasn't ready for the afternoon session. The French riders were all confident of big things on the course late in the day, w ith Olivier saying, "We ha ve an understanding of this area; if 1 don't win, it will be (another) Frenchman." Esquirol was also quietly confident, saying, "I am just watching everyone; 1 feel okay." rum As th e ri d er s left th e Peyr at Le Chateau, they were immediately greeted by a motocross course. Starting at the top of a sligh t valley, the riders, followed closely by th e spectators, descended on the base of the valley. Jonsson had recovered from the earlier tests and led the riders again, this time up the hu ge hill less tha n a mile away from the par c ferme. Off into the d istance, the field hea ded th ro ug h a fo rest, and thi s is where Edmondso n came into his own. The GasGas rider w as m aking some amazing passing moves on his rivals, and after an hour he w as in the lead and moving away. Esquirol wa s making ground on Jonsson, while Olivier held fourth. Sala was not maki ng any real threat to the lead riders, and the Italian had no chance of victory at this point. Events continued to go Edmon dson's w ay as , at a creek cr ossing, his m ain rivals - Jonsson and Esquirel - both fell. Neither was hurt, but time was lost as first Jonsson and then Esquirel tried to correct their crashed machines. Edmond son's lead had increased w hen all of a sudden he found himself submerged in a huge mud pit. "I was helpless," he said later. "It was thick and it took me ages to get ou t. By the time 1 did, they were gone." In the meantime, Esquirel had moved right up on Jonsson , with the enthusiastic French cro w d comp let e ly lining the course and cheering him on . Wi th an hour remaining, and the d arkness preventing the riders from making any wild charges, Esquirol moved past an increasingly ragged Jonsson. When the change in leaders was announced over the finish-line loudspeakers, the crow d went into a frenzy, and horns bellowed into the darkness; a Frenchman was leading the Gilles Lalay Classic. With 10 p .m . approaching ra pid ly, only nine riders were still on the course. Esquirol had pulled five minutes on Jonsson, while Olivier held off Edm ondson and Charbonnel. Only a hill and huge crowd stood between Esquirol and victory. The ascent was extr emely technical, and to keep things interesting, it was littered with thousands of specta tors . ยท1 Esquirol appeared ou t of the darkness, and the crowd erupted into applause. The fans refused to move ou t of his way, and Esquirel charged d irectly thr ough the crazy specta tors with his throttle wide open. The Frenchman was an emotional wreck at the finish line. "I was destroyed, but my calculations were perfect. Near the end, 1 needed more energy. From somewhere, 1 found it." Jonsson finished second some 10 minutes back, while Olivier was third. "The Frenchmen are getting better all the time," said Jonsson, wh o had doubts about regaining his prize. "This will be difficult to win again." Olivier was th ank ful just to finish, saying, "1 am not on top at the moment, (bu t) 1have to be happy." After O liv ier ca me Cha rbon n el, whose impressive mornin g run had gone for naught. He wa s followed across the finis h line by Ed m ondson. Pidoux finis hed sixth after his fron t light was smashed, leaving him riding in the pitch dark for some time. Only three other riders finished the day: Charbonnier, Christian .Boulet and Alain Costes, all Frenchmen . ~ Gilles Lalay Classic Umoges, France Results: February 26, 1994 O/A: 1. Cyril Esqui rol (Hus) France; 2. Svenerik Jonsson (Hus) Sweden; 3. Alain Olivier (Kaw) France; 4. Laurent Cha rbonnel (Ka w) France; 5. Paul Edmondson (G-G ) En glan d ; 6. la u ren. Pidoux (Hbg); 7. Thi erry Cha rbo nnier (H us) Fra nce; 8. Christian Boule t (Hus ) France; 9. Alain Costes (Kaw) France. (Above) Alain Olivier (7) chases Stephane Peterhansel (5) through a grass-track tum. The morning section Is run like a qualifier, while the evening portion Is similar to a hare scrambles. (Below) European enduros aren't Just for fun - they can also provide you with a bit of culture. Laurent Pldoux (10) rides through town. .