David Knight missed out on a fifth consecutive victory at the Tough One enduro in Shropshire on Saturday.
A clutch problem on his new BMW forced the Ballaugh star to retire on the third lap, having fought his way into first place.
The race, at Nantmawr Quarry near Oswestry, saw riders set off in a Le Mans-style start where they had to run uphill to their bikes.
Knighter was second to his machine behind Wayne Braybrook, before passing him on lap two.
In the end Polish star Taddy Blazusiak won the race, with Tom Sagar second and Braybrook third.
Speaking on his website blog, Knighter said although he was disappointed to not finish, he was made up with how it was all going, from his riding to the way the bike felt and was certain he could have gone on to an easy win.
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