CHEC Billington May 2011
Unlucky or lucky no.13?

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I was really looking forward to the second race of 2011 with the chiltern hills enduro club. After having such a good result at the first race I was well up for this one. In the last report it was all about me and Gary Hanson going head to head. All the better for me was the fact that I came out on top (in fourth place overall) with Gary finishing one spot behind in fifth. When I noticed Gary had signed on already thereby getting a front row start I also signed on early and secured a second row start. For me this was perfect as it gave me something to chase so I’d push hard from the off. My goal was to catch Gary if I could. It was while I was giving the bike a once over before the event that I found the rear shock was slightly under performing.

the sun might be out but its cold!

The bike had been bottoming out over small jumps for a while and as there were more jumps than normal at Billington I thought I’d better add a few more clicks of compression damping. I added two more and bounced up and down a bit. Still not great, so I added two more and found I’d reached the end of the adjustment! Thursday night and this sort of crap was not supposed to be in the pre-race chilling out protocol! Oh well nothing to do now as there was nowhere to get it looked at in such short notice, I’d just have to make do.
Then the self doubt started to creep in. I’d been in this position before, a good result followed by me being really up for the next one, and all I did was crash my brains out and got nowhere, what if I did it again? mmm the ‘lucky number 13’ race number was starting to look like ‘unlucky number 13’ now!

almost time to go, although not quite so smoothly for some

Oh well a couple of jack danniel’s and coke sorted that out and I went too sleep slightly later than I’d planned – only to be woken up not long after by someone firing up a Harley in the street outside the house somewhere. The open pipes woke Nicky and I up with a start and we both leapt out of bed as I thought someone was nicking the bikes out the garage. It took a few seconds for the brain to process the sound and categorise it as an agricultural machine and not one of my bikes but by then the heart was racing enough to keep me awake for a while to come.

A bright blue sky greeted us in the morning but the air temp was still decidedly chilly so it was long pants, fleece and a hat setup while loading the trailer and Tony’s car – much to his amusement as he walked around in a t-shirt, and goose bumps.

We met Phil on the way and arrived at the venue (Billington) with the sky already showing some strange white and blue/black fluffy stuff. Someone said it was clouds but as we hadn’t seen them for so long I wasn’t taking their word for it. Anyway, I’d left the waterproofs behind so it wasn’t allowed to rain – so there! Oops..... got that one wrong too.

After the usual signing on we fired the bikes up quickly to clear their throats and I engaged the gears to free off the Rekluse clutch, after which we headed to the pits to get the bike scrutinered and parked up ready for the off.

Back at the car once more it was time to catch up with Steve, Dan & Darren and discuss who was going to come out on top between Tony, Phil and Steve, who were all starting on the same minute.

Gary doesn't waste any time getting into the jumping mood

After the briefing the first row was called up and I fired my bike to get it warm. I also have to free off the rekluse clutch which involves pulling it off the ground on the stand and engaging gear while slowly bringing on the rear brake with the left hand. However before all that could happen a couple of guys came running over waving their hands and pointing at the engine. There was a bit of oily smoke but I assumed it was oil on the exhaust burning off from where I cleaned it. oh yes it was oil all right, it was spewing out the oil filler cap that had come off! I can only assume I’d left it slightly loose the day before so I could check the level again (on Saturday afternoon as I’d done an oil filter change). But then again Gary did walk up to me on the line and say “let’s see what I can sabotage to slow you down a bit”!! But in all seriousness I can sort of remember not doing it up, I think ;)
“Oh shit! That’s my race over with” I cried out loud as I stood there looking down at the oil dripping everywhere as my row shot off into the distance.

one of the pre race favorites (Gareth) also gettin up to speed on the first lap

someone else

now then..... no one likes a show off!

So unlucky number 13 had got me all right, or had it? Nope my luck was still with me as I spotted the errant plug nestling inside the engine skid plate. I could not believe it but I grabbed it non the less and rammed it home then fired the bike up once more. One of the guys standing around said “don’t you need to fill it again” but I knew it was slightly on the full side before anyway so I wasn’t going to stop now. But I did of course, the engine was now too cold and the clutch was dragging so much the engine died when I selected first gear. After a few failed attempts I resorted to plan B and ran beside the bike and dropped it into gear and eventually got away, late of course but at least I was in the race!

me in the race at last and pushing, bike getting a little sideways

phil - good to see you back in the saddle again

Tony getting some air

So as you can imagine by now I was totally flustered and riding like you would expect, charging around like a bull that has chili sauce rubbed where you really would not want it to be rubbed. This worked fine at first and I pulled a lot of time back in the first section of the mx track, until I got to the woods and it was like grand central station in there with groups of riders five strong all sitting behind one another, and at this stage it was pointless trying to force a way past so I had to just sit there and wait until we got out onto the more open going.

The track? Well we entered it in the middle of the mx part and then peeled right into a series of mini jumps. While Tony and I were doing a quick scout about in the morning I looked at the spacing and thought I’d be able to roll the first one then gas the bike to jump the next two together. Soon after that though was another two slightly larger jumps and looking at them I wasn’t too sure if my heavy 450 would get up enough speed to clear them both, so I decided to roll over them both.

me overtaking no 93

some nice shots

After that we turned left and traveled the length of the mx area again but with only a few jumps evenly spaced out. At the end of the straight we peeled up and out the mx track to the left (its situated in a sort of a bowl with high ridges) and looped a field before riding up the side of the ridge and followed its top back into the mx loop area where we dropped off the ridge to zig zag up and down a little before taking a 90’ turn to the left and accelerating down towards the lower end of the track. Before that though was a nice little rise that you could really jump – and get into a load of trouble. The slope was really steep and caused the back end to kick up in the air unless you were hanging off the rear end like mad, and it took a few laps for me to learn this – after nearly going over the bars several times!

Gary having a small moment

Once back on an even keel we got to a nice left turn that could be taken high on the berm or low down and tight, I’d decide which line to take depending on the amount of traffic in the bend. Coming out of this bend you could nail the gas and speed up to hit a fantastic jump that really had you flying – if you choose too that is. After this we doubled back on ourselves and headed down to the river crossing.
In previous years this river has been fairly deep, deep enough to drown bikes if you weren’t careful with your crossing technique. However since the dry spring the water level has dropped dramatically but at least it had water in, I was sort of worried that it would be dry as a bone.

Once on the other side of the river we weaved through the trees for a while until breaking out into the open momentarily before entering the second wood that was made up of much younger trees. Both sections of the woods were single track and overtaking spots were non-existent in the early laps. A quick blast on a twin track section and we closed the wooden bridge which brought us back into the field where the transponders were. This was a high speed blast but it had some ruts and bumps in that would unsettle the bikes. The 90’ bend at the end was a good overtaking spot but once the rain started falling it made late braking a bit scary. Rain? Oh yes it started to fall a few laps in and the grass sections became pretty slippery, especially the back straight in between the two woods.

Lee Barthram getting serious

The rain didn’t last long and it never got too wet. The series of jumps just inside the mx track was going well. On the first two laps I was a bit nervous and rolled them but very soon I was jumping the first few and this was a good way to pass riders as many were still rolling over them. The second two I never did try and jump, maybe I should have but then again the bike was getting rather hard to control over the rough stuff so I think it would have been asking to much of it.

I was pushing hard to make up time and I managed to lap Phil, Steve and Tony. The laps weren’t very long so we were in amongst the back of the pack by the second lap. Anyway I’d only just passed Tony when I had a upside down moment. I was on the main ridge that brought you back into the second part of the mx track and as I peeled into the left turn that dropped down into the bowl I lost the front. The bike stopped just off the top of the ridge but I went flying over the bars and landed heavily on my left side, and slide down the slope to the bottom. It happened so fast I didn’t even have time to react and I was in a heap in the dirt before I knew what was happening. Even though this is my dodgy side nothing appeared to be wrong when I stood up. The bike was still at the top but laying down-slope so I half dragged it downwards while trying to get it shinny side up. A quick once over and I was away again, slightly de-tuned now as I’d landed quite hard.

me making my way back to the bike after biting the dirt

Tony getting back past after my tumble

A few more laps and things had spread out a little so it was easier to find routes past slower riders. By now I was back up to speed and once again pushing hard and then I suddenly realised that in all the excitement of the start I’d forgotten to start my stopwatch timer on the bike’s dash! Bollocks now I had to rely on the backup watch on the bars. At some point I got overtaken by number 24, Jason Warren, but then I stuck with him for some time and I think I even took back the place.

now i've really got the move on, trying to make up lost time

the moment that nearly let me catch Gary....
his bike stopped in the river.

i'm not far behind

getting closer!

and then...... yes i'm picking it up again!

Looking at the photos of me and Gary and checking the timing of them I was catching him. Each lap I got a little closer and then Gary made a mistake at the river crossing so the gap was down to seconds only…..and then I made another mistake. Yep then bike was getting a little wayward over the rough going and as I hit a jump fairly hard the landing got totally out of control and basically it just spat me off. I bit the dust once more and while it didn’t shake me up quite as much as the first one, I obviously lost a lot of seconds on Gary, so I never did catch him. Not only that but Jason got past again somewhere too. What I did catch up to was the pain in my left shoulder. The one where I went down on early in the day. At first the adrenaline had covered the pain up but now it was really aching, and I had other worries too.

Steve looking very stylish on the ridge coming back into the mx section

Time was ticking by and I had to start working out when to decide to go for the ‘last lap’ or stop to avoid the penalties of being late. I tried to work out what my lap times were but it was a little difficult. I got back to the transponders with only a short time left on the clock and paused momentarily, then went for it. I wasn’t sure if I’d make it back in time, well that’s not totally true, I knew I was going to be a little late, but I sort of figured I could make it back and be less than three minutes late. Three minutes is the maximum you can be late, before you lose more points then you actually earn for a lap. Having started late my actual end time was slightly later than if I’d started on time. The lap went ok as not many people were out on track anymore so I was able to put in a good lap time (turns out it was my quickest all day) and yes I was late back, I’m just hoping the gamble was worth it (edit: yes it was).

Time For a brake...

I got back to the pits and Nicky was there to give me a hand topping up the petrol but I wasn’t the best of company what with all the issues in the morning so pretty soon she skipped out and went back to the car for lunch. In the meantime I replaced the broken brush guard mounting plate that got trashed in the first ‘off’ of the day.

We were just finishing off lunch when the skies opened and it started hammering down. Luckily we could all jump in the back of Phil’s hired van so we stayed dry. With five minutes to go we jumped out the back to head back to the bikes and thankfully it had now stopped raining. Only one problem, I’d forgotten to gear up the camcorder! Another missed opportunity to film at Billington.

Afternoon Session

Steve films a lap

me overtaking in the air by jumping the two mini jumps

and again by taking the tight line just before the big jump

the jump

This time the start went all according to plan and one of the guys on my row let me start first, so I was away and running early on. The course was being run in the same direction as the morning and most of the riders were going quicker by now so there were a lot less traffic jams to deal with. Riders were also getting used to moving out the way and many riders pulled over allow faster riders through. Gareth (no: 39) passed me just after the river. The section of the woods just after the crossing was getting progressively slippier as the day wore on and there were some extra paths being made on either sides of trees. In this slippery bit I was using the LHRB as a sort of traction control. I’d keep pressure on the bar and if the rear started to spin out too much I’d squeeze the brake a little harder to bring it back under control.

oops... not the way to do it!

cos this can easily turn into......

this!

mind you ..... i have no idea how i stayed on this one!!

The afternoon session went by without any major incidents other than a small tumble on the grass near the car park when you exited the mx track. I’d just passed another rider when the front washed out (must get a new mousse) in the left hand turn. I picked up the bike while shouting a few choice words and charged back after the guys who passed me while I was on the deck. With about half an hour to go I found myself suffering from the pace earlier and the crashes I’d had. I made a couple of minor mistakes like only just missing trees and anticipating the track going the wrong way. Angry at myself I shouted out loud to myself - “wake up, concentrate and get your shit together”. This did actually help a bit but I also took some long pulls on the camelpack to hydrate some more and I managed to bring the bike and myself home in one piece.

Tony relating the story of Gareth over taking him but then stalled it.
Tony had a little chuckle but was then forced to cower behind the clock as Gareth came back past on the straight and showered him in debris !

So not a very good start to the day, and definitely not a very good first session, but the preliminary results are out and while I did not do as well as at Lane End, I still managed to come home 5th overall.

Second opinion: Phil give his views on the day.

phil flying on his new 450 exc

I was really looking forward to the race at Billington because it would be the first time since the Hafren Rally in October 2010 that I'd raced my 450 EXC-R having only been trail riding over the Winter and not riding much during the Spring of 2011 due to some very sad family news. So, as I say I was really looking forward to it but I was also a bit anxious because I'd always found the Billington course a bit 'tight' on my old 400 EXC and the water crossing had once claimed me as a victim! Pre-race preparation consisted of the usual frantic call to RBJ for his mechanical skills, this time to see if he could change a mousse for me because I'm incapable of doing it and of course RBJ did it without hesitation and in no time at all...top man! On the day, I put on my special 'Official KTM Test Rider' T-shirt which makes me feel like I'm a lot better rider than I am, and I met up with RBJ and Tony enroute and then with Steve, Dan and another fellow forumite (Darren) at the course.

Well, I have to say that the course, although still tight in the woods, was really good and for some reason I found it a lot easier to ride on my 450 EXC-R than on my old 400 EXC. I reckon it's because the 450 can pull 2nd or 3rd easily at any speeds whereas the 400 was hunting between 1st and 2nd but also the 450's suspension is a lot plusher. Anyway, at the end of the race I just didn't feel as knackered as I would have been on the 400 and I remember that I got that exact same feeling at the end of The Hafren last year, so the 450 is definitely suiting me. During the race I took it fairly steady and I felt a lot faster in the afternoon session. The only whoopsie I had was dropping it in the water crossing (again) when I rode into the back of a stricken rider, pretty much the same as I did a year ago but this time I didn't completely drown the bike and it started on the button fairly easily afterwards, although all the faffing around after the drop combined with chatting to the marshals, meant that it took me 28 minutes to complete that lap instead of the usual 10 minutes! Clearly, I was rusty and not in 'race mode'! In the last hour of the afternoon session I was starting to lose concentration in the woods and I was getting tired. I hit a couple of branches quite firmly which didn't do my head a lot of good and I seemed to lose my rhythm, so I decided to sit out the last half an hour in the pits rather than pushing on and having a big 'get off'. All in all it was a great day's racing and as I said, the bike was a treat to ride, it was only my lack of race fitness, concentration, ability, and skill etc. etc. that stopped me doing more laps!

Scott_rider (Phil)

Some more cool shots

Tony getting it a little front endy in the jumps

lift off!

oops, getting a little out of control

yes i was trying

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