The final CHEC race of 2008, held near Tring in Buckinghamshire

Dundridge Manor Tring - an excellent new venue for the Chiltern Hills Enduro Club

Looking back up to the car parking area from the pits

Anyone reading this might wonder why there are a bunch of guys wearing Hawaiian shirts racing bikes? Well it all started on the TBM forum a few weeks ago. Tony a member of the “Wacky Racer's” down in Kent wore a strange shirt at a previous round of the series (and won). Somewhere along the thread it was suggested that if we all wore one maybe it would help us go as fast as he went on the day! I was pleased with the end numbers but was disappointed that no one else other than the TBM regulars joined in. I had posted the idea on the CHEC forum as well but it seems no one else took it seriously, maybe next year then?

The view of the pit area

As this was a new venue I was interested to see what the terrain was like and looked forward to the event. Club DB was reduced down to Rob and me for this round. Once we’d parked up it was off down to the signing in area and we bumped into loads of guys from the forum plus regular CHEC racers. First impressions of the track suggested it was going to be a fast race, not only that but the course seemed to be zigzagging over freshly ploughed fields, so we wondered how the bikes would fair crossing the large lumps of clay and flint.

We had pre-arranged to meet up after the riders briefing in the morning for a group photo. Tony received his winner’s trophy from a previous round but also sounded like he was going to keel over at any moment while he coughed up a lung! I must say that our dress sense was drawing some rather amused looks, especially as I had matching shorts on! “Hunky Maui Man” (what's what it said on the packet!) meets “Fat Dirty Bastard”.

The motley crew!

I almost left it too late as I was chatting away and had to rush over to the bike to get my helmet and goggles on. I’m never too sure what would be the ideal starting position on the grid. If you are near the front you get a clear run but can struggle to see where the track goes during the first few laps. Start further back and the track is clearly defined for you but then you get stuck behind slower riders at every technical section.
So today I started on the second row and got to the transponders first, I clocked out but then couldn’t see where the track went! As the starting area was set at an odd angle I had failed to notice which way the previous group went. Suddenly I spotted a marker way across the field and gunned for it – not realising that it was the wrong way. We should have turned immediately right after crossing the road! Unbeknown to me there was a massive pileup behind me, one rider had followed me and another had turned right with the inevitable massive crash!

That wasn't part of the plan i think!

Anyway the course went as follows, a sharp right turn after crossing the road near the transponders took you up the field to a large tree where you turned left back down the hill to another large tree. Here you doubled back on yourself at an angle, crossing the remainder of the field. Once at the edge of the field we turned left until you hit another ploughed section where you turned right once more. This part had one of the many footpaths that we crossed on the day, and these areas are reduced to slow speed only. This took you through a small clump of trees leading to another field which we went up the right hand edge turning left in a high speed run down to the first woodland part of the course.

Second lap and i'm on a flyer! (for a while)

Second lap - RobP

Gavin

The first woods section wasn’t too tight at all and was fairly flowing but a lot of the bends were wet so they needed to be taken with care. After a short run through the trees we came to the first technical section. This was a very large hole in the ground and needed to be taken with some speed to ensure a successful exit up the other bank. From here it was a few more corners and back out into the fields again. Once again we zigzagged across the field then bared left along the edge before cutting back into the center, turning right soon after that. This brought us to the one novel thing about this track – a mandatory “walk the bike” footpath crossing! Yep last’s right you had to jump off and walk the bike, although I did it on the run every time! It was a bit strange when they first briefed it out in the morning, but it did add to the day I think, it introduced a bit of colour to the day.
Soon after that came the ‘quarry’, but there was one muddy rutted left turn just before that which I never did get the hang of all day. Anyway the quarry - it started with a steep drop down into the sand bowl before climbing back out to the right then curving to the left and crossing the area on the right hand side. Cutting back to the left and up a slippery slope out into the fast fields again. Doesn’t sound too exciting but the going in the quarry was hard to do ‘at speed’ due to the multitude of small humps, bumps and dips covering the ground. On almost every lap I had to take some very odd lines trying to overtake slower riders and on more than one occasion was near to crashing but thankfully the KTM looked after me and got me though.

me dropping down into the quarry - trying to overtake no 29

I tried an alternate line but it nearly all went wrong!

a blockage in the system! note Robp at the top of the drop - chomping at the bit to get going!

the rider's down and things get desperate! Rob and the others make a break for it!

oh ho - Rob's off the bike and pushing!

Anyway once back out onto the open going we looped round a few more trees in the fields before briefly dropping back down into the quarry section. Exiting on the far side of the quarry the course took us round the edge of another field, followed by a sharp left turn in the corner and we continued to skirt the field next to the hedge. Half way up this section we had a little right/left turn into a neighbouring field and once again crossed the fields several times before dropping into a small stand of trees, and I really mean ‘drop into’! After the descent we climbed back out to the right where we got stuck into some more flat stick, high speed runs across the fields. The last of which had a small almost invisible hump in it that you could just lift off, if you were going fast enough. This section ended in a small ‘two way traffic’ area that was taped off. It was walking speed only here but it wasn’t a problem. Apparently this was needed to again access to another large spread of land.

OK me again, but i really like the way this picture came out. the extra light when the sun came out helps to sharpen up the image. This was taken just as we exit the quarry again.

Robp also exiting the quarry

Fausto from the TBM forum

The two way bit was followed by a small hollow where the quads were getting stuck fairly regularly. After a few twists and turns there was a short blast up a track where we were supposed to turn off to the left but I overshot this due to the tape being down from a previous rider. After the left turn came the tightest part of the track as we made our way back to the ‘two way’ section. First came a very tight bit through small trees that needed to be taken fairly stop start as it was so tight but then it flowed a bit better and slowly the trees gave way to holly trees and this also flowed well.
Once back through the ‘two way traffic’ section it was a blast along the fastest part of the course. The 450 was flat out down the farm track which had a very small drop off on it that would allow the KTM to take off on, if you were going fast enough! The farmers track curved to the right then, but the course was taken back into the field for a short built in ‘speed check’ (although some were bypassing this later) before rejoining the farm track again in another flat out blast. We then turned off to the left over some small rocks onto the home straight back down to the transponders. About 15 odd minutes or so but the really fast guys were doing it in about 13 minutes.

Tony aka 'mudinmyeye'

me again. i've had to doctor this image as a cloud came over just at this moment spoiling all the camera settings!
Still good though.

Rob as in Rotaxrob on his PBH - no it's not a CCM!

On the second lap I had found my bearings a bit better and things flowed nicely, well it did up until I got to the very fast section just before the home straight. I was going faster this time and overtook some guys on the farmer track but just as I peeled into the left turn the front caught a slightly bigger rock and tucked. Before I could do anything I was down. Still carrying a lot of speed I skidded along, leaping up with the last bit of momentum and grabbed the bike. Picking it up I pushed the clutch back into place just as the guys I overtook came past (one pausing to ask if I was ok). The KTM fired up straight away and I nailed it back down towards the finish, once again overtaking the two other bikes. It had all happened so fast I didn’t have time to worry about the fact I’d just had an off.

 
Matt also from the TBM forum

Facom - again from the forum

By the third lap the first of the dips in the woods had been cut out due to fallers and for most of the morning I never got to do this bit again.
Several laps in and just as I turned into the woods on the far part of the course (on the way back to the two way traffic bit), I came across a rider picking his bike up. I had to stop as he was in the path and he set off in front of me. Initially I thought I was going to be held up badly but he seemed to be going at an ok’ish pace so I settled in behind. Well that only lasted as few corners. I think he was ‘over riding’ as the next moment he clipped a tree with his bars, and then tried to push the tree over with his shoulder! Luckily both the bike and rider bounced out of the track so after a quick ‘are you all right’ pause I carried on, it did look funny though!
It wasn’t long after this that two of the wacky racers came steaming past, for the second time! At least with the flowery shirt on it made it easy pick out a faster rider coming through, so I made sure I was out of the way each time.

About half way through the morning session I could hear something rattling around behind me but for a while I wasn’t sure if it was my bike or someone else’s. In the end I realised it was my tool case making the noise and I thought this was odd as I’d never heard it do that before. It stopped eventually so I never gave it any more thought.

me looking a bit of a knob without my helmet peak!

'Landranger' from TBM as well

I must say that the fast fields made for some interesting, and hairy moments. Catching up to someone was one thing, getting past them while they are throwing seven kinds of crap at you off the rear tyre is another! Sometimes it wasn’t too bad so you could just keep your head down and overtake, but on several occasions it was just plain scary so I had to back off. I think those bikes must have had rear knobblies on. I remember one instance where I went to overtake (with the resulting flint assault) and had to go slightly off the racing line. As soon as I got alongside him the softer going (off line) resulted in the bike slowing down, this meant he was able to get in front again and continued to knock the hell out off me with big lumps of rock. I backed off then and waited to out brake him into the next corner. I lost a place near the end of the session as the bike stalled and wouldn’t fire back up. Thinking quickly I turned the petrol tap to reserve and voila it started again. In the afternoon session I just left it on reserve. Mind you, while stripping the bike down today the tank felt worryingly light and I’m sure there wasn’t enough fuel in there for another lap.

Stop rolling around in the dirt young man and get back into the race!

Pretty soon the first two hours were up and I pulled into the pits with 5 minutes to spare. I was pleased with my riding so far and expected to get a ‘well done - you’re going well’ from my girlfriend but instead I got a “what the hell happened to you!” Apparently she missed me coming round on one lap and got into a bit of a panic as she thought I was hurt somewhere. Then I noticed that I only had the base of the KTM rear fender bag attached! Bollox now I needed a new toolkit! Just then a chap walked up and we had a brief chat and he said “one of you lot dropped something off the bike so I picked it up”. It was only my toolkit! Apparently it had spread it’s contents about the track and he’d walked around picking all the bits and pieces up – top man! I’m sorry I didn’t get your name (German guys with a broken arm/wrist) so thanks once again. While we were eating lunch Rob (club DB rob - not wacky racer Rob) commented that he was having real trouble with the front end of his bike in the few muddy sections so was going to try a few psi less in the afternoon.

Nick790 - once again, another TBM forum member

After lunch I got caught out with the early start again and got stuck behind some of the other guys when lining up waiting for our turn. That meant I got absolutely hammered with rocks trying to get past once we started and I had to really ride like hell to pull away. By the time I was crossing the fields to go into the first set off woods I had managed to pull a bit of a gap so I concentrated on being nice and smooth but fast as well. Everything went great until I got to the deep dip in the woods. It was clear now so I went down into it expecting to whoosh up the other side, only I got to the bottom and stopped dead! I had only gone and knocked it into bloody neutral on the way down! I pulled the bike free of the mud and managed to run it out to the right, jumping back on just as the next rider came along (from my starting line up). I sat behind him for a long time as he was fairly quick on the open going but I felt I had the advantage on the more technical bits. Unfortunately it’s not always that easy to overtake on these sections but I stuck with it and eventually he made a mistake and stalled the bike. I slipped past while he was trying to kick it back into life.

On the fastest part of the course I was flying along and all of a sudden something yanked my head back. Struggling to keep my head down I realised it was the peak to my helmet that had come lose on one side and was now standing vertical, acting as a very effective air brake! I reached up and pulled it free, discarding it on the fly.
From here on in it was just a case of plugging away at the laps and keeping an eye open for the faster guys. I did find I was getting tired and slowing down while on my own but sped up when I had a carrot in front i.e. catching up to another rider.

Approaching the transponders on what was to be my last lap, I noticed that I had run out of time, so I decided to pull a big wheelie down into the valley on the home straight. I eased off slightly, hit the gas and pulled on the bars to loft the wheel - and nothing happened! The bike started slowing down and for a while I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on. First of all I thought it had stalled so I tried starting it but then I could feel it running so I twisted the throttle some more – and then it hit me – the throttle cables had snapped! I coasted down the hill with the clutch in and the momentum carried me slightly up the hill towards the finish. Only it didn’t get me all the way so I jumped off and started pushing like mad. Then I thought ‘sod the bike’ so I dumped it and ran for the transponder then walked back to the bike and pushed it through. Unfortunately this wasn’t caught on camera as my girlfriend had put it to one side to come and help push the bike – then I moaned at her for not getting the picture! Lots of us had issues on the last lap, one ran out of fuel completely and had to push back, another crashed then ran onto reserve and struggled to get the bike going and another sheared all the teeth of his front sprocket (didn’t slow him down much though). Oh yes and poor old Rob (club DB) found his new pressure in the front tyre worked much better – only for the PBH to blow it’s head gasket! You can see it’s the end of the season, as the machines seem to be in need of some TLC over the winter months.

'Hog' one of the excellent CHEC marshals

Thanks once again to the CHEC organisers and marshals for a great day out and I hope the guy that got hurt gets better soon.
Also thanks to the entire ‘alternate shirt-wearing’ group for getting into the spirit of the day. Maybe we should make it some sort of charity event next year and get some local paper involved? And finally to all the CHEC regular competitors - see you all next year!

Don't forget to check out the Gallery and order your pictures (while it's still free!) some examples below.

Also see the 'for sale' section - Tony (of club DB) has his lovely CRF250X up for sale
cheap - one careful lady owner!

YES!
The shirt worked!!!
9th overall and 3rd in class!!!

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