SRMCC & Teamsnapper have collaborated to supply photos for this event FOC

The lovely warm weather lulled me into a stupor, so it was only the Monday before the race weekend that I managed to get the entry form off, but the effect of all the good weather didn’t stop there though. Come Friday afternoon and I still hadn’t cleaned the bike since the previous weekend’s trip up to Enduroland. Not only that but I didn’t have a fresh tyre for the rear. Luckily my wife had come to the rescue and had fetched me a new front mousse and rear GT240 that morning, so all I had to do was fit the front mousse, fit the rear tyre, wash the bike and change the oil …… all before dinner.

The South Reading Club races are all on the Saturday, not the usual Sunday, so it all had to be shipshape come Saturday morning. In some ways I was glad to get stuck into something that I could just work flat out on and not think too much. Just before I left work I got the sad news that an old school friend of mine had been killed in a helicopter crash. It was quite a shock as Dion, Sean and myself used to hang out all the time and we remained close friends after we left school, and continued the friendship after we left the army and started working. After I left SA and came to the UK we’d meet up now and again when we went back on holiday, and would sink a few beers together. We’d always try and get as many as the old group together for these reunion get-together's. Unfortunately I’d not had a chance to meet up on the last few trips but remained in contact via facebook.

I work shifts so as soon as I got home I set about fitting the new style Golden Tyre mousse in the front. These new ones are supposed to be firmer and last longer than the older ones. Being firm and new they are harder to fit than a part worn mousse, but if you use the correct technique it all works ok. I do actually have a fitting guide on my website too.

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For those of you that have never been to the Ashdown Farm MX track where the South Reading MCC runs their events here is a google map view of the track. the arrow points to the main MX track hills and you'll be able to work out the route description from my report ie heading north or south. the track skirts round that big open field to the south and enters the wood below.

The rear mousse that I’d been using since the beginning of last year had a split in it now so I hung that one up for emergency use and pulled an old Pirelli rear out that I had hiding at the back of the garage. It was quite hard so getting the tyre on was tricky but not too bad. Actually getting the final tyre bead onto the rim is something I find easy enough, it’s getting the first part of the tyre onto the wheel which I normally struggle with.

While all this was going on Tony came round to pick the trailer up, and to taste a piece of Nicky’s fresh baked beetroot cake, while I continued to sweat my bollocks off as it was a hot n humid afternoon. Can’t complain much though as we don’t get too many of those in the UK! Eventually everything was done and I just had time to jump in the shower to wash off the chain lube and other assorted debris that had ground itself into my knees while I was grubbing around the garage floor.

Tony pitched up at 7.30 am Saturday morning, which I knew was too early, but I’d said nothing the day before when he suggested the time, as I like to be early for a race. Being early I knew that we’d get a parking spot up near the start area, which meant less distance to carry everything to the pits. All the rain had worked its magic on the lane leading up to the track and it really could do with some hardcore dumping in the worst of the holes. After the slow crawl up the lane we did indeed get a prime parking spot. Tony seemed a little surprised that not many people were there, which is when I chose to inform him that the10am start was in fact an 11am start.

me at the end of the start 'straight' just before entering the first woodland section
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

We had a quick look around and then got all the bits and pieces sorted out i.e. booking in, carrying fuel to the pits, visiting the loo for a poo and checking out the route into the first part of the woods. The forecast had been for ‘showers’ on Saturday but that changed to ‘cloudy’ the night before, so I was confident that it wouldn’t rain on the day. Getting geared up in the drizzle was disappointing.

Eventually we got under way. With the South Reading MCC they start riders in any sequence, in a staggered start, and you race according to your first clock out time. You have three hours to complete as many laps as possible. All laps count as long as you start them within your allocated three hours, there are no late penalties.

This shot dramatically shows the height of the hills you get to ride,
those little white dotes in the background are sheep!
Pic supplied by JanPixs and shows front runner JOE DYKE.
Check out all their photos of the race.

I headed off into the trees in a northerly direction and set a fast pace to break away from anyone following. I managed to overtake a slower rider almost straight away and then concentrated on flicking the bike back and forth between the trees and over the couple of logs that crossed the track. Unlike the last event this time we didn’t spend much time in the woods to start with and we popped out at the southern end to join the MX track proper and after a tight right and left bend we swooped down the valley for the first time. This can be an eye opening experience the first time you try it. You are full throttle down the hill and the suspension flattens out when you hit the bottom with your legs straining to soak up the impact as you fly up the other side, with the engine screaming its guts out. At the top we arc round to the left and back down again for another run at the valley. When you reach the top again you crank it over into the right hand turn and accelerate to a mini jump that can be a bit much when you land, as it’s a flat landing. I think they call it that as its what happens to your suspension when you land!

me doing a 'look at me i can fly' impressions
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

After the kink to the left came a right turn which takes you back down the valley for yet another run. Previously we turned off to the left here, but this time we carried on up the hill into the right turn and looped back on ourselves, back to the bottom of the valley and round another left turn in preparation for the best bit of the course. This was a flat out climb up a steep slope that shot you high into the sky and the best bit was that the landings weren’t too bad either.
After the jump we went through a couple of kinks to a table top jump and some more turns which by now had taken us to the top part of the woods again, where we cut back out of the mx track once more. I made my first mistake here as a rider ahead of me had turned off the track too soon and shot up the steep bank of the track, getting himself stranded on his engine guard at the same time. Without looking properly I went past him and did the same thing, not realising there was a cut-out about two meters further on!

Tony
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

Once free I carried on going westward in the woods and after a few turn got to the big log that they always use. When you are fresh and keen this is easy enough to get over, but after a couple of hours riding when your tongue is hanging out the bottom of your helmet it can be a little tricky….more of that later!

After the log the track tends to consist of many twists and turns that arc one way and then the other as it utilise's this whole section of woodland. Some of the turns are exceptionally bumpy having been cut up from previous events, but unlike last time where I got pitched one way and then the other my newly OTR fettled suspension enabled me to keep going whatever the track surface was like.

Breaking out of the woods at the far western edge, at about mid point, we were faced by a large tree with very low branches and once again I made the mistake of getting caught out by following a slower rider. He went to go under the tree and I followed but very soon it became clear that it wasn’t going to work so I changed tack and went round to the left. Now out in the open we headed down the hill at speed. At the bottom there was a little drop-off that kept things interesting and once at the bottom we got to that gnarly little track just north of the farmyard. Luckily we only cut through it before heading south once more on the concrete path, passing the farmyard on our left. Once past the farm we pealed off to the right and bounced up the rough track before entering the middle woods where the track flowed nicely between the trees, through the bit that smells like death and popping out at the fair mile crossing.

me again. after re-entering the northern section of woods there was a mini jump
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

After a fast blast across an open field we entered into the southern most woods and this part followed much the same route as the previous race, with the odd bit changed here and there. We came out into the open again near the top of the woods where we turned down the hill on a bumpy path, turning left and down the edge of a field at full throttle. This section was rather scary the last time it rode it as I nearly got pitched out the seat a couple of times due to the iffy suspension. This time however the bike remained fairly stable and several times I made some good overtakes over the roughest part.

another rider - Tony's head can just be seen sticking out above the hill
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

Once back into the woods we had a long run back up to the pits as now we were at the most southern part of the track and there was a lot of woods to get through on the way. It starts out with a few loose turns with roots going up hill and again this part is easy at first but as the day wears on people start to make mistakes here. A few more bends and there’s a twin track section and both sides are very bumpy but I think the left hand side was the best on the day. This led to a climb and again the track split into two. The left was shorter but was very tight and root infested so on the day I think the right hand route was quicker and I managed to overtake some slower riders here.

me again, showing a can jump for a change
(just as well they never took the shots of me landing!)
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

Quite a long run through the woods followed and a coupe of the tracks got very bumpy so it was hard work holding on. I got to the turn where Tony knocked himself off his bike the last time (the one with the low branch) and noticed there was a log across the track. I chuckled to myself as I could just imagine Tony coming along, looking at the log and knock himself sparko again! Luckily by the next lap it was broken and pushed out the way. After the race Tony told me that he was hugging the tank when he came round the bend this time!

The straight run out of the woods was fast and bumpy but that paled into comparison to the uber bumpy track that followed as we headed back to the pits. You can try and nail it here and indeed in the early part of the race you can get quite a lick on, but once you are knackered its near impossible to get any sort of speed up.

Tony
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

I kept the speed up on the second and third laps and everything was going well. There didn’t seem to be many other riders out there so I tried to set my own pace. Sometimes I can end up slowing down too much if I’m on my own for too long though. I couple of faster guys came past early in the race too. I can’t remember which lap it was but I got caught by a couple of riders after a few laps and they were having their own little mini ding dong so I gave them plenty of room and they cleared off.

At some point it started to rain which was a little crap as I hate not being able to see where I’m going properly. I don’t mind slippery but rain lashed, mud splattered goggles is not my thing. However it seemed to put the others off even more as now I was pulling past other riders more often. The GT240 on the rear was working great and the deep treads were giving fantastic grip in the muddy conditions as was the front end. i think i only had one slide from the front and looking at the data once the results came out my lap times hardly dropped at all. I’d also been getting more and more brave on the big climb and jump. That was until one lap where I squashed the bike so much on landing I decided to easy up a little so I could finish the race with me and the bike in one piece. Some of the open going was getting a little slippery as well now so I took it a little easy in some of these parts but as the race worn on I suddenly came across the two that had overtaken me earlier. Either they didn’t like the wet or their fast pace had wore them out. Either way I managed to overtake them one at a time, so that spurred me on to keep pushing.

Eventual winner DAN LAWRY
Pic supplied by JanPixs see all their photos of the race.

Pic supplied by JanPixs and shows second place finisher JOE DYKE.
Check out all their photos of the race.

Third place finisher EUAN HARRISON
Pic supplied by JanPixs see all their photos of the race.

Previously I’d always stop on the two hour mark and refuel but this time I kept on pushing and cracked on, but I started to wonder if the bike would make three hours? Coming round the bend into the start area for the next lap I was going to pull in but got carried away and overshot the gap in the blue tape to enter the re-fueling area. I paused a moment then calculated that the time wasted to push the bike backwards to make the gap wasn’t worth it so I carried on. I’d noticed Tony in the pits re-fueling and he gave me a wave but I was too focused to return the gesture. I carried on and now I was coming across plenty of slower riders but the vast majority of them were very good in making room for me, when they could, so I didn’t lose much time.

Tony sliding around in the wet
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

The conditions (even though it had now stopped raining) and tiredness must have been taking their toll as quite a few guys were hitting the deck. As I’d been out for two and a half hours by now I turned the bike to reserve just in case. I didn’t want to run the risk of it cutting out on a climb. The next time a came round I pulled in the pits and without getting off the bike I pushed the quick filler into the tank. I just wanted a splash and dash but I couldn’t tell if it was going in due to the can being non see through, so I paused a bit longer to make sure some had indeed gone in and set off once more. Somewhere around the next lap a branch hit me on the nose somehow and I could feel it bleeding quite a bit as it ran down through my beard onto my mouth. It wasn’t painful but I had visions of a chunk of my nose missing at one point, but is must have been a simple internal nose bleed as there were no marks afterwards.

me again
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

Some of the guys I’d overtaken had slipped past while I was refueling but I pushed hard to get past again and when I got to the big log in the first set of woods two bikes were down on the deck covering most of the routes. I then spotted there was a route past it to the right of the log. It was covered in roots and I stalled it at first, but I got going again ok. I pressed hard as time was running out and made it around in time for one last lap. Getting to the log once more I thought I’d take the chicken route again but stalled it (again) and got stuck. A bit of rocking back and forth and I got it going, but my leg got caught on the root sticking up from the log and as the bike went forward I got dragged from the bike. I was trying to hold on but it was no use I was going down. Letting go I struggled for my footing and did a few long legged jerky steps with arms and legs going in all sorts of directions and as it was a slope I got a bit of a speed up. I think I’d still be going now if a large marshal hadn’t jumped out in front of me and stopped me! We had a bit of a laugh and they helped me pick the bike up and I was on my way again.

Tony
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

me
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

I was making some good time and overtaking some riders but I was also aware that another rider was catching me. I pushed a bit more so I didn’t get in the way. I overtook a rider on the slope going down the hill at the far part of the track and was nailing it on the next section but got overtaken right at the end of the field by the other rider who must have been absolutely flying. Once into the woods and I found I could stick with him, so I stepped it up a bit and sat on his tail all the way through the woods. As soon as we got to the very last straight though he cleared off, either he has no fear or he really has his suspension sorted!

 
Photo supplied by Teamsnapper see their site for photos of this event

Pulling up in the pits for the last time I was feeling tired but not too bad. My shoulder had started to burn a little on the last hot lap but not so bad that it put me off my riding. It was a great days riding and I felt like I had ridden well, so I came away on a high. Tony had also enjoyed the race and had buried his demons from the last event here. The puddles on the lane on the way out were pretty deep now after all that rain!

Results are out. Both Tony and I had our best results so far for a South Reading H&H. I finished 5th in the Clubman A class (previous best of 7th), and Tony came home in 7th in the Clubman B class - a huge improvement from the last event.

For an overview of the event you can still catch the days report over on 'Enduronews'. Many thanks once again to Teamsnapper and Janpixs for the photos, without them this report would be rather dry reading.

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