The current freezing weather conditions all across the UK didn’t deter the most hardened of riders traveling up the SCEC event in Dorset. Although I wanted to do an event this month, it hasn’t turned out to be, but with a very good champ class lined up for this race, I decided to go up and give Adam (Blake) a helping hand and watch a top class hare & hounds at the same time.
Remnance to that of a Siberian winter (that’s what it felt like) greeted us as we arrived and got parked up. I thought I recognized the race hardened big green wagon we pulled up next to and sure enough it was Michaels Brooks. Hadn’t seen him for a while so had a good old natter before checking out a bit of the course with Adam to see which bits were frozen! To be honest the track looked excellent and half the course was basically in a huge sand bowl with undulating terrain, not too dissimilar to an old school scrambling track and with a water crossing for good measure. The rest of the course that went through the woods I couldn’t get too as it was riders only due to security reasons and it being off limits to anyone on foot. With this being MOD land I didn’t want to get ‘court marshaled’ so I stayed round the sand bowl area, good enough anyway because it had some great vantage points.
Gary ‘nothing gets in my way’ Mcoy came over for a chat and told us all about his Erzberg entry for next year and how he got in ‘through the back door‘, Phil Studley also made the trip up and I also bumped into Rob Thorn , Pete Lawry and the Scott’s. So with me wearing a thick jacket, 3 jumpers, 2 pairs of trousers, 2 pairs of socks, gloves, scarf and a hat, feeling like the ‘Michelin man’ I went off to watch all the action.
One rider left on the line because his 4 banger wouldn’t fire up decided to push it and try and bump it down the 1st hill just after the start, he still didn’t have any luck and after kicking the thing until exhaustion I decided to help him push it back up the hill and back on the flat so he could go back to the pits and get it sorted. Tell you what……. humping a KX450f up a sandy hill certainly warms you up!
So with the racing thick and fast due to a full entry and about 12/13 mins a lap for the top riders, it was a good race to watch. Just over the half way mark I went and help Adam to pit and even at this stage I had to do his fuel cap up because he just couldn’t feel his hands due to the cold! I had the same bloody problem with my feet! While I was I there I had a good chat with the guy from ‘In Chains’ who are a TM main dealer, um………………still tempted by the sky blue bikes I am!
For the last hour the field noticeably began to thin out with a few retirements being the order of the day because of the cold. Adam began to struggle and lost a bit of time on every lap and with about 10 mins of the race left, and after having a crash due to not being able to grip properly with frozen hands, decided enough was enough and called it a day.
A good day out with some top racing and well worth the frost bite on my toes!
Remnance to that of a Siberian winter (that’s what it felt like) greeted us as we arrived and got parked up. I thought I recognized the race hardened big green wagon we pulled up next to and sure enough it was Michaels Brooks. Hadn’t seen him for a while so had a good old natter before checking out a bit of the course with Adam to see which bits were frozen! To be honest the track looked excellent and half the course was basically in a huge sand bowl with undulating terrain, not too dissimilar to an old school scrambling track and with a water crossing for good measure. The rest of the course that went through the woods I couldn’t get too as it was riders only due to security reasons and it being off limits to anyone on foot. With this being MOD land I didn’t want to get ‘court marshaled’ so I stayed round the sand bowl area, good enough anyway because it had some great vantage points.
Gary ‘nothing gets in my way’ Mcoy came over for a chat and told us all about his Erzberg entry for next year and how he got in ‘through the back door‘, Phil Studley also made the trip up and I also bumped into Rob Thorn , Pete Lawry and the Scott’s. So with me wearing a thick jacket, 3 jumpers, 2 pairs of trousers, 2 pairs of socks, gloves, scarf and a hat, feeling like the ‘Michelin man’ I went off to watch all the action.
One rider left on the line because his 4 banger wouldn’t fire up decided to push it and try and bump it down the 1st hill just after the start, he still didn’t have any luck and after kicking the thing until exhaustion I decided to help him push it back up the hill and back on the flat so he could go back to the pits and get it sorted. Tell you what……. humping a KX450f up a sandy hill certainly warms you up!
So with the racing thick and fast due to a full entry and about 12/13 mins a lap for the top riders, it was a good race to watch. Just over the half way mark I went and help Adam to pit and even at this stage I had to do his fuel cap up because he just couldn’t feel his hands due to the cold! I had the same bloody problem with my feet! While I was I there I had a good chat with the guy from ‘In Chains’ who are a TM main dealer, um………………still tempted by the sky blue bikes I am!
For the last hour the field noticeably began to thin out with a few retirements being the order of the day because of the cold. Adam began to struggle and lost a bit of time on every lap and with about 10 mins of the race left, and after having a crash due to not being able to grip properly with frozen hands, decided enough was enough and called it a day.
A good day out with some top racing and well worth the frost bite on my toes!
