2012 A4DE Warragul Race report

What an arsehole of a day, times were tightened up where the pros were coming in with only minutes to spare on some very wet trails, this lead to the lower level riders getting to trails that was just bog so unfortunately time was lost by a lot of the riders, all of our 12 got through the day, Mal again performed like a champ and over came the bad conditions well to now be heading into the last day, he also had enough energy to do a front tyre and moouse change. Goes to show the effort Mal has put in for this A4DE has really payed off

Go Mal go

we arrived and found the Oyster Bay Crew just in time to see Mal, the Iceman, before he started..
as we walked to park ferme time became more of a factor to Mal as he checked the time more and more frequently.
i didnt really realise that everything is down to the minute with this whole enduro thing until then.
its full maths shit on the fly :laugh: :laugh:

lining up to go

we couldnt believe the number of girls racing. everywhere you looked was a chick with steel eyed determination. it was really cool. Sammy reckons she will start her racing carreer….next week :laugh: :laugh: Not

we wandered over to the first special test which was a grass track. it was a good solid drizzle by now and we had wet feet already. i was dreading the “this is crap and its cold and wet” from the wife but to my amazement and delight she was loving it

Mal came past us and even managed a gooday as he hit the paddock. it looked mighty slick out there

GO MAL GO!!

GONE!!

we headed on up to the fuel dump to see Donna, Tim and the Oyster crew and hung out for the day there. it was awesome to see the riders up close and watch the efforts put in by all the helpers and crews.

Hawthorn Crossing fuel dump.
funnily enough, i come to this exact spot camping sometimes and ride the area regularly. there are some bloody awesome singles and trails around. pity the bloody DSE (forestry) wouldnt let the organisers use more.

this bridge has just been rebuilt lately. it was a pretty gnarly crossing through the Latrobe River before though.
most weekends people would camp there and as soon as they heard bikes coming they would all head to the crossing for the carnage that would generally ensue :laugh: :laugh:
nothing like pulling up to a crossing and seeing 20 odd strangers cheersing for you to get the nerves going :laugh: :laugh:

Number 1 pit crew going full tilt! top effort guys!

it was funny hearing riders coming in and calling the track conditions ‘diabolical’ :laugh: :laugh:
it made me kind of proud as its in my backyard and i love it when its slick and boggy…

i guess its a different kettle of fish going at race pace against the clock, compared to mates fanging around trying to roost each other and stopping for a ciggy whenever we want :laugh: :laugh:

i saw a KLX limp in with both forks blown out. apparently it had some new fangled air back spings in it…. and they had failed after only a few thousand K’s

we watched a chick rip the clutch out of her bike and replace it faster than i could down a beer :woohoo:
inspiring to watch!

Stephan Merriman nearly took me out as he came into the dump :laugh: he seems a nice little fella.

it was great watching everone come in at once and the crews all fussing and shouting times about in organised chaos.

we headed back to park ferme. it was cool watching all the riders doing their stuff in service.
Mal came back and changed his front tyre in a flash. faster than yesterdays time. as he worked on his bike he was just a blurr.

Scrape Mal Scrape :laugh: :laugh:

it was an awesome day. the preciseness of it all has me hooked.
the OBMCC peeps had it all prepped to a T, hats off to them!

hangin out for tomorrows MX now…

Good Onya Spidy.
Thanx for the pics & report mate,,,

Hope you are feeling better :laugh:

Great work Mal and top pictures and report Menace.

WOW,,
All finishers

Awsome result for all riders & crew ,,,
Well Done, now go & PARTY :woohoo:

Great effort one and all… Well done…

Cheers…

Thanks guys.

I’m only a gummy rider in the grand scheme of things. Way down the tail end of the Vets class but not last which I am happy with.

Day 3 was tricky after rain the night before. they used the same tracks as day 1 but tightened the times right up. I lost 36 mins on the trails and just stayed upright in the tests. The fitness this time helped keep me focused at the end of the day. So I had enough energy to change my front tyre. It didn’t need it but I wanted to do it.

Day 4 was 46km of tar to the final moto. Then 7 laps of an awesome grass track. We were at the back of the pack but having a ball battling for positions.

Donna and I drove to Menaces for some R & R (beers and take away) and a good sleep before driving home on Sunday.

Time to wash the bike and replace some parts ready for the 2 day Oyster Bay event in two weeks.

I’d like to say a huge thanks to my personal support crew of Donna, Tim (medogrocket) and Rob who dod an amazing job of looking after us 2 riders and also the rest of the Oyster Bay riders at the service points.

Also a huge thanks to the Oyster Bay Club for the support setup they have. As Menace said it’s organised chaos, but runs like clockwork. These guys have been doing this for a long time and it’s worth the money you pay.

Oh yeah and thanks KTMrules for the laughs and riding tips. Remember cocktails and shooters in two weeks. You won’t get out of this time. :laugh:

:laugh: Thanks Eages. The level of riders at the 4 day is a few steps above me and makes me feel like a gumby. I did hold my own on a lots of the hills though.

Here’s my day 2 work period. Only low quality as it was taken on a phone that wasn’t set to HD. Photos coming.