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Really? I missed it.
Here’s some important bits
Quote:By now the Early Bird Entries have closed, thanks to all of you who have organised yourselves so quickly! Remember, event entries MUST BE RECEIVED BY Midnight (AEST) March 25, 2010THERE WILL BE NO LATE INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES ACCEPTED FOR THIS YEAR?S A4DE.
I have had many calls re general information about the A4DE and its course ? Great! Good organisation and planning are essential for an event like this one. Here are answers to the most asked questions!
Course Brief
We have put together a challenging and technical course to ensure a good ride for everyone. You will be in the saddle for around 7 hours per day for the first three days, through both pine forest and natural Aussie bush. The general course altitude is approx. 900 metres and has a medium to hard pack, at times pretty rocky, base. At this point we envisage Day 1 – is its own course, Day 2 – a separate, new course, Day 3 ? a blend of the best bits from Days 1 & 2 and Day 4 is a short trail prior to the final moto. If we get rain ? it?s going to be even better!We have planned 5 Cross Tests which are in open grasslands/paddocks. There are also 4 Enduro Tests ? 3 of which are soft base and one has a shale base. We recommend that riders look at investing in a set of mousses ? especially if you intend to ride the entire event on one set of tyres. The different terrains of the course and tests may play havoc on tubes and imagine two or three punctures in one section ? how long does it take you to change a tube at home in the comfort of your garage with all the tools there? Out on a trail a puncture can take many, many minutes to repair and a mousse just means one less thing to worry about – it could be the difference in finishing the event or ?houring out?!
We hope that rider?s will do 7 – 8 timed tests PER DAY during the event. Most tests are on private property. Please respect these areas, they have been generously offered to us by the local people of Portland. You must obey all signs that are posted throughout these tests and please do not leave any rubbish or refuse ANYWHERE in your travels!
Time Controls
There will be 3 – 4 time controls out on the course each day ? plus one at the Parc Ferme. These are all easily accessible by two wheel drive cars and are within approx. 30 minutes from the Parc Ferme. There will be signage and directions to each control and test ? please remember this is an OPEN public forest and I feel that it is never too early to remind everyone that we must all be mindful of speed and safety whilst in Sunny Corner Forest and the surrounding areas.Parc Ferme ? Sign On ? Scrutineering ? Impound REMEMBER – NO CAMPING AT PARC FERME!
Parc Ferme is at Portland Showground, in the middle of town. Please respect the locals and try to keep noise to a minimum while we are here. The Parc Ferme will be open to ?move into? from lunchtime Easter Sunday, 4 April, 2010. As we have previously stressed ? space will be tight on site ? so it is important you plan your workspace carefully. Team up with some mates and share quickshades or perhaps even consider hiring a container for the event. It?s a safe and easy way to manage your equipment during the A4DE. Forms for this are at http://www.a4de2010.com.au under the information tab ? container hire and request for space.Read your event schedule in the Supplementary Regulations carefully and watch the website for updates!
Sign on is from Monday 5/4/10, Scrutineering is ONLY Tuesday 6/4/10, then the bikes are impounded until the event start on Thursday. Impound is at Portland Showground and whilst every care will be taken to ensure the safety of your bike, they are actually the bike owner?s responsibility whilst at this venue and before, during and after the event ? i.e. the bike owner is liable for theft/damage/insurance, not the A4DE organisers or their agents.
Enviro-mats will be on sale at the Parc Ferme prior to the event. TEAR OFFS ARE PROHIBITED AT THE A4DE
Rookies Information Afternoon
We have found in the past that many rookies need extra guidance when it comes to an A4DE. Simple things like how many fuel containers will I need? (Only 10 Litre size permitted) How does a schedule and card work? ? all these things take time in a general rider?s briefing. So, this year we are trialling a Rookie Info. afternoon Monday 5th April, 4:00 ? 5:00pm. at the Parc Ferme. It?s not compulsory, but if this is your first A4DE, or if you just want to come along to brush up on the event and how it works, I would strongly recommend you attend.Rider?s Briefings ? these are compulsory viewing!!
All riders MUST ATTEND 1 rider?s briefing prior to the A4DE. There are 2 briefings planned.The first one is on Tuesday 6/4/10 Night at the Portland Golf Club at 7.00 p.m. SHARP. The Portland Golf Club will be open from about 4pm and there is a small, but sensational Thai Restaurant on site. The venue only allows for 150 people and although there is no cost to attend the Rider?s Briefing ? BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL ? email your acceptance to me at rlbraico@bigpond.net.au and it?s strictly first in, first served.
If you miss out on this first session, the second Rider?s Briefing is at the Parc Ferme on Wednesday 7/4/10 at 1.00 p.m. SHARP. Bookings not required for the second session, but you must attend 1 or the other and be signed off prior to starting the event.
No Briefing ? No Ride ? Not Negotiable!Jury Meetings
Jury meetings are for the Event Officials and Jury Delegates only from each state and are held prior to and throughout the A4DE. These will be held at the Portland R.S.L. which is a block away from the Parc Ferme. On site at the RSL is a great Chinese Restaurant that will be open for everyone to use during the event.Presentation Dinner
Will be held at Lithgow at the Civic Ballroom, Lithgow Showground, Sunday night after the final moto. We are still finalizing all the details, but tickets will be available in the next week or so. Bookings are essential and it?s a great way to finish off the A4DE ? again, keep an eye on the website for more news and ticket information.Help the locals help us!
The residents and businesses of Portland are being really supportive of the event. It?s only a small town, but there is a Foodworks (small supermarket with fresh produce, deli, bakery and hot chooks), a really nice butcher, a yummy bakery, a small coffee shop, a post office and small service station, Chinese restaurant at the RSL, Thai at the Golf Club (both do takeaway!) many pubs and a small local Bowling club to have a quiet ale in.Foodworks have applied to open Easter Sunday for us so everyone can get their last minute goodies there while their riders tinker at the Parc Ferme. There will also be a canteen at the Parc Ferme and bush catering at the controls and Final Moto. Please support these local businesses and community groups as the town in general has been doing it a bit tough and the A4DE will bring valuable income into the local community.
Quote:The course is a ‘lollipop’ arrangement where you ride from PF to C1, then do a big circle with other controls and specials included, back to C1 and then return to PF.Refuelling can be done before each field control and the grasstrack and enduro specials. You’ll need your crew to carry your mudmat and a 10L (max) jerry for re-fuelling otherwise the roving marshalls will report it.
You’re now allowed to push your bike out of the TC chute with a dead motor if you enter a control too early (no more dragging it backwards) and need to work on the bike (provided you haven’t passed the clock line)
Noise control work can be done in the out-bye side of each time control if needed. Best to do it there and not be caught over dB going into the PF.
I’m happy to answer any questions I can related to controls.
Rookies don’t forget….
If you’re having a bugger of a day come day two or three, just hand in your card, ride the road back to PF and get your self rested and request a re-start on the next day. Everyone is allowed one re-start. Don’t over extend yourself and become a statistic….
Quote:Day 1Distance – 232Km
Enduro Test – preridden 3
Enduro Test – Timed 2
Cross Test – Timed 4
Total Tests 9
HTH
Anonymous
AnonymousCheers Mal, wouldn’t mind coming along to cheer you and Medogrocket along. I don’t mind being the pit bitches’ bitch if required either
Monday 5th Donna and I went down to Parc Ferme to sign on and pick up the riders pack and arrived home to find TB drinking longnecks and reading books. TB started cleaning the plastics up and started fitting them up while I generally wandered around in circles. TB quoted I was wandering around being as handy as a cup full of cold water. Donna came over the shed and dragged us back to the house for a vegie curry. The look on TB’s face at the realisation that tonight’s dinner contained no protein, but he didn’t complain as he went back for seconds.
Once back to the shed I was given some direction and we started changing tyres and fitted a new mousse. Donna fitted the sticker to the right side shroud, TB OBT’d the bike and fitted the numbers. Changed the gearbox oil, fitted the bashplate, TB removed the damper and checked for a loose actuating arm and refitted the damper. I made up a rearguard dropper and the bike was given a once over. Back to the house for a nice coffee, bit of OBT and off to bed.
Tuesday 6th, it was all go this morning, TB shined the bike and loaded it while I generally ginned around. TB was all go and yet I was quoted by TB to be as nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Into Parc Ferme and ran the bike through scrutineering. Only glitch was the mirror was mounted on the left hand side and had to be remounted on the right hand side. Really guys, what about the important things in the world.
Through the noise test the bike registered 94.6 decibels.
Non replaceable parts are marked with paint
And locked into Parc Feme
Once done we found our storage container. Thanks to Mal at Suttos for organising that. We ducked into Lithgow which as TB said turned out to be as handy as a kick in the kegs, nothing in Lithgow of any good to us. Straight up the highway to Bathurst. Off to Super Cheap Auto. We explained we were after a cordless rechargeable air pump to which the salesman looked at us like we had a penis growing out of our forehead. Off to Bunnings – cordless rechargeable air pump purchased. We’ll let you know how it works out. Here’s some pictures.
I also purchased a 10 metre roll of clear tube (you can never have too much of that stuff) to make a straw for my special “triple distilled, carbon filtered, custom decantered, individually bottled by a Virgin (hard to find West of Lithgow!) Specialized 4 DAY WATER” drink bottles.
Off to lunch – when TB finished his main he mentioned it was a hell of an entree. Back to the car, back home, TB lubed up all the mousses and powdered the tubes, quick load of the ute with everything for the shipping container. TB promptly kicked me out of the drivers seat of my own ute. We went down to Parc Ferme to load all the spares and tools and stuff in the container. Setup the quickshade, put up the OBT banner back home for coffee, cheese and bickies. TB has since wandered around the house with nothing to do winging like a three year old annoying the shit out of me cause he’s bored.
Well done Mal, TB and Donna
Sounds like you have everything covered :woohoo:
I feel sorry for your bike sitting out in that cold paddock all night but I guess there will be plenty of other bikes to keep her company
Have a good one and remember, riding bikes is meant to be fun so stay happy :laugh: :woohoo:
Hope to hear an update tomorrow mate
Cheers
Murphgood luck Mal…….
Here is a little song to last the 4 day
Dont sing it out loud, they’ll think youre gay
Don’t worry be happy……I hope this song sticks in youre head
Just remember what the Menace said
Don’t worry, be happyThe race will be the time of your life
And remember if you get into strife
Don’t worry, be happy……With TB you have the best bitch
Just feed him rum if he starts to twitch
Don’t worry, be happyAnd be careful what you put in his belly
Too much curry makes him rather smelly
Don’t worry, be happyYou’ve got your bike, you’ve got your style
You’ve got your girl to make you smile
So don’t worry be happyCause when you worry your pace will slow
And when youre happy your race will flow
So don’t worry, be happy (now)…..sing it, you know you want to..
Doo do do doo do doody doody doody doo…..
There may be mud, there may be rain
Everybody has to cop the same
So don’t worry, be happy….Sing this song to make you proud
Just remember not to to sing it out loud
Don’t worry, be happy
Doo do do doo do doody doody doody doo…..
AnonymousAll the best with it Mal I hope you enjoy yourself mate
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