Trail Bike Adventure Magazine

NSW holiday. October 5

Monday, 05 October 2009 08:04

It's a public holiday in NSW and I'm actually in fairly good shape to take a day off. Issue #30 is done and should be at the printer (I hope. Nobody ever tells me). But that means I should see proofs today, and that means I can't stray too far from my desk until I've been through them.

That's not so bad, though. At least I'm not frantically trying to churn out copy or fill spaces or whatever. It's actually fairly relaxed compared to the last couple of weeks of the production cycle, and it's allowing a little time for thought.

The biggest unanswered question for me at the moment is what racing I'll attempt in 2010.

As I write this it's official that Dirt Bike Promotions won't be running either the Four Day or the Off Road Championships, the two events I really like.

It's extremely likely both will go ahead under the guidance of different promoters. As much as I like Phil Sargent and the Dirt Bike Promotions team, this may possibly be a good thing. Not that Phil's been doing a bad job - far from it - but an injection of new blood may well give both championships a lift. I'd already decided not to follow the series in 2010. It's just too expensive, and takes way too much time, when half the rides are no fun. I don't mind them tough, but when they're just a cold, dusty battering, it makes you wonder whether it's worth the time and financial committment. As Dan Ralph and Pete Bellew pointed out during this last season, it's difficult to improve on the riding we have here all around us. Why drive 10 or 12 hours - or more - and shell out for fuel, accom, and wear-and-tear on the bikes to ride terrain we don't enjoy?

So I'd decided to spend my race dollar elsewhere. And it's not me just being tight-fisted, because I'll happily pay whatever it costs to race Murray Bridge (South Aussie) again. It was superb. I loved it. But Blayney? And Warwick? Not for me.

I'd pretty much decided to ride Murray Bridge and Port Maquarie (it's near-enough local), and maybe have a look at the Inland Pony Express Series. And I'm really keen to do some club motocross.

But now things are changing. Now there'll be a new promoter for the AORC and the Four Day.

There are a couple of contenders for each event, but I hope GHR (Glenn Hoffman Racing) gets the Off Road Championships at least. Glenn's time with the Honda off-road team at cross-country events looks like it's over - I haven't had that officially confirmed by Honda. It's just the way it looks to me - and Glenn is undoubtedly an exceptional talent when it comes to logistics and organisation. He's also passionate about dirt bikes and racing, so I'm hoping he gets at least the AORC.

The Four Day also needs a promoter, and there are some good people in the running there as well, including, as I understand it, Glenn Hoffman. Fine with me if Glenn gets to run that one as well. Rumour has it that a group from what I think of as The Oyster Bay Crew are also bidding for the Four Day, and that would be very interesting! The people concerned have a massive wealth of experience running first-class enduros, and I expect a Four Day from those guys would be a gift to all those who've been complaining about the national championship being too easy. The two-day Oyster Bay club enduros of the 1990s were among some of the toughest, most enjoyable races I've ever ridden. Achievable, but needing real commitment, and no quarter given to fat, lazy magazine types.

Whether or not that would be overall a good thing for the event remains to be seen, but I think it will. It'll certainly be a good thing for riders trying to improve their skills in the cross-country disciplines.

There are otrher candidates to run these events, and they're good people, but I'm just throwing my thoughts out there.

But what all that waffle leads me to is, if people like GHR and The Oyster Bay folks do begin running these events, I'll have to have another look at 2010. Just as I thought the two championships deserved my support for the last couple of years, I believe they'll deserve the support of the grass-roots riders as they launch into a new era. And I'm willing to bet - with my time and money, not just with words - that with people like these running the events, they'll be tough, but good fun.

And tough, good-fun events will do me.

Monday 11.15am

Oh no!

Just seen the Motocross Of Nations results, and the frigging Americans won it with what looks very much like a B team. It's the 20th victory for the US. Australia got stomped AGAIN.

There was some carnage. Reed finished second in the first moto with no other Australians in sight. Byrner DNFed the second moto and Reed was tangled up in a first-turn pile-up in the third moto before making an amazing comeback to take a ninth. Metcalf finished ninth in third but didn't figure in the other results. I don't know whether or not he had difficultiies.

Let's hope Portugal goes a little better for the Aussies.