Trail Bike Adventure Magazine

Bugger again! March 15

Monday, 15 March 2010 07:38

I went to Port Maquarie to try and get some pics of the 2010 season-opening AORC, but it turned out to be a waste of time. I was so sore and so fatigued I managed 11 pics in the pit before I stumbled back to the car and had to be driven home. There's been no press releases yet, but the KTM guys were all in great positions while I was there, winning their classes, and Toby Price had the outright (after he won outright on Saturday).

Ben Burrell was having a tough run with bike problems brought about by hitting a tree, and in general nobody was too thrilled at the tight, muddy, waterlogged track. AJ Roberts had cooked a motor, and although his usual polite and cheerful self, that must've been a bummer on the new team-owner's weekend.

Other than that I've kept pretty much indoors and tried to just get healed, which sometimes seems to be going well, and then, when the painkillers wear off, doesn't seem to be going well at all. I still have to sleep in a chair, and that's my next big goal: to be able to lay down! Yeah! I'm off to the doctor today to see if he'll take the stitches out of the Terminator finger. The dressing fell off yesterday, and it looks okay to me, so I'll try my luck.

Thanks to everyone who phoned and e-mailled, by the way. Whether youse paid out on me or offered encouragement, it was great to hear from you all.

This week the pressure really builds for issue #33, so I'm going to have to use some sleight of hand and call in a few favours to try and get things done. I was supposed to be Tassie with Devil Trek last Wednesday to Friday, so somehow I have to get that done, and I'm supposed to be in Toowoomba with Geoff Udy tomorrow. That's clearly beyond me as well, so I'll have to give that some thought. I've spoken to to the fella who has Jay Foreman's DR650 in his shed, and he's a champion. A really top bloke. But somehow I have to find a day and a state of health which will allow to pick that bike up as well. Soon. At least it's secure and safe where it is.

I have an RMX here for some more testing. Suzuki sent a restricted model because I mentioned I think it would be a brilliant Clubman or trail bike set up that way. Now there's tallk going on about Dan Ralph - our WR450F pilot from last year - possibly running it at the Four Day. That'd be cool! We'd get a huge insight into the bike under race conditions. Jake IT's going to run the bike at the Killarney Trail Ride in a couple of weeks as well, so we should really get some good info.

Gotta get some work done.

TF