Postby mudeevee » Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:49 pm
Pikes peak rally 27 April
My journey to get to the rally - a beginners view point!
So, what did you do at the weekend?
Way back last year I read a piece in TBM about Rallying in the UK. The piece whetted my appetite for several reasons –
• The author of the piece was an old git like me (I must be able to do it then)?
• The author, like me, had only recently started riding ‘off-road’. Also like me, he quickly realised that most off-road riding is a young-man’s game, only to be attempted by the post 50 year-old brigade if you have been riding bikes since a Centurion was a rank and not a tank.
• The Rally riders and the whole setup sounded like a good bunch of people to pass the time with (who does not need a friendly natter now and again)!
My problem at the time was my off-road steed. I had bought the used 2004 Honda CRF 250X in good faith (and against good advice) from a dodgy outlet in Wales. When you are from Surrey and know nothing of these things, it seemed like a great idea at the time. Little did I know that the thing had been ragged to within an inch of its life between Merthyr Tydfil and Brecon and every bog and wood in between. Two years later and at a cost that would keep a small country afloat, the bike still would not start on the button first time every time. This despite the efforts of Keith Thorp (Dad and mechanic to ex MX World champion David). I do still have the bike and keep it as a reminder that learning about off-roading is more than riding. I also keep it to stay in touch with Keith – a real gentleman.
My new steed, acquired in August last year is a Husaberg FE390. When I think back, this purchase was induced by a TBM article. Anyway, the bike runs well and starts on the button whenever I push it. Sometimes I stall the thing just to be re-assured that it starts. It has no kick start – so my right leg is shrinking back to its former size now!
This year, armed with my new steed, I set about finding new ways of torturing my aging body and mind – trail riding all over the country (with the TRF), riding off-road in France (great experience), an entry into the Welsh 2 days and fitting in a couple of these rally things.........what could be simpler?
With a busy calendar, the Pikes Peak Rally would have to be my first – the level looked OK, not too tough, not too easy (think that one popped up when I was asleep) – I’d go for that as an opener!
Prep. As the days moved on I realised that I should do some prep for such an event. Bike prep has never been a strong point (probably as I was spoiled by having Keith Thorp do everything for me – sadly Keith is Honda through and through. I could not convince him that a Husaberg is kinda similar). So I set about fitting mousses, changing oils & filters, checking rear sag and trying to get the nice stickers to actually stick! Next move on the van – whack in the camp bed, cooking stuff, a bit of food, some beer and a £10 tarpaulin with bungees into the van. Add fuel and I was ready!
Imagine how proud I was when I arrived at the start and setup camp – bloody thrilled I was. Then, right next to me rider number 13 (Neil)? pulled up in a 4 bed detached house on wheels! Oh the shame of my little VW T4. As it happens, Neil is a great fella and has bags of Rally experience – he even gave me a couple of litres of unleaded (from the attached garage) on race day so that I could make the final 2 laps (Thanks Neil)!
I met a few riders/Marshals on Saturday evening but headed off to bed early as the 250 mile journey had taken its toll. I slept really well, considering it was my first night in the wild (no phone signal, no Internet, no TV). Up bright and early grab a quick breakfast and off to sign on.
Signing on went OK as did scrutineering. My eyes were consistently drawn to the ‘off-road bike porn’ on view. All manner of Rally machines with all manner of techie looking things attached – all clean and perfectly formed. AJP had a rallied bike there, CCM had a production model of the new 450 Adventure bike and I had my Husa! Bliss, this was going to be a fine day.
Burt did a fine riders briefing (for the cameras, smile Burt) and then things started to happen. The mist had cleared, the late runners had been booked in and the first riders were off on their sighting lap. As I had a start number of 134 I had a few minutes to soak in the atmosphere. I was actually feeling quite relaxed when I overheard a marshal calling out the medics to ‘quite a big off’. On the sighting lap! Jesus, this lot are going to kill me!
It turned out to be quite a big off – big enough to bend an HP2 and cause some serious bruising to the rider concerned – hope you’re fully recover soon. Good quick response from the medico’s as well.
The sighting lap was quite slow. I even started thinking “wish they’d go a bit quicker”. Luckily they did not and on completing the lap I could feel that riding another 5 laps was going to take some effort. Back onto the correct start time I headed off on my second. Lesson on this one – don’t look at the bloody TV camera! Just managed to make the corner after the camera with a lot of wibbly wobbly braking. This time I was riding pretty much on my own and feeling quite good (albeit very slowly), I really started to enjoy the course. Loved the climbs, not so quick or happy on the decent into the slate mine!
At the end of the 2nd lap I had a few minutes to grab a drink and a banana (get me, all healthy and do-do). Lap 3 went OK until I was back at the van and discovered my schoolboy error of leaving a zip on my back-pack open. The result was a lost wallet. Boll*cks! I think I managed to mention the lost wallet to everyone in Wales before deciding to go out on a slow lap to see if I could find the lost brown wallet in a sea of brown mud. About halfway round I resigned myself to the fact that I’d have to spend the next month of my life on the phone to sort out the loss of contents, so made quite a good go of the last part of the lap. When I arrived back at the start one of the lovely ladies gave me the great news that the wallet had been found! Fantastic! Even better, it was complete with cash and cards (I could now afford the journey home)!
I must say a huge thanks to the lovely ladies and to the marshal who found and handed in the wallet. If Burt or Moly know who the marshal is, I’d like to gift them a small reward for their honesty. Rare indeed.
Also at the end of my 4th lap, Moly informed me that I only had ‘one more’ to do. I was not feeling it at this time - I’d like to say I was emotionally strained, after the wallet thing, but I’d be a Billy liar! I was fairly chin-strapped by now and could have quite easily snuck away to the van and onwards to home. “No” said I “have a cup of tea, a smoke and you’ll be fine”. Well the cup of tea and smoke did not do the trick, but a funny little northern bloke did.
While drinking the tea, this little northerner was chatting about how he had enjoyed the road-book part of the Rally. His face looked familiar and he was with one of the marshal’s (Jason)? Whom I’d met when I first arrived. So I introduced myself and realised it was Chris Moss – the author of the piece in TBM I mentioned earlier (I know, I’m a bit thick for not working it out before). So we chatted about this and that and decided that doing the last lap would be a good idea. So I did. It felt like the best lap of the day for me (but sure the timings will show this to be nothing more than tired old man dreams). By the way, Mossy is not as slow as he makes out, especially on the gravel.
Final lap completed, first rally completed, one little off (in the boggy bit in the timed section) and still grinning from ear to ear at the end of it.
Oh, the author of that piece in TBM was spot on the money (for a northerner)!
Thanks to everyone who organised, marshalled, cooked, medicated, pointed, guided and wrote things down. Apologies to those riders I held up with my lack of prowess, and to those whose names I have forgotten.
Cheers
Derek (No 134)
