I was fortunate enough to get to farleigh this year all be it as a spectator
having been there back in the day (79 was the last time i think ) and with what i have read / seen on forums and magazines i thought i knew what to expect
WRONG 
unless you experience the event ist hand (even as a spectator) you cant possibly begin to imagine just how big and how great the event is
The thing that really amazed me is that the guys who put together and run this event do it with Swiss precision yet maintain an atmosphere that is so casual and relaxed . Over the past 40 odd years i have attended 100s of MX events and this event would have to be in the top 3 (probably #1 if i rode
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The quality of racing and speed of of the top riders was outstanding , if anyone is considering entering the event dont under estimate the level of fitness required as that track got bloody rough at the end .A big shout out to Rusty (holeshot buddy) the bloke did you guys real proud
i think Russ was on the ground for less than 6 days i dont know if thats the secret to avoiding jet lag but theres no way i could do that. Rusty really held his own on bikes he had never ridden before and you blokes should be bloody proud of him he was a top ambassador for Aussie VMX
I know 125cc racing raises the odd eyebrow on here but the Poms vs frogs pre 83 125 challenge was brilliant racing , over 50 of the buggers and if you missed a shift you lost 10 places thats how close the racing was .
The Riders
The talent pool at Farliegh was both wide and deep
from former world champions and MXDN winners to former top national championship contenders to the club level riders everybody gave it their all.
Stand out performaces for me were Mark Eastwood who is such a nice bloke as well as a super quick rider and has a real passion for the sport .
Jeff stanton , all the yanks were bloody good blokes but JS has still got it
the guy is super quick and super fast and though i never saw him race in the day it was as if the clocks had been turned back.
Dave Thorpe , Dave and his offsider Dickie Dye rode every race alternativley over the weekend for charity . a huge effort and both of them were still smiling at the end of the event.
Neil Hudson , Neil had his swansong ride at Farliegh on the super trick YZM 500 and still looked as smooth and fast as he did 30 yrs ago when he lifted the 250cc world title.
There were so many stand out performances but all those who competed put on a spectacular show for the very large crowd.
A special mention must go out to team spain who really looked the part , what they lacked in speed they made up for in style even if some rude git from down under was heard to nickname them the Tangerine Armada
The bikes
From the trick YZM 500 Neil Hudson rode to the clubmans maico the standard of bikes was superb, im always impressed by the std of bikes in Australia but this really took it to a new level. Personally im not sold on the use of modern conventioal forks on twin shocks , but hey when in Rome
In the past iv'e been vocally critical of single shock bikes converted to twin shocks and also pre 90 racing
Well i will pubicly say that why it still seems a bit strange the std of modification from linkage to twinshock was in all cases i saw first class and a casual spectator would never pick the anomolly.
The pre 90 racing was fantastic and again the std of machine was absoultley stunning , stepping away from the debate weather we need them on this side of the world or not , you cant deny a full field of pre 90 500s is bloody fantastic to watch and hear.
The event
From a spectators point of view i dont believe there was any thing the organisers could have done better
entry for the 3 days was a poultry 20 quid the best 20 quid i spent on my entire trip. To put it into perspective my youngest daughter ( who hates all thing motorcycling with a passion after being dragged to events all through her childhood ) came along to the event to spend time with dad on the condition that she got to stay at a nice B&B and went shopping in Bath
well all that went out the window ,after the fri night party and Madness tribute band she decided that she would stay at the track and party again sat night staying in my tent and relgating me to the cramped comfort of the rental Astra
leaving the pre paid posh B&B in bath empty
But you get the picture this event has somthing for everybody
How these guys run such a slick opperation yet maintain a fun and relaxed enviroment for all i dont know , but im bloody glad they do
The hard luck story
Steve Baker (Odd1) was due to ride for the Aussie team but broke his hand a couple off weeks out
Steve kindly offered me his ride as soon as he realised he wasn't able to ride
I shyly declined due to a lack of fitness and talent
Steve still attended the event and even worked as a marshall on the Saturday
steve was to ride a husky prepared by legendary Pommy bike builder and technical magician Rod Spry
Steve and I along with my dad travelled up to rods Wshop post event and were treated to a tour and some legendary Lancashire hospitality
but that trip deserves a thread of its own.
Bottom line this is an event every VMXer must have on their bucket list , I will try to return next year and enter one of the support classes as to compete in the main event i will miss spectating
Thanks again to the organisers for putting on a brilliant event
