2013 Australian Classic MX Titles

[bigthumpa]

Any idea how many pre60 and pre65 entries may be forthcoming? Would be good to know which bike/s to prioritise in the shed for attention. Just realised I have a shed full of mechanical lepers! Bits fall of all of the time!! 

[EML]

very funny big thumper...look, just get them all ready and we'll come to ride them for you.r

[Tossa]

Any idea how many pre60 and pre65 entries may be forthcoming? Would be good to know which bike/s to prioritise in the shed for attention. Just realised I have a shed full of mechanical lepers! Bits fall of all of the time!! 

eah but I've seen the smile on your face when you've got them humming.  Now get back in the shed!!!!!

[Ted]

Which track are the Nats on?

[VMX Andrew]

Which track are the Nats on?

Suppose to be on the old Kumagutsa track... ?

[Nathan S]

Which track are the Nats on?

The main track. Unless Jesus comes down to earth and makes turning Kumagutsa into a race track his first priority.

Sorry for the negativity, but I'm tired of dropping hints: Kumagutsa has taken a lot of people a lot of work, but is nowhere near ready for a club day, much less the Nationals.

The track is far too narrow.
There are far too many trees on the edges of the track, including on the outsides of corners after fast downhills.
The dirt is a mixture of rock, hard-pack and bulldust. It will be dangerously dusty, and any attempt to water it will turn it into greased glass.
There is no watering system.
I'm pretty sure the drainage is inadequate.

I also have concerns about how the pits will work (not a show stopper in itself, but not apparently a redeeming feature either...).

To my untrained eye, the track needs to be widened, trees need to be removed or very heavily padded, and (most importantly), a LOT of organic matter needs to be ripped into the track surface on multiple occasions before November.

Yeah: I'm a jerk - I should be positive and all that... But I'd consider myself much more of a jerk if I said nothing...

Yes, I am willing to help fix it.

The bright side to all of that is that the main track is great. With a few tweaks, it can be old bike/old body friendly.

[Ted]

I agree Nathan. Unless Abi Group start work with all of their resources immediately I can't see that goat track being ready for anything but a trials meeting. The main track is the GO. Rest assured though, some bullshit reason will veto that idea

[firko]

Well now that the cats out of the bag, this has been a behind the scenes 'elephant in the room' that nobody seems to want to deal with within the organising club and officialdom. From all reports they've known of our concerns for a long time but despite a lot of "she'll be right" rhetoric nothing seems to be happening. Nathan's listed the concerns we have and the club has been approached with those concerns with little feedback or even any indication that it's on their importance list. After seeing the You tube video of the track I don't know how it would ever be licenced.

With the West Aussies making an expensive pilgrimage over and the possibility of an American racer making the trip down it's just plain not acceptable to present this shithole as a track capable of running a major National title event. After the Post Classic Nats cancellation fiasco our sport needs to go into damage control pretty damn quickly to avoid another embarrassment. Perhaps any thoughts of Kumagutsa being used should be canned right now and all efforts put into modifying the main track by removing the modern jumps and hazards to suit pre 65 bikes. Remember that for this event to be fair the track has to suit the oldest bikes racing, if they can handle it, all the other divisions can as well. Rather than letting this turn into another blame game, let's be positive and try and work out a good cures to the ailment .

Some behind the scenes action has been going on today and as soon as a result of that is known it'll be reported here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxS6QLoastE
This vid was filmed in November 2011 and I believe the track has deteriorated substantially since then. Even then you get an indication of the ruts, dust potential and close proximity of trees to the track. I've been told that the entire track now a rutfest comprising of bulldust and golfball sized rocks.

[Davey Crocket]

I was typing up a reply like you Firko and thought I better not add fuel to the fire but stuff it, I'm with you, how hard is it for a club to commit and keep people informed.....I know a lot of Qlder's want to go but not to a shithole (sometimes the truth hurts). We know of the bullshit that went on with the Flat track titles there last year which puts the hebby jebby's up wanting to attend so these guys need to be keeping us up to date. Nathan, your on the ball and hopefully this will get the ball rolling to something positive.

[firko]

I don't know what it is with NSW/ACT but there's hardly a decent motocross track capable of hosting a quality classic vmx meeting in the whole bloody state. I put much of the blame on the conga line of self interested wankers that have reeked havoc within MNSW over the last 20 years. For Australia's most populous state to have hardly a decent motocross circuit within 4 hours of Sydney is a flucking disgrace.
Eastern Creek was supposed to become an all disciplines moto park along the lines of Broadford but the development money was pissed up on hosting a road race GP money pit that it's never dug itself out of.

[Davey Crocket]

 I  want to blow Qld's trumpet but next time your up this way you need to visit Qld Moto Park at Whyaralong, 1 hour south of Brisbane, 1 hour west of the Gold Coast. Its a collaboration between 6 Southeast Qld councils, the Qld government and Motorcycling Qld. It has various MX tracks, enduro loops, pee wee track, trials, camping with facilities, its open 6 days a week, no dick heads allowed and has set the std for moto parks. We ran the Classic Nats there last year on a track that they purpously built for us and we re used it again 2 weeks ago. We are spoiled up here for great tracks to ride on....this weekend the Qld titles are at Harrisville ...a privately owned track that the owner is into VMX and lets us use it....hell, he even imported a set of start gates that old mate makes for the AMA Nationals....all the way from USA. We have Echo Valley and Conondale to come later this year. We are offered properties and tracks all the time....I guess Mark you guys for some reason have some serious issues that Motorcycling NSW are too weak and have the wrong people leading you. A delegation came from Canberra a few months ago to look at QMP to assess the success of it and with the idea of replicating it somewhere down there....Canberra. There are a lot of hard working people behind the scenes up here and it does take time, but you have to start somewhere.

[Slakewell]

Dont Heaven run a round here?

[Nathan S]

Dont Heaven run a round here?

Yes, on the main track.
There was a Kumagutsa round scheduled early last year, but the club decided that it wasn't up to spec, and went back to the main track.

That said, the main track is "too modern" for the Classic MX Nationals. There's a decent set of whoops (which can be bypassed), and several sizeable jumps (all tabletops).
IMHO, about half of the jumps could be left alone and the remainder could be made old-bike-friendly simply by modifying the jump faces/lips to make them more rolling.

For those that are familiar with the track, my take:
1. First ski jump near the dam is fine.
2. Small table top into the gully is fine.
3. Medium sized table top heading back to the PeeWee track (Bultaco Macca's jump) is OK but would benefit from being toned down.
4. First big table top on the back straight needs to be toned down.
5. Middle table top on back straight needs to be toned down (this is the best of the three, IMHO).
6. Third table top on the back straight definitely needs to be toned down.
7. The table top after the straight needs to be toned down.
8. Step-down table top back down the hill is OK.
9. Big table top back up the hill needs to be toned down.
10. Whoops should be bypassed.
11. The old finish line table top needs to be toned down a lot.
12. Little kicker into the tight LHS corner is fine.
13. Finish line table top is OK.

It sounds like a long list, but only #6 and #11 need significant work/bypassing. #3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 13 wouldn't need much modification to be made good for old bikes.
Any further input/commentary welcomed.

[VMX247]

Kevin the ACTMCC is approachable person to chat too on the phone. There is camping available. 

Just off the phone to Kevin. There is an organising committee that may need support, who's in from the vmx locals and the forum ?
cheers

[Montynut]

Dont Heaven run a round here?

Yes, on the main track.
There was a Kumagutsa round scheduled early last year, but the club decided that it wasn't up to spec, and went back to the main track.

That said, the main track is "too modern" for the Classic MX Nationals. There's a decent set of whoops (which can be bypassed), and several sizeable jumps (all tabletops).
IMHO, about half of the jumps could be left alone and the remainder could be made old-bike-friendly simply by modifying the jump faces/lips to make them more rolling.

For those that are familiar with the track, my take:
1. First ski jump near the dam is fine. agree
2. Small table top into the gully is fine. agree
3. Medium sized table top heading back to the PeeWee track (Bultaco Macca's jump) is OK but would benefit from being toned down. agree
4. First big table top on the back straight needs to be toned down. I think this is the best with slight tone down
5. Middle table top on back straight needs to be toned down (this is the best of the three, IMHO). up ramp slope decreased and step on top cut down
6. Third table top on the back straight definitely needs to be toned down. agre
7. The table top after the straight needs to be toned down. long enough that just decreasing the up ramp slope would do
8. Step-down table top back down the hill is OK. agree although the step on the top could be smoothed as it catches people out
9. Big table top back up the hill needs to be toned down. just the up ramp slope reduced
10. Whoops should be bypassed. don't sagreee here as then the bike speed would really shot up I think just tone them down as it will allow the better rider to shine
11. The old finish line table top needs to be toned down a lot. agree
12. Little kicker into the tight LHS corner is fine. agree
13. Finish line table top is OK. agree

It sounds like a long list, but only #6 and #11 need significant work/bypassing. #3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 13 wouldn't need much modification to be made good for old bikes.
Any further input/commentary welcomed.

Most of this stuff could be done in a day with the machines they have on hand and returned to present state in a day. This will sound strange but the track overall does not need to be prepared to the same level as they do for the moderns as the old bikes do not need it ripped nearly as deeply as they would for moderns. This has been the prep for 2012 & 13 at Heaven meetings and the track has been the best I've ridden it.