Yep, was great fun - worth the 24+ hours in the car...
We were Team Penrite, 8A (me), B (Dave) & C (Mark).
Our first lap was a bit of a shambles, but super good fun. I failed the cold start, 'cause I was faffing around with fuel lines (the KDX's fuel tap is useless - although it actually started quite quickly).
Dave waited for me at the end of the special test, and we rode together hoping to catch Mark. Got to the first creek crossing, Dave rides onto the log 'bridge' and discovers that its just floating on the surface - unsurprisingly, he dropped the bike and fell over...
Unsurprisingly, I sooked it and walked my bike across.
We then rode for a while with a few other guys, looking for the arrows. Eventually, it was just Dave, myself and another bloke on a big 4-stroke KTM basically riding together - we were all about the same speed, and all about as good at finding the next arrow...
We didn't know it at the time, but the three of us were the 2nd, 3rd and 4th riders to the check-point - remembering that about 25 riders had started the loop before us.
No long after the check-point, we lost the KTM rider, while riding along the (in)side of a tricky gully. Turns out that he'd stalled his bike and it took him ages to get going again.
Somewhere in there, I was leading our group, went a bit fast of a small rise, to discover a small ditch with a large log in it. Locked it all up, and slid uncerimoniously into the log. Thud! My inner thighs now have bruises on them, but 'the tackle' was unharmed!
The bloke on the KTM was soon replaced by a bloke on a TT600. Same story as the KTM rider - he was about as fast and about as good at finding arrows. We rode together to the finish, to discover that we were the 2nd, 3rd and 4th riders to complete the lap - we'd overtaken a few bikes, but not that many!
...
Mark turned up about 10 minutes later.
Anyhow, the course was re-routed to avoid the creek crossing by the time we got to the second lap. Dave had already looped his IT200 for Tony T's camera, and then Dave & Mark got seperated from me while they looked for a way onto the "Wet Loop".
The rest of the laps are a bit of a blur. I missed out on a final lap, although I did get in an 'extra' lap of the special test - I didn't know it at the time, but if I'd managed another lap of the main course, I'd have equalled Tex and his brother for the most laps completed (Mark was in the same boat).
Things that I do recall:
*I don't think that I did exactly the same loop more than once - there always seemed to be a new bit, or a bit missing.
*Got caught by the tricky bit under the angled branch only once... I'm off the bike, with the front brake on hard, and the bike still gaining pace as it rolls/slides backward down toward the creek... I'm walking/stumbling backwards trying to keep the whole show upright and having NFI where I was treading - could have ended in tears, but didn't!
*Riding with the bloke on the KTM 2-stroke - lots of fun play racing, but still pointing out the next arrow to each other, and waiting for each other when we got stuck.
*Only dropped the bike once, and it was a lame effort. I basically ran out of momentum with the front wheel on the ground and the rear wheel still on the log - and my feet a long way from the ground! Stupid thing was that the bike was still running after I dropped it, so I have no idea why I didn't just let the clutch out and keep going!?
*Copping a Maico handlebar in the ribs when the rider zigged when I thought he was going to zag. Sorry about that!
Doubly embarrassing to later discover that he was one of the gun riders of the day...
*Only time I was overtaken on raw speed, was a guy on a pre-65 BSA! I knew he was coming, but it only took him a few corners to be right on my tail - and only a few more for me to get overly excited and over-cook it into a corner and let him past...
*Meeting/catching up with a great bunch of guys - Mick, Tony, Tex, Paul, the Team 66 guys, etc etc.
Highly recommended, will ride again. A+++++
PS: I spoke to a Husky owner about his 125, but didn't catch up with him again. If you're out there, now you know who I am.
