Dragon
Summer Series Rnd 2 |
Abercarn
- Wales |
22nd
& 23rd April 2006 |
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1st
& 2nd - Aidan and Gummy clean up |
| Yet another cracking weekend with great results, AND IT WAS DRY! Check out the race report below from our man Paul Mackie.... |
| Rapidracers breathe Dragon’s fire! |
After the damp squib of the 2005 season, 2006 has started with a BANG! Another bumper trophy harvest at the Abercarn Dragon, Rounds 3&4, with Aidan and Gummy claiming a magnificent 1-2 in the Masters category in round 3. |
| This win for the Bishop follows his 1st in NPS Round 1, his excellent start in the 4x season, and Brommers silver in the Midland Champs. The trophy cabinet at the Rapidracers HQ is positively brimming as we dominate the UK masters scene! |
| Brommers, thankful to get some rest bite from the hounding paparazzi was (again) laughing in the face of professional medical advice by racing with a torn shoulder muscle. I (Mackie) was fresh from two weeks of sick leave off work and was making my first outing in the ‘old mans’ category. |
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| So, the racing: Abercarn, a regular on the Dragon calendar, is a tight, twisty, technical course with some steep chutes resulting in a par time of 2 minutes. As well as Gummy and Bishop tonking the rest of the Masters category, Brommers and myself were also competing in this now highly competitive age group. |
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New uplift
rules resulted in a well organised, but slow uplift with comfy hay bails
to sit on (Jason, you’re spoiling us!). 3-4 practice runs could
be completed to perfect those lines across the exposed off-camber roots.
No big jumps here, just keep the bike close to the ground and slot it
in those berms, Aidan and Gummy obviously had this dialed, posting impressive
times of 1:57 and 2:01, respectively. Brommers finished an impressive
6th under the influence of four agricultural grade painkillers. My first
run lasted all of 5 meters, with my gears exploding under the excessive
stress of my Djamolidine Abdujaparov sprinting thighs – engine to
powerful for the chassis! An emergency repair in the Rapidracers pit and
a top half time of 2:13 was posted on my second run. |
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| So, an impressive 1-2 for the team with Brommers and myself defying medical and mechanical odds to finish 7th and 24rd. A really good race day for the team. |
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| Sunday was Dragon Round 4. I had to carry the Rapidracers flag on my own on Sunday with Bishop and Gummy sitting back, putting their feet up, lighting a pipe, and bathing in smug satisfaction of Saturdays efforts, and Brommers seeking his adrenaline rush at Alton Towers with the family. |
| Sunday was slightly damper that Saturday, resulting in slightly slower times across the board. A first run of 2:11 put me in 2nd, which I stayed in for what felt like 10 minutes – could this be yet another Rapidracers podium I asked myself? Don’t be daft! As the quicker riders came down my name dropped down the leader board like a swan with bird flu! Pushing too hard on my second run, a mediocre and untidy time of 2:11 was again posted, putting me in 16th place. Not bad for a devo though! |
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| In summary: a very good weekend of racing for Rapidracers and a continuation of this great start to the 2006 season. My elevation to Master category has shown me that this is a very competitive age group and coincidentally I also feel like I have less youthful energy than before! An early night tonight with a cup of coco for me… |
| Big thanks to www.rezurgence.com for undoubtedly the best race pics out there, visit their site for more. |
Special
thanks to all our sponsors who continue to support our team throughout
2005. |