|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Dragon
Summer Series Rnd 2 |
Mountain
Ash - Wales |
6th
May 2007 |
Dragon Round 2 – Mountain Ash Another Bank Holiday weekend of perfect Welsh sunshine and racing action with the RapidRacers taking home the glory once again in the Masters category.
Unstoppable Aidan with Gummy in hot persuit
Again, the Masters field was one of the largest and most competitive of the weekend with 66, yes 66 riders racing for bragging rights in the over thirties category. But the cream always rises to the top and the Rapids had three riders in the top ten. Aidan and Gummy took a 1st and 2nd on the podium, with me (Mackie) taking 10th. Brommers was also here, but a nasty head-butt with a tree stump during practice and the lack of track time meant the Crash Master finished up in 19th place with a headache and some bruising. All in all, an excellent outing for the team once again.
Paul Mackie All of the team were sporting their new Intense Socom’s and Troy Lee race kit. So, we looked the part, but what about the riding? Gummy and myself did the Saturday practice to get our lines dialed and set-up sorted before the race on Sunday. The track was very dry on the Saturday, and in parts a little too dusty. Michelin DH15 semi-slicks were tried and worked pretty well in the dry conditions, especially along the pedally flat sections of the course. The new chainless seeding run on Saturday produced another set of strange results – and to be fair Mountain Ash probably isn't’t the best course for chainless because of the flat and uphill sections. I’m sure my light build (tin ribs) isn't’t an advantage in these chainless races – I may carry a backpack full of rocks next time… On Saturday night Gummy braved the elements and the local Valley Commandos and slept in the woods at the venue. Brave man, Bushtucker Gummy survived with no injuries or thefts! Sunday morning brought some light showers that dampened the track down perfectly. However, with 360 riders on the Sunday, uplifts were crammed and practice time was limited, only 2 practice runs for those who just turned up on Sunday including Aidan & Craig. The popularity of downhill racing has gone off the scale recently, with uplift queues being longer than I can ever remember and so many names you've never seen before.....see we were there before DH was super cool.
Craig Bromley
The course at Mountain Ash has essentially remained the same for some years now with some minor tweaks here and there. The bottom section was totally re-built last year taking in a new section, although its introduction in 2006 was met with mixed response due to the rain turning it into a quagmire. No such trouble this year though with the additional mix of high speed berms, doubles, wooden ramps, and off-camber loose rock sections at the bottom of the original course making for a challenging track. One thing that is constant is the physicality of Mountain Ash. This is a pedally course period, time can be made or lost depending on your pedaling prowess. Brommers was first down the track, and put in a solid time of 4:21 opting to stay on the pegs and pedal hard the whole way. Me next and I had a good run, I went into the hot seat for a while with a satisfying time of 4:14 knowing I had a little more time available, then the big guns came down. Gummy had a mediocre run, posting a fast time of 4:08. Bishop was the last Rapid down and saved the best until last, he was the only Master to go sub 4:00 minutes with a stonking 3:59. Local boy Julian Poffley may have got close to our man’s time but for a slip up on the final turn.
Paul May (Gummy)
Without much explanation most riders went slower on their second run, maybe due to exhaustion or trying to hard, or maybe the wind which had got up a bit had slowed the riders down? However, Craig, Gummy and myself all went quicker, Craig and me by 2 seconds 4:19 and 4:12 respectively. Gummy on the other hand made a staggering 7 seconds improvement on his first run posting a time of 4:01. His secret: swopping to full DH15 semi-slicks and running 900psi, Gummy stated “I just couldn’t pedal any harder than I did on my first run so it’s time to try different approach”. Described as a ‘compromise’ in some sections by the Gumster, it was obviously the right choice for him, a;though it didn't stop us taking the piss threatening a down poor any minute, in the spirit of comrades we tried all sorts of Jedi mind tricks to mess with his head....didn't work very well did it?
Craig 'Crash Master' Bromley Aidan stacked on his final run when he was on a blinder which annoyed him intently, his head dropped expecting the worst, Craig consoled at the finish and told him “stop moaning you’ve bloody beat everyone anyway”, his first run time was not to be beaten and this secured him yet another Gold medal, well done Aidan. Final Team Standings: 1st Aidan Bishop A fantastic start to the season with hopefully much more to come. 1 395 Aidan Bishop
Rapid Racers 00:03:59:277
|
Pictures courtesy of: |
Special
thanks to all our sponsors who continue to support our team throughout
2007. |
