Northern series round 1..............Carlton Bank.

Aaron Shearer on the team for 07...


The hint of a northern series had many of us dreaming of what could be a new beggining for dh racing in the north, the first round was held at Carlton bank, this is what went on....



Driving up the A1 in the team van, with Jeff from over at Monkeyspoon, primed with his camera. None of us knew what to expect. We' d seen the helmet cam, but we all know the camera does lie, so for a first race back we were all pretty eager to ride.

Turning into the car park , we dodged some funky looking ( inbred ) chickens and stopped off for a quick sarny in the grotto style cafe. From the window we could see that the the track was really open to the elements, which in the end, played a big part in the racing come sunday.

Parking up at the end of the track you could see it was freshly dug with lots of flowing corners and some small jumps. At first i thought we were in the wrong place, with there not being much sign of life... but slowly, a steady stream of riders began to unearth from there vans...

A few local yocals in the form of Dave Wardell and Danny Hart turned up to ride.. Both with fresh kit and steeds. That appalache was that light im suprised it didnt get blown off the cliff... seriously.

The uplift was a simple tractor trailor set up with room for around 20 people, which suited this grass roots race perfectly. Being in the same trailor as your bike works like a dream to stop uplift damage.. Due to the terrain you hopped of the trailor halfway up the hill, with a steady climb ahead of you to reach the summit... A few complained, but as it's a first race, new track and it being all about the fun this was no biggy.

On the saturday pedalling along the top and dropping in to the first corner was a 'breeze', but on the Sunday the word 'breeze' was an understatement. I swear down i saw a small child floating over middlesbrough... Good decision to start it on the second bend i reckon... Could of been a few deaths. Oh yeh the start marshall deserves a medal for staying up there for 5 hours? Without a warm brew? Nice one.

Anyway onto the track... Roll along the ridgeline before dropping into a sweeping left hander into a similair right and off a small drop. These were 2 awesome corners, but mother nature begged to differ come sunday. Onto the first straight of the track which leads you into a nice mellow double... check the pic.... On race day this was lethal. I saw at least 3 people make omelettes of themselves landing sideways because of the wind. Best off going round this i found...
Pin it into a big right hander and skip over some small rock sections, which set you up for an off camber left into a lush right berm.

Into the next left Jeff got some unreal pics >

Round the tight right hander and into a rock garden that claimed a few flats. Sweep round the berm and you had a choice, nail it through the rocks or jump onto the grassy bank... The grass was the best option, which set you up for the soft left hander jus right. The next step down was awesome fun on the saturday, but on race day for most this was a no go. I ate big doo doo off this, giving myself a new layer of skin to look at. The only other otpion was to hit the compression to the right flat out and hope for the best.

The next section of the track probably caused the most controversy all weekend. This rock garden was hated by most, so naturally a line around it appeared to the left. This later on was filled in with big loose rocks covered in fern?! Not the best idea lads.....

Keep it low over a small road jump and rail throough those awesome corners. Bets part of the track if you ask me. But like any other race it was faster to cut the 2nd which was a shame... Into a big compression which popped you over a track and into a big left hander, squeeze round the u turn and smile for the camera and you were on the home straight.

Finish line anyone? Pedal up the bank just to be safe....

So. For a first round there was obviously some good and bad points. The atmosphere on the hill was quality, everyone was just making do and having fun like it should be at this level.

But i think there are a few basic things the organisers need to sort out to make the rest of the series a sucess.
-Toilets?!?!!
- Timing.. Beg, borrow or steal a timing system. Stopwatches are good but i think proper timing would be worth it.
- P.A. Use it to instruct riders, when to go up for there runs and whats going on in general throughout the day... There was alot of confusion at times.
- Results. Podium? Allways good to finish the day off with prize giving e.t.c sends the day off with a good atmosphere.

Im sure these are just first round glitches, which will hopefully be sorted for the further rounds... Im glad racing is back in the north and lets hope its here to stay... Thanks to the marshalls, medics, Dad e.t.c who made this happend...

Results please!

All pics courtesy of Jeff over at mokeyspoon.com Tar mate!


DHP