Bel Ray Round 1?

[Jay GTI]

Anyone else going? This is going to be my first ever race, I've done everything I can to be prepared (as per the cantrideforshit thread) but still feel massively under-prepared.

Plus all signs are pointing to it being a complete mud-fest... oh joy my first race and it will be on wet clay.

[takitimu]

I'd rather wet than dust myself, can't say I know to much about wet clay, but from what I've seen keep it smooth, look ahead & your finger on the clutch.

Enjoy :), hope it goes well for you.

[Jay GTI]

I'd rather wet than dust myself, can't say I know to much about wet clay, but from what I've seen keep it smooth, look ahead & your finger on the clutch.

Enjoy :), hope it goes well for you.

Cheers :2thumbsup

Yeah I'd prefer nice, damp, tacky clay but if it's raining on the day (forecast to) it'll be like riding on ice. Still, being there's a VMX class, it has been intentionally kept sensible, rolling terrain etc.

Smooth, head up, cover the clutch... if I stay on the bike I'll be happy enough!

[raglanash]

Don't over think it bro. Just concentrate getting a good start, the rest will fall into place. Bel-ray is usually a hands on head dead engine shotgun start. Might want to practice a couple in the paddock beforehand, that's 90% of the race right there.
And good luck!

[Jay GTI]

Don't over think it bro. Just concentrate getting a good start, the rest will fall into place. Bel-ray is usually a hands on head dead engine shotgun start. Might want to practice a couple in the paddock beforehand, that's 90% of the race right there.
And good luck!

Cheers!

It's the nervousness that's making me a bit over the top. I know there's nothing to be nervous about, it's not like I've not ridden a dirt bike before, just race noob nerves.

The start is the least of my worries, I'm taking that part easy. I will just take the first loop nice and steady, get over my Icantrideforshitonthefirstloopitis, then find someone who is of similar pace to follow for the rest of the race. Not even remotely concerned where I will finish in the standings, I just want to experience a race.

[raglanash]

Haha good on you man, props for getting out there!
$5 says when that gun goes you forget about any plans you might have had and get caught in the hype.
A good shot of adrenaline and 100 nutters pinning it for the first corner with you might be just what you need for the cantrideforshitonthefirstloopitis..
Everyone tends to find their place/pace in the field after a couple of laps but don't just let everyone go off the start man, much easier to go backwards after a good start than push forward after a stink one. Having to come through the pack can be very frustrating and ruin a race. You should be sweet with that magic button on the KTM.

I would be there on the line with ya but doing the Vets MX champs. Make sure you put the Raglan ROCX 4 hour on the calender, 18th of Jan next year. Its a goody.

[Jay GTI]

Haha good on you man, props for getting out there!
$5 says when that gun goes you forget about any plans you might have had and get caught in the hype.
A good shot of adrenaline and 100 nutters pinning it for the first corner with you might be just what you need for the cantrideforshitonthefirstloopitis..
Everyone tends to find their place/pace in the field after a couple of laps but don't just let everyone go off the start man, much easier to go backwards after a good start than push forward after a stink one. Having to come through the pack can be very frustrating and ruin a race. You should be sweet with that magic button on the KTM.

I would be there on the line with ya but doing the Vets MX champs. Make sure you put the Raglan ROCX 4 hour on the calender, 18th of Jan next year. Its a goody.

Yep I will be bringing a window with me to throw my pre-race theories out of, as soon as the race starts. I guess that's what makes me the most nervous, wondering just what kind of idiot I'll become at the sound of that gun :) I'll give you the $5 now.

The magic button is definitely going to help, although makes using the "bike wouldn't fire" excuse for a poor start a little difficult.

Just also found out I'll be racing with (not in the same class as, obviously) Paul Whibley, Adrian Smith and Daryl Hurley. Eeek!

Yeah keen on the Raglan ROXC, should be my last opportunity to ride before I become a new Dad (from which point my racing career goes on hold).

[gwynfryn]

Magic button will only help if you can start in gear, the two smokers that started in second will be gooone.
Good luck and you know what they say " if you don't come off you aren't trying hard enough".
Well thats the excuse I use.

[Jay GTI]

Magic button will only help if you can start in gear, the two smokers that started in second will be gooone.
Good luck and you know what they say " if you don't come off you aren't trying hard enough".
Well thats the excuse I use.

Cheers for the good luck!

I can start in gear, so that shouldn't be an issue and I regularly try hard enough, so this race certainly won't be any different :)

[Crisis management]

Enjoy the racing, weather looks good and 2 hours is readily achievable. Drink lots of water before hand (starting now!) and get a good sleep tonight.
I think you're getting off lightly, I have to pedal a bloody bicycle around Taupo tomorrow, I'm going to kill my "mate" that talked me into it if I can catch him.

[Jay GTI]

Enjoy the racing, weather looks good and 2 hours is readily achievable. Drink lots of water before hand (starting now!) and get a good sleep tonight.
I think you're getting off lightly, I have to pedal a bloody bicycle around Taupo tomorrow, I'm going to kill my "mate" that talked me into it if I can catch him.

Yeah I'm definitely getting the easier of the two, sod cycling to Taupo! I hope your cycling shorts are double-padded...

Weather is looking pretty good, way better than was predicted earlier in the week. Will start making up my rehydration mix tonight, 2 hours is not much more than a big loop at some trail rides, so distance and time is fine, just I'll be resting less. Fun!

[Jay GTI]

Jesus H that was hard work. I managed the two hours without too much difficulty, seemed to be ok with arm pump and fatigue, but I made so many schoolboy errors that left me digging my bike out of places it shouldn't have been.

The track was tricky too, rolling hills and natural terrain... well it was natural, some pretty good climbs and decents, but nowhere I could really get comfortable and get a flow going. Ground was hard too, which didn't help.

Didn't come last, but wasn't far off it (134 out of 139). My ride buddy was last.

[andy 101]

At least you gave it a go and finished, I woke up with a stinking migrane and pulled out before I even got there.

[jimmy 2006]

Good stuff, as I said in your other thread that track in the dry I found tough. Just got beat up.
Now that you have had a race are you Gona chill out a bit? No point getting all worked up to fight it out for the wooden spoon. Do some more and just relax and try ride at an even pace. U'l probably come a lot higher up the feild.

Have you got the bug and entering another soon? Or is the race career over?

[Crisis management]

Well done finishing, first GNCC I had a go at almost killed me and I pulled out before finishing so your doing better than me. Sounds not too different to my cycling, just about killed me and almost came last!:laugh:

[Jay GTI]

Cheers guys, I'm really glad I did it, but it was a lot harder than I was expecting.

Physically I coped well, all the fitness and diet stuff I've been doing this year paid off well and apart from drinking about a litre of my home-made sports drink in the pits after each lap (I did three, although the points only seemed to count 1), I got through it without too much fatigue. If anything, my last lap was my best.

The track itself was technical, mainly because if I wasn't going up a snotty climb, I was dropping down a snotty decent. There was only a couple of short sections that were flat enough for me to get my rhythm going, but they were over quickly and then it was up a tricky climb again. Most of the "flowing" sections at the crests of the hills were rock hard and full of potholes, so even there I was fighting against the terrain. Jimmy, your words about it being tough in the dry went through my head about 1000 times...

Then of course, I seemed to have a magnetic attraction to every deep bog and creek bed. At one point I dropped the bike into a creek, face planted into the muddy bank next to it and just sat there for 5 minutes wondering what the feck was wrong with me... but there was no way I wasn't going to finish. I knew I had the fitness, it was just a matter of sticking it out. It's funny though, despite having enough speed to stick with the average guys there, when I wasn't digging my bike out of a bog or a gorse bush, I only managed to pass one bike through natural pace. That bike was built in the 70's.

Not yet decided on another one, if I do I will be a lot more selective, maybe a Woodhill one or something in Taupo, something with less hard climbs and decents and softer soil. It was cool being "a guy who races dirt bikes", but I ultimately ride for fun and I'm not entirely sure yesterday was fun.

At least I did it and I finished though, that's what I went there to achieve, so that's what I did. I'd have placed a lot higher if I hadn't spent so much time recovering my bike, so I know I can do better, but for me that wasn't the point.

[pete.ktm]

It's funny though, despite having enough speed to stick with the average guys there, when I wasn't digging my bike out of a bog or a gorse bush, I only managed to pass one bike through natural pace. That bike was built in the 70's.


lol, usually if the guy is riding a really old bike, they're fucking good riders which always beats me on my lovely ktm and very average rider.

anyway just interested in the pace you had to go compared to a 'normal' trail ride, like were you going balls out the whole time a lot faster than you normally go on a weekend ride or just a reasonably fast pace for the whole loop?

but yeah good for you for doing it.

[Jay GTI]

anyway just interested in the pace you had to go compared to a 'normal' trail ride, like were you going balls out the whole time a lot faster than you normally go on a weekend ride or just a reasonably fast pace for the whole loop?



Pace-wise, I was riding at my comfortable fast pace rather than balls out, with probably more speed on the climbs or decents than normal, as I was always conscious of not getting in the way of the fast guys. Where I was comfortable, I could easily keep up with the flow of traffic, but as soon as it got a bit technical, I'd start losing the pace and get left behind. Then I'd drop the bike in a bog and get really left behind.

Overall there was no issue with my speed, or lack of, I made sure I got well out of the way of the fast guys (you could hear them coming a mile off) and there was more than enough space in most parts for easy passing. If not, I just pulled well over and stopped.

[jimmy 2006]

It amazed me when i first started X country the level of the other people in the field. I think in general we have a nation of committed racers in most motorsport. Go to Harrisville and look at the level of MX in the juniors. Its awesome!

Again like in the first thread i would recommend one of the top trail rider events, or the 2 man woodhill events as great intros into racing.

don't throw it in just yet, but it's a long way in speed from the back of the pack to the front and unless your enjoying it i don't see the point.

I would rather race mates, have a laugh and grab a beer after than race anymore. The risk of coming off for work/family is just too high.

[gwynfryn]

Don't waste your fitness, team up with your buddy and do the WMCC two- man at Riverhead 14th Dec . You get a break every lap and get to blame your mate for coming last, generally pretty flowing with nothing to technical.

[Jay GTI]

It amazed me when i first started X country the level of the other people in the field. I think in general we have a nation of committed racers in most motorsport. Go to Harrisville and look at the level of MX in the juniors. Its awesome!

Again like in the first thread i would recommend one of the top trail rider events, or the 2 man woodhill events as great intros into racing.

don't throw it in just yet, but it's a long way in speed from the back of the pack to the front and unless your enjoying it i don't see the point.

I would rather race mates, have a laugh and grab a beer after than race anymore. The risk of coming off for work/family is just too high.

Adrian Smith passed me twice, the speed difference between what I was doing and what he was doing... well, I wasn't entirely sure the laws of physics worked on him, some of the stuff he was doing defied several laws I'm sure (very definitely defied sanity!). I will never ride at that pace, but I know that and don't try to.

Not convinced on the fun part, I enjoyed being part of an event, but yeah the trail ride, few fast loops, beer after packing up deal has far more appeal. However, I do think I just picked the wrong event as well.


Don't waste your fitness, team up with your buddy and do the WMCC two- man at Riverhead 14th Dec . You get a break every lap and get to blame your mate for coming last, generally pretty flowing with nothing to technical.

That loser? Did I not mention he came last? :laugh: Nah he's on holiday from this week, we were actually going to do that race but he's not going to be in town. He's keen for another go, so maybe a decent team event early next year.

[Jay GTI]

Interesting, the results I was looking at yesterday must have been preliminary results... the ones posted on Silver Bullet show me 122nd out of 139. That's a bit better.... I want to go racing again now... :laugh:

My ride buddy will be happy too, he's not last anymore.

[Buddy L]

I used to tell myself to ride at 80% and be safe. One crash or drop of a bike will cost you a couple of minutes every time. Not to mention the drain on your body picking it up and then getting back into the flow again.
I could save over half and hour if i didn't crash in a X country race, and gain 30-40 places. (Never happened though i always drop the bike, and wasted all that time:()

[jimmy 2006]

Don't waste your fitness, team up with your buddy and do the WMCC two- man at Riverhead 14th Dec . You get a break every lap and get to blame your mate for coming last, generally pretty flowing with nothing to technical.

is the sunday ride the same trails?

[gwynfryn]

is the sunday ride the same trails?

Pretty sure.

[Jay GTI]

I used to tell myself to ride at 80% and be safe. One crash or drop of a bike will cost you a couple of minutes every time. Not to mention the drain on your body picking it up and then getting back into the flow again.
I could save over half and hour if i didn't crash in a X country race, and gain 30-40 places. (Never happened though i always drop the bike, and wasted all that time:()

There were two drops that were more like 20 minutes to recover from, one was especially fun as I was lying in a gorse bush, with the bike on my leg pinning me down and not letting me up. Took at least 5 minutes just to get upright again, then I was faced with being half way up a steep climb with a narrow trail, so no easy way of turning around and having another go.

There was another race noob who'd abandoned his bike 3/4 of the way up the same climb and was just sitting at the top waiting for the marshalls to come get him.

[Crisis management]

Don't waste your fitness, team up with your buddy and do the WMCC two- man at Riverhead 14th Dec . You get a break every lap and get to blame your mate for coming last, generally pretty flowing with nothing to technical.

You sure about the "nothing too technical" bit? I have always found Riverhead to be one of the more challenging rides on any calendar, that might just reflect on my skill level but I would have said anything at Woodhill would be a lot easier to ride.

[gwynfryn]

You sure about the "nothing too technical" bit? I have always found Riverhead to be one of the more challenging rides on any calendar, that might just reflect on my skill level but I would have said anything at Woodhill would be a lot easier to ride.

The deviations on the trail rides can be testing especially if wet , through fresh clear fell etc but for the two-man not so bad.

[raglanash]

There were two drops that were more like 20 minutes to recover from, one was especially fun as I was lying in a gorse bush, with the bike on my leg pinning me down and not letting me up. Took at least 5 minutes just to get upright again, then I was faced with being half way up a steep climb with a narrow trail, so no easy way of turning around and having another go.

There was another race noob who'd abandoned his bike 3/4 of the way up the same climb and was just sitting at the top waiting for the marshalls to come get him.

Good on ya man. Racing only gets easier and the satisfaction you get from it grows as you improve, improvement that's not necessarily from better speed or fitness but race experience.
I bet you have many things you thought you could have done better or changed which would have improved your result, good news is you can try them in your next hit out which I guarantee you will be much calmer and ready for after your first experience.
Results don't matter, if they did I personally would have given up years ago! I'm a mid pack MX guy who runs up front on occasion but its the fun factor and sense of achievement that keeps me coming back. I was you 6 years ago getting my doors blown off by the fast guys, they are freaks mate don't worry about it!
So give it a chance you have just popped your cherry.. Bel-ray is a pretty full on race to do first up, finishing it in one piece is something to be stoked about.
Hit me up if you decide to do the Raglan ROCX next year I can give you some local knowledge and insight and my bro's can lend a hand in the pits. Grab a mate and 2 man team it!

[Jay GTI]

You sure about the "nothing too technical" bit? I have always found Riverhead to be one of the more challenging rides on any calendar, that might just reflect on my skill level but I would have said anything at Woodhill would be a lot easier to ride.

Oddly enough I love Riverhead, there's something about slippery, rutted and rooty terrain that I seem to gel with. If it's too wet it's hard work, but in it's natural state (never seems to dry out) I ride really well there. In fact last trail ride I did there other guys were asking me for tips, which I couldn't really answer...


Good on ya man. Racing only gets easier and the satisfaction you get from it grows as you improve, improvement that's not necessarily from better speed or fitness but race experience.
I bet you have many things you thought you could have done better or changed which would have improved your result, good news is you can try them in your next hit out which I guarantee you will be much calmer and ready for after your first experience.
Results don't matter, if they did I personally would have given up years ago! I'm a mid pack MX guy who runs up front on occasion but its the fun factor and sense of achievement that keeps me coming back. I was you 6 years ago getting my doors blown off by the fast guys, they are freaks mate don't worry about it!
So give it a chance you have just popped your cherry.. Bel-ray is a pretty full on race to do first up, finishing it in one piece is something to be stoked about.
Hit me up if you decide to do the Raglan ROCX next year I can give you some local knowledge and insight and my bro's can lend a hand in the pits. Grab a mate and 2 man team it!

Yeah now I've had chance to reflect, I'm keen to try again, just a different race. Loads of things I could have done better, softened up the suspension for one, but it's a learning experience. I had and still have a snotty cold, which didn't exactly help with mental focus either (although once the adrenalin kicked in, the cold symptoms went).

I'm not one of the fast ones, I will never be, but like you results are not the reason I did it. I'll hit up my ride buddy and see if he's keen on Raglan ROXC, he's up for another race.

[scott411]

to be fair, the property you raced on is probably the steepest of all the Bel-Ray tracks, most of them are on better land, if you can survive that one the rest will be easy,

a camel bak is a very good investment for racing as well, especially when you have to lift your bike out of a hole,

[Jay GTI]

to be fair, the property you raced on is probably the steepest of all the Bel-Ray tracks, most of them are on better land, if you can survive that one the rest will be easy,

a camel bak is a very good investment for racing as well, especially when you have to lift your bike out of a hole,

Yeah that is the impression I've rapidly formed over the week since, I definitetly picked the wrong race to have my first go at. Rd2 is Waikaretu, which I know is good riding territory, thanks to doing the Mr Motocycles trail ride there earlier this year (easily the best trail ride I've ever been on!). Different farm I understand and no beach time, but there's nothing too scary out that way.

I have a camel bak, for some retarded reason I didn't take it with me on Sunday, some dumb idea about the extra weight slowing me down...

[scott411]

Yeah that is the impression I've rapidly formed over the week since, I definitetly picked the wrong race to have my first go at. Rd2 is Waikaretu, which I know is good riding territory, thanks to doing the Mr Motocycles trail ride there earlier this year (easily the best trail ride I've ever been on!). Different farm I understand and no beach time, but there's nothing too scary out that way.

I have a camel bak, for some retarded reason I didn't take it with me on Sunday, some dumb idea about the extra weight slowing me down...

I agree Waikertu is amazing riding country, be interesting to see whos place its on, might have to ride that one if its not too hot then,

camel baks are a life saver, much easier places to save the extra couple of KG's

[Jay GTI]

I agree Waikertu is amazing riding country, be interesting to see whos place its on, might have to ride that one if its not too hot then,

camel baks are a life saver, much easier places to save the extra couple of KG's

That is the retarded part, there is no way on Earth I am the kind of rider where any weight saving of that magnitude is going to make any difference what so ever to my speed... but being able to suck a couple hundred mls of my magic hydration mix, while digging myself out of a bogged up creek bed...

It's at Fry's Farm, on Bothwell Road. A quick map check shows it's a bit further inland than the Mr Motocycles ride, but still will be great riding. I'm keen!

[peadub]

That is the retarded part, there is no way on Earth I am the kind of rider where any weight saving of that magnitude is going to make any difference what so ever to my speed... but being able to suck a couple hundred mls of my magic hydration mix, while digging myself out of a bogged up creek bed...

It's at Fry's Farm, on Bothwell Road. A quick map check shows it's a bit further inland than the Mr Motocycles ride, but still will be great riding. I'm keen!

Frys farm was used for NZXC champs a couple of years ago. It's like a golf course compared to Starks and not too dusty. We had a neat river section (bike wash!) to cool every one down

[Jay GTI]

Frys farm was used for NZXC champs a couple of years ago. It's like a golf course compared to Starks and not too dusty. We had a neat river section (bike wash!) to cool every one down

Sweet, I'm sold then! Cheers for that, will mark it on my calendar.