Red Bull Rock Drop 4th December- free admission

[cave weta]

TIME TO DIG DEEP...


On Saturday December 4th the Martha Mine in Waihi will be transformed into the ultimate downhill mountain bike course when 80 of New Zealands top mountain bike riders descend 250 vertical meters, 4 riders at a time to the mine floor with hope of being crowned King of the mine!

Red Bull Rock Drop pits man against mine, in a way 4 battle riders descend below the Eath's surface picking their own line on a downhill course the likes of which have never been seen in NZ. Rock Drops, gap jumps, mine trucks, free ride and speed lines, Red Bull Rock Drop has it all!

With $10,000 in prize money up for grabs Red Bull Rock Drop will see the best of the best pinning it and pointing to the bottom of the Martha Mine

If you think you have what it takes to compete in Red Bull Rock Drop complete the registration form and get ready to ride.

See you at Rock Drop!

[cave weta]

http://www.redbull.co.nz/cs/Satellit...21242909772610

more news with photos .....

Pick Axes and Shovels...
It's all go on the course build for Red Bull Rock Drop as weekend warriors literally descend the Martha Mine in Waihi with pick axes and shovels in hand. The terrain is extremely varied and has some decent gradients in places that will surely test man and bike to the limit. The images directly below show the a section known as "The Terraces" which leads down into the "Rock Garden" and further still to the mine floor itself some 250m below the Earths surface.


The crew is working with trained safety professionals from Total Rehab who are experts in their feild and have worked in the mine for 20+ years. The term " Abseiling Cave Geologist Commando" has loosely been thrown around to describe these guys and from the looks of these photos it's fairly accurate. Noel Walker who is Head of Safety in the mine and his Mine Rescue Team is proving invaluable with help for the unbeleivable amount of logistics required to pull off an event of this magnitude.

The build team is back in the mine tomorrow, we will continue to keep you updated as the course unfolds. See you at Red Bull Rock Drop on December 4th!

[cave weta]

More news!

The Red Bull RockDrop adverts have started on TV3

Story here inthe waikato times:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times...-down-mine-pit

Mr Mennim said qualifying rounds would start early in the morning. "The top qualifiers will race side-by-side in two-person semifinals with an elimination format deciding who will be crowned King of the Mine."

The event will be free for spectators.

[avgas]

I will go on call next week and hopefully that means I can go down on the 4th.
What time does it start? as will need to shoot through to Kati and pick up the nephew (he is track BMX mad.....but I am slowly converting him)

[cave weta]

I will go on call next week and hopefully that means I can go down on the 4th.
What time does it start? as will need to shoot through to Kati and pick up the nephew (he is track BMX mad.....but I am slowly converting him)

As soon as I know you will know- In the meantime,here are some photos of the course....
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Wai...d/315778583679

The main course is almost done, all the 'special features' will be added the day before. Im told that there will be massive gap jumps across the tubs of the mines dumptrucks. A 4metre drop down into the floor of the old pumphouse from the ground level outside. Westpac rescue helicopter will be based on site for the day.

[cave weta]

Red Bull Rock Drop: A Subterranean Downhill Mountain Bike
Race in the Martha Mine.
On Saturday the 4th of December New Zealand’s best downhill
mountain bikers will compete shoulder to shoulder in a 250m vertical
spiralling descent, to the bottom of the countries deepest operating
open pit gold mine.
The area around Waihi’s iconic Pumphouse will have extensive
viewing of the race for spectators which is free. There will also be
limited grandstand seating provided free to the public. Naturally there
will be increased pedestrian activity and traffic in the area on the
event day. Car parking will be accommodated on the rugby field.
There will be no road closures in the area, the race is limited to the
area around the Pumphouse and inside the mine fence, and will be
fenced for safety reasons. Spectators are not permitted inside the
perimeter fence of the mine.

The event will have a commentator and music to
accompany the live feed to a large video screen in the Pumphouse
area.

A fully operational open pit gold mine provides a tough and
unforgiving rock base, add to this a selection of man made obstacles
and Red Bull Rock Drop creates one of the most demanding downhill
and free ride mountain bike events ever to be seen in New Zealand
and indeed the world.

The qualifying rounds will be run in a multi rider format with riders
battling to the bottom of the mine. The top qualifiers will race side by
side in two person semi finals. Finals will be an elimination format,
deciding who will be crowned King of the mine and winner of Red Bull
Rock Drop.
Go to www.redbull.co.nz/rockdrop for more details.

There will be limited food and beverage providers onsite and a mobile
coffee cart. We will be specifically driving spectators into town to the
local businesses by encouraging them over the PA system, especially
during the break at 12pm.
The event is being filmed from ground level and from a helicopter and will air on Sky Sport 1 at 9pm on
December 23rd and in repeats over the following 2 weeks. We
anticipate some great exposure for Waihi.

[cave weta]

Hmmm..RedBull have just announced that in light of today's tragedy at Pike River Mine that the RockDrop will be postponed until January.
Respect for you RedBull.

[cave weta]

Hmmm I just recieved this....


Newmont Waihi Gold has reconsidered its decision
to host the Red Bull Rock Drop and has decided to
withdraw from the event. This has been a difficult
decision and has not been taken lightly.
The mountain bike event was originally postponed
after the 19 November Pike River tragedy and
rescheduled for late January 2011 anticipating that
matters there would have been concluded by now.
It is now a very real concern that the Mines Rescue
Team will be required to assist with on-going efforts
there and the timetable for this is yet to be
confirmed. The same rescue team would also be
required to ensure the safety of Rock Drop
competitors and it is not possible to hold the Rock
Drop without them.
Newmont Waihi Gold General Manager Glen Grindlay has made the following statement:
‘Obviously any on-going operations at Pike River are of the
utmost importance to all concerned, and so after
very careful consideration we have made the
decision that we cannot allow a sporting event to
potentially compromise the safe and timely
resolution of events at Pike Rive. We really
appreciate Red Bull’s understanding and
cooperation in this’.
A lot of work has gone into preparing the course for
the event over the last few months and we want to
thank the team for their efforts.