You should have come m8. Could have thrown on some body armour and gone out for some action.There was crashing to be done and you may as well have got your share in
Anyhoo I have a bit more time now, although still feeling knackered after a hard day at work (booooo) and the effects of yesterday.
Day didn't start that well. I didn't sleep that well, just like before a track day. I keep waking up thinking/hoping its time to get up and go have some fun. Anyway I give up on sleep at 7am. I've arranged to pick up Dave and Leon (couple of m8s who bought dirt bikes with me) at 8am at Dave's. I get there, we load Dave's bike in and wait for Lee. 8.20 comes and it looks like the douche bag has overslept. WTH! I call his mob, nothing. Don't really want to call the home phone and wake his wife Oil up on a Sunday but can't be helped. He answers 4th ring going "Shhhhhh!!" down the phone. "I'm just coming"
Anyway he arrives 50 mins late and we finally get away at 8.55 and its foot to the floor in my trusty Transit. Traffic is light, TomTom doesn't let me down and we arrive at 10.10. As we pull into the field, who do I see but Ginge wandering by right in front of me. There's is the first van where you can park and pretty much closest to the burger van. Good man
Park up, say hi to Ginge and meet his m8 Jason. Sign on and proceed to get the bikes out, then get kitted up. The ground is still a bit wet and it looks like it could be muddy.
We head off for the first lap. Ginge takes the lead and approching the first obstacle, that is a bed of stones he gets caught up behind someone, stalls and down he goes. I see Jason waiting on the other side laughing his head off Poor Ginge, you could see he was slightly embarrassed at binning it so early. Then the XR refusing to start doesn't help. Our laughter isn't helping either but what can you do A friend of Dan's (Motoronin) called Lydia who has some MX experience but on lighter bikes also bins it there on Dan'd 450 exc and we get her up and going.
1st lap wasn't much fun. All felt alien again and was slippy as hell. Binned it twice myself, once loosing the front and the other spinning the rear so much it decided it wanted to be out in front We all head back to the pits sweating and wondering if it was such a great idea.
We give it a few mins and head out again. Jason is obviously feeling at home in the mud as he is off like a whippet. I pootle round, cursing myself slightly and telling myself to man-up! James, another friend of Dan's takes Dan's bike out and I follow. Up until that point I'd taken the route that said Normal as opposed to Hard that you come across halfway round. James heads off down the Hard section and like a fool I man-up and follow him. What a mistake its basically going in and out of a deep gully with steep banks and a good foot of deep mud at the bottom. I stop and talk to the marshall. "Not sure about this" I say. "You'll be fine! Just give it a handful at the bottom and whatever you do don't stop!" So i stick it 2nd head down and as I hit the mud give it a handful and up I go. Problem is I only get 3/4 of the way up and stop. Now I'm fooked. Can't get going up and can't turn her round. Try and wheel her back down, fail, bike goes down, I go down and I'm covered in shite. Finally get her back down but now I'm just in a good foot of mud and water, bike is up the swingarm, i'm sweating like a rapist and look up to see the marshall doubled over laughing and he shouts "I'd help you m8 but I'm pissing myself laughing up here" I take a few mins, get my breath back and ride along the bottom and up a gentle path and out. Fook that! I bypass the rest of it and head back to the boys track, lesson learned
Next time out I come across Dave and Lee. They are brothers, that how can I say... They like their food and are slightly adversed to exercise In fact I later find out that Ginge and Jason have nick named them the Burger Bar Boys due to the frequent visits
Dave is struggling over this plastic bridge over a stream. Its slippy as hell and he has stalled. We did tell him not to buy a kick start bike but he didn't listen and bougth a XR400. Fine if you are fit but not if kicking it over 15 times leaves you heading for A&E. Anyway there he is kicking it over and another bike comes up behind, clips his back wheel and over the side into the stream he goes, followed by his bike Poor fecker is soaked. Marshall helps him out. Safe to say the XR isn't interested in starting for at least another 30 kicks. i think Dave's day ended there and the XR is now on eBay and being replaced with a electric start bike
They closed the track for lunch while they swap quads on to our track and us on to the track the quads had been on. Have to say not sharing with quads is great and hope they stick with this idea.
Track reopens and we head out to try the new course. The weather is warmed up and not as muddy out there. This track has a few jumps. I completely fook it up land on the front wheel but stay on the bike somehow. Not got the hang of this jump thing. Then on to a small wood section and another couple of jumps. Then I see Motoronin stopped at a hedge that people are disappearing down. I arrive to see a steep drop down into a gully through some trees. First thought is "is there a ride around?" I think the same thought is going through Ronin's head. There isn't, so fook it I head down happy that at least this one doesn't have a load of mud and water at the bottom. Somehow make it down and we head on. Another 2 up and downs and I arrive at the top to see Jason looking back and pissing himself laughing again. I look back and there is Ginge so far embedded in this massive bush that he looks like he's setting up home in there I'm laughing but there is no way he is getting out of ther on his own. I lean my bike up against Jason's and somehow we get him out. Whatever else this off road stuff is its a fooking good laugh, where crashing 9/10 hurts at the worst just your ego. Most times you are just laughing at yourself.
After a few runs thing start getting a bit competitive I'm after Ronin and I think Jason is toying with Ginge for fun. From a track that was quite intimidating first time round we are all now loving it and its just fitness holding us back. Unfortunately the day comes to an end at 3.30. Seems a bit early to me and would have loved a couple more laps. We all have a chat and laugh about the day. Everyone except perhaps Lydia (she has promised to be back on a lighter stroker next time) and Dave (he promised his bike was on ebay in the morning) the rest of us have had a great time and are looking forward to the next one. It's not a rush like being on the SD but in some ways its more of a giggle. Especially when you are going round as a group you can get so close trying to pass and Dan and I were having a great tussle. Also I think it can add to the skills to know what it feels like to have a bike move around underneath you but not out of control. Not that I'm anywhere near there yet Most of the time it was almost the opposite but I started to get the hang over the jumps after a few pointers from Ginge and Jason. Was really happy with a few and on one of them I get so much air I almost shit myself but landed it and a big grin was on my face.
Great to see Ginge again and meet his m8 Jason. That man can ride off road! And it seems can wheelie his Gixer 1000 from 1st gear to 5th dropping it normally at around 130mph I think we need to get him to Cadders for the July meet. Black flag ahoy!
Didn't take any pics other than this one. Ginge and Jason on their XRs. Hopefully a few will appear on the Endurland site soon.
