Oyster Bay Motorcycle Club

Nathans 2006 A4DE,

 

After my 1st A4DE in 2003 after being introduced to club racing for the 1st time 9 months earlier it was quickly very obvious that both my riding stamina and ability needed a fair bit of improvement if I was to have a crack at another one. 2003 result....Retired hurt restarted finished with all the other re starters.

 

Day 1 of the 2006 A4DE this was it I had everything ready i was defiantly fitter I was quick enough to stay on trail time at every state enduro event i had entered this year. My bike was ready new tyres new brakes guards on every weak point except for the expansion chamber my last 2stroke had a nice big pipe guard on it.

The pace was brisk as we rode to the 1st control i was leading the guys on my minute and about 20 minutes in I saw another rider that must have been on the next minute and was thinking about easing off a little then bam dirt covered boulder in the middle of the track lost the front end off the bike before I even knew it going down hard on the expansion chamber and copping 1 end of the handlebars to the ribs owch! Got up started bike sounded a bit funny with the bent pipe but it ran OK made it to the 1st control with a couple of minutes to spare bike was a little down on power but it got worse and worse until I was using 1st gear on even the slightest uphill then there was a proper hill and it just would not get up. There I was 1 and a half hours into the 4days and it was all over I couldn't work out what was wrong the pipe was pretty bent but not completely flattened but I thought that must be it Chris Dodd stopped and gave me the tip to put a hole in the pipe to make breath that seamed to help a little and it got me back to the major control area but I was half an hour late. I strolled around the next section pushing the bike up the hills until i houred out. Back at the pits it took 3 minutes for someone to say sounds like your pipe is blocked!  they where right the spark arrest or that came with the pipe (aftermarket American) had blocked up with carbon that had been knocked from the expansion chamber.

I had a restart and enjoyed the rest of the event it was a fun event with some great tests although i found the trails often a bit fast and a bit too open I have also heard stories of bikes hitting cars due to the fact that the roads where shared by the public/support vehicles.

What I learnt/What I'd do next time

Make the bike bulletproof I know a lot of guys/girls don't run a pipe protector but I will from now on especially in a long event like the 4day you only have to be tired or feeling lazy for a second and you hit a rock or not quite lift the front high enough over a log or something.

Stay calm on the trail when something goes wrong...I was too caught up with not running late on the trails I'm sure if I had been just out on the trails with mates without the time thing in the back of my head I would have worked out what was wrong in 10 min max I may have been late but I would have finished and that was for me the 1st goal.

Be fitter didn't train enough in the 3 weeks leading up to the event would get more out of the tests if I was fitter I think. 

2006 result....Retired mechanical restarted at the back ran on time for the rest of the event.[photogallery/photo00024935/real.htm]