Club Trials - General Regulations. Chairman's Chatter. Next Club Trial: 28 July 2013 at Beare Gill, Ockley

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1 Chairman's Chatter It was a change to ride an event at the weekend and find that dust was a problem and not mud, but I am not sure that I should have timed my come back on the enduro scene for the hottest day of the year! It is probably 20 years since I rode a full timecard event and I was pleased with my result. Most finishers stayed on time but it was noticeable that the weather took its toll and there were about 25 non finishers from a start of 90 riders. I am sure that Jo and Antony Read were very pleased to have good weather for their son Ben's wedding. Although I don't remember Ben riding a great deal with the Club he has been involved with social activities including the camping weekend over the years and on behalf of everybody at the Club I wish the happy couple every happiness in the years to come. There was a good turn out of riders at the Old Quarry for the last Club trial. It was noticeable that there were a number of guest riders at the event who appear to have started riding there and been pointed in our direction to try a trial. An idea from the last Committee meeting was that these guests will be contacted and encouraged to join the Club and ride in future events. Please note - whilst we do not expect riders to ride between sections at walking pace (like some clubs) please ride courteously and be aware that some venues may require riders to use a path in both directions. For those of you who fancy a Long Distance Trial you may still get an entry in the Eastbourne Clubs LDT on 4th August and the date for the Timber Woods LDT run by Sidcup and DMCC has been announced as 22nd September. Lastly - Neville has been working very hard and you will find a booking form is now available for the camping weekend. Please note that the Wings and Wheels event this year is Saturday and Sunday and you may need to plan your route if arriving on Saturday. Look out for details of a meeting soon for those who wish to be involved in the planning for our own LDT provisionally scheduled for April This is now to be called the North Downs LDT. Welcome home Colin! Colin has completed his Scandinavian ride to the Arctic circle and kept us entertained with his photographs on Facebook. I am looking forward to hearing more about it - possibly in the form of a serialisation of the journal that he kept for the newsletter! I am sure the editor has something in mind. Richard Coles Next Club Trial: 28 July 2013 at Beare Gill, Ockley A reminder that our next Club Trial is being run on Sunday 28 July at Beare Gill, Ockley starting at 11am. Club Trials - General Regulations Course General Club trials may be either five laps of eight sections or four laps of ten sections. In both cases there will be a break after the second lap. It is preferred that riders ride the course as laps starting at whichever section they prefer and not keep riding the same section continuously. Please note that all parents/people with parental authority are responsible for under 18 year old riders and it is required that you sign their entry forms. For safety reasons do not ride around the course alone but in small groups observing each other in the sections. Always check a section is clear before entering and no practising in the sections before or during the trial. If caught

2 practising you may be disqualified. HELMETS ARE OPTIONAL FOR ADULTS BUT YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO WEAR ONE. ALL UNDER 18 RIDERS MUST WEAR A HELMET. Club trials are AMCA events run by Reigate & Redhill North Downs Motorcycle Club. Entries Please download an entry form from the website at What's on) and bring fully completed to save time when signing on, together with the correct money. Please remember to bring your Membership Card. If you cannot produce a current Membership Card, you will be charged as a guest rider ( 5 EXTRA ON ENTRY!) - it is not the responsibility of the volunteer(s) undertaking the signing on to check whether you have renewed your membership. Cash is preferred! Carshalton MCC Timecard Enduro West Harting Down West Sussex It seemed like a good idea at the time: Malcolm was still unable to ride as he waits for the MRI results on his knee and my KTM 400 was ready to go so I entered the Carshalton enduro. As I pressed the pay button the reality hit me - I had not done a timecard enduro for around 20 years and I was never any good at them anyway! Last time I rode I was fitter and considerably lighter (and younger - did I mention that?) than I am now - and West Harting Down may be picturesque in its position on the top of the South Downs but it can be an absolute killer. For those that don't know an enduro is a test of endurance for man and machine. I had an inkling that the machine had few worries! A time card event means that you ride to a schedule set by the organiser as opposed to racing throughout (a hare and hounds event). For minutes early or late at checks you incur penalties. Each check is independent of the next so penalties incurred cannot be compensated for. I had decided to ride at Sportsman - the easiest class (not easy note!). I found that the schedule called for eight laps of the course, each lap being around 10 miles. My checks were set at 70 mins, 70mins, 52 mins, and 60 mins, each after two laps had been completed. This was something of a surprise. I had expected four or five laps and the schedule was the same number of laps as the Clubman riders and only seven more minutes allowed. Two special tests were to be ridden in the first two checks. To say I was apprehensive would be putting it mildly. The day was hot, about 30c, and in places the dust was like talcum powder making exposed roots as slippery as the worst muddy conditions. Part of the route was bare chalk and flints, whilst other areas were overgrown with ferns so you could not see the stumps left by forestry activities. I rode the first two laps, completing one special test in doing so, and had about eight minutes to spare. Not bad. I got through the special test ok with a reasonable time - which was a relief as it included a steep climb up the scarp face with no escape route. The second stage was the same as the first, even down to an identical special test time. I set

3 off into stage three thinking the job was nearly done only to realise that after over two hours riding I was just half way through. The third schedule was hard for me to meet. Completing the first lap in 26 minutes I realised I could do it but I was getting hot and tired. On the second lap, hustling down a trials like section of flint and chalk, the bike spat sideways and I entered some ferns at the side and uphill side of the path. Unfortunately the whole bike ran down the inside of a log there and so was nose down on the high side of a steep descent. I struggled to pull it back and out but in the end had to throw it down sideways on to the path and drag it up to get going. That's when you realise that the 400 is not the lightest bike out there. Hustling on I came in to the check just 12 secs late incurring 60 (a minute) penalty points. The off had rather taken its toll. I felt absolutely spent. Although I had more time in hand I was making mistakes, and getting much more tired. That's when you fall or hit things and hurt yourself. At one point my left hand even came off the grip - I couldn't hold on. I did the lap in about 30 mins and had had enough. I set out again absolutely knackered but so keen to finish that I set my quickest lap of the day - about 22mins - although the style was rather questionable. At the end of the day I was pleased to finish only one minute down. The heat meant around 25% of the entry packed in but unfortunately those who did continue were generally on time. After an hour or so I could even walk and I only had three or four blisters on each hand! Fancy doing an enduro - or perhaps just coming to watch, check out the SEEC Enduro website. The next Surrey Constabulary MCC event is in November - we welcome RRND members marshalling - speak to me at the Club night. Richard Coles Camping Weekend in August The camping weekend is fast approaching. Booking forms are now available on the Club's

4 website and will be sent via e mail under separate cover. There are Rules for the weekend, which exist for everyone's safety and enjoyment, and we ask that everyone respects these. EVENT RULES THESE ARE HERE TO ENSURE SAFETY, ENSURE ALL HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND, AND TO AVOID COMPLAINTS SO MUST BE ADHERED TO! Riding Rules No bikes to be started before 10am and no riding after 8pm. No riding is to take place in the camping field around the cars, tents and caravans. Junior riders are to be supervised by an adult at all times. Helmets are recommended for adults, and all under 18 riders must wear a helmet at all times while riding. For safety reasons do not ride alone. All riding is at your own risk, and no liability rests with the landowner, the Club or the organisers of the weekend. Other Rules Tents and caravans should be sited sensibly and at least 6m apart (3m if in same family occupation). No smoking is permitted in the marquee. Smokers should ensure all cigarettes, cigars or pipes are properly extinguished after use. If you must bring your dog it is your complete responsibility and MUST be kept on a lead around the campsite. Dogs are not allowed in the marquee whilst food is being prepared and whilst anyone is eating. In the woods it is your responsibility to clean up after your dog as children play in the woods. Please remember we are guests on private land, so keep noise to a minimum at night, and ensure all rubbish is picked up. Due to high cost there is no skip provided, so you are responsible for disposal of your own rubbish we ask that you take it home. Only dead wood is to be collected for the Sunday bonfire no trees should be cut or damaged.

5 We supply 6 portable toilets, but if you have your own please do not empty them into the portable ones there is a facility for waste disposal so please ask. RRND Club Trial 23 rd June 2013 This month s round of the RRND Club trial championship series was held at the Quarry in Betchworth and was run over 5 laps of 8 sections, Clerk of the course was Rob Edwards with sections laid out by Alan Stanley (white route), Rob McKenzie (blue route), Luke Edwards (red route) and Ben Edwards (Yellow route). Best white route rider was Scott Dark on 48 marks lost. Inters best rider was Joshua Brimecombe on 21 marks lost. Top blue route rider was Alan Stanley on 13 marks lost. On the red route, James Dark maintained a clean score sheet all day in the under 16 class whilst guest rider Rick Burrows also finished on a clean sheet in the adult class. The lowest score on the yellow route was Liam Lewis who lost 2 marks. Section one featured a wide ditch, which all routes traversed two or more times, with the white riders getting the worst of the bottomless mud in the ditch. The majority of red and blue riders completed this section with no marks lost, although the white route proved to be more of a challenge with all riders of this route loosing marks on at least 2 of the 5 laps. Section two for the blue riders had a tricky set of 4 logs little more than a bike's length apart, laid out like a stair case up a bank, this took one or more dabs from many riders on the blue route before dropping down then back up through two trees to the end gates. The red rider s were also sent over the same logs but missing the middle two logs then winding through several gates along the top of the bank forming a few tight turns to the end cards. White riders were sent over a stack of logs leading to the top of a bank, then back down the bank, before ascending a big step back to the top of the bank then riding out to the end cards. The only clean blue rider on lap one was Pete Jenkins although he managed to lose points on the second and third lap before returning to first lap form on laps four & five. Section three challenged the red, blue and white riders with several log obstacles, with varying levels of difficulty for the different routes. The riders of the white route all lost marks on this section with the exception of Scott Dark who managed a clean on lap 5. Section four was laid out in a previously unused area by RRND trials, a series of holes had been excavated with several log stacks making the route more challenging for the white riders. Yellow riders were challenged by riding along the edge of a steep drop which made it a difficult place for putting a foot down or stopping. Blues and reds were routed through several of the holes connected by tight turns, and both routes taking the riders over a log just before the end gates. Section 5 was started at the bottom of a bank, blues were sent up the top of the bank traversing tree roots in the climb, before dropping into a gulley at the top of the climb, then doubling back before a tricky wiggle between two trees on the top edge of the bank. Whites also climbed the bank, but with a more challenging course over a tree root step before doubling back down the bank then climbing back up the bank through several offset gates. The yellow route was a blast up the bank with a couple of gates at the top before reaching the end gate. Section six featured several tight turns between trees for all routes, as well as a steep climb followed by an equally steep descent for all but the yellow riders before dropping down the slippery chalk bank to the end gate. Section seven made use of a tree covered hillock, each route taking various paths through the trees, the red, blue and white routes going over the hillock and dropping down the other side before blasting back up and over the root ridden hillock to the end gate. The last section started at the top of a gulley, the red route dropped down into the slippery

6 muddy bottom of the gulley then onto the far side before passing through a pair of gates then back across the gulley to the end gates. The yellow route stayed on the relatively flat area at the top of the gulley passing through several gates laid out with challenging turns before reaching the finish. Both the blue and white routes took a tight line into the gulley before making a steep climb over roots to the top of the other side where each had challenging turns through several gates before returning back across the gulley to the end gates. Thanks go to the laying out team mentioned above, Grace and Carol for running the signing on, the land owners and of course all competitors for participating. Rob Edwards South Coast Group Trial, Beare Gill, Ockley 11 August 2013 A reminder that our round of the South Coast Group takes place at Beare Gill Ockley on 11 August Volunteers to observe are required. If we get enough observers, then our Club members may also ride in this trial. Please send your name to observe to Colin Don at debbie.don1@btinternet.com or call him on PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE IT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE - WE CAN BETTER PLAN SECTIONS ETC IF WE KNOW BEFOREHAND HOW MANY OBSERVERS WE HAVE. Thank you to Phillip Tickner-Wand who has already come forward to observe. Colin's Scandanavian Adventure - Part One Monday 10 June The adventure begins After saying goodbye to the other half, I had an event free trip via the M25 and A12 to Harwich. Boarded the ship - lots of other bikes. I was surprised that I had to tie the bike down myself! The deck hand said that the crossing would be flat calm. By 9.30pm, I had finished my buffet dinner and was back in my cabin, sorting out my bag for tomorrow, ready for the first day on overseas soil.

7 Tuesday 11 June Denmark - Esbjerg to Thisted Arrived to the weather being a bit overcast. The road from Esjberg to the campsite seemed to be nearly straight - I only seemed to go round about a dozen bends (not counting a few roundabouts). I saw a few of the guys from the boat, but they appeared to have gone the wrong way as I thought they were going to Aalborg! I arrived at the campsite, and had the tent up, bike in and was settled down within 40 minutes. Had a walk around trying to find something to eat as the restuarant near the campsite was shut. I found an open place after crossing a very 'iffy' looking bridge. Back to bed for a read - it was 10.30pm and still light! Wednesday 12 June Denmark - Thisted to Hirtshals Woke early with the birds, had a wash and shave before 7am, got packed up, paid and was on my way by 9.15am. Had a nice run up to Hirtshals, but there was a cross wind most of the way. Found the ferry terminal to go and buy a ticket for a crossing to Norway, but went to the check in by mistake and had to do a U turn.

8 Camping about 2km from the ferry port on a nice campsite right on a lovely blue flag sandy beach. Needed to be up early the next day to pack up - probably in the rain, and catch the ferry to Kristiansand Norway. Thursday 13 June Hirtshals (Denmark) to Odden Camping (Norway) Just about managed to get packed up in the dry this morning, and stopped for coffee and a muffin on the way to the ferry terminal. I met an Italian couple on another Triumph Explorer en route from Italy to Norway, but they were intending to travel the West Coast road. The ferry crossing was very rough, and there was a faint whiff of vomit about when we got about half way across! I arrived at Kristiansand in light drizzle, which was better than the heavy rain while I was on the ferry. The change in the landscape from Denmark is marked - Denmark was flat with straight roads and here it is straight into mountains and loads of bends. From Kristiansand I was behind some groups of riders from Germany, Switzerland and Austria, but I didn't get too close - it's nice to amble along at my own pace. The campsite Odden Camping is great - the site is quite large and the scenery is grand. There is a lake and a huge set of rapids. Cooked myself some rice and some mackeral for tea (that's going to become one of my staple meals!), and its raining - hope it stops for tomorrow. Part two next month!