Beacons Rally

My thoughts exactly :( Get well soon mate :thumb

thanks ...... did the lad finish ?? i had a message from ben pope to say he is finished riding thats a real pisser bmw s getting thin on the ground now if rallys going this way ruts ,ruts ,ruts ,its the end of the bm or i carry a shovel
 
thanks ...... did the lad finish ?? i had a message from ben pope to say he is finished riding thats a real pisser bmw s getting thin on the ground now if rallys going this way ruts ,ruts ,ruts ,its the end of the bm or i carry a shovel

Ah yes "jack the pit bitch" dragged his Chinese 125 round after losing the silencer on Saturday but finding it again before the off on Sunday morning and refitting it, He also lost both front side panels, a fork slider, the fuel tank for a short time but he finished the event, Did his CBT a month ago and has only been riding for two weeks, Well done mate :thumb

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Anyone know what happened to the rider who was carted off today in Test1?

Sheared my chain on the start of special test 1 on the last lap :mad:, Otherwise brilliant today (didn't care much for the Ruts on saturday though!)

Didn't see any of the bmw twins at all on the trails? What happened?
 
Sunshine all weekend in Bedfordshire, but I guess you don't want to here that

from
http://www.enduronews.com/events/wtra/beacons2011.htmBeacons 2 Day
20/21st August

At times this weekend's Beacons 2 Day Rally resembled one of WTRA's more notorious BEC rounds of yesteryear as a cold front swept in from the Atlantic and drenched the Crychan forest but the similarity was mostly cosmetic as the well laid out course held up and rewarded the majority of the full entry with a great ride.

The start was in the Top Quarry. Parking was tight but cosy. The Beacons attracts a wide range of abilities and machinery. Amongst the shiny new KTMs there were some well preserved examples of an earlier era but more about Jim Jones and Bob Perring later.

The riders were flagged off from 11.00am. There were 2.5 laps for most of the riders and a shorter 2 lap tariff for beginners. In rallying - unlike an enduro - the schedule is only a guideline. The course followed the forestry roads out of North Crychan across the Tirabad Road. There was a optional Snowrun loop but in the wet conditions it was not a popular option. One rider dropped his bike going through scrutineering so most of the field opted to preserve their energy.

At midday the sky was leaden. Descending the rocky slabs of Stick Hill through a tunnel of trees the riders with lights were grateful for them. From 5 Roads they climbed Scrach to the first test at the Firetower. It was very fast and it not timed on the first lap to give everyone a good look. From the gravel start at the highest point of the Crychan it descended through the middle of the Lasso and down Early Bird to the Timber Yard and the Snowrun Quarry then over the bridge at Bob's Stick to the finish.

The next liaison stage took the riders up Trout Hill and around the Castle with it's spectacular views of the Eppynt and the Halfway. By 1.00pm the rain had stopped.

The northern route up the western side of the Crychan was a succession of well loved tracks: the Ruts with No Name, the Whoopty Whoops, the Swimbath Road, the Tube, the Rally Road and Cadogan's loop. The naming of tracks has grown up over the years to help the organisers navigate their way around the almost featureless landscape of the forest. Their origin is often obscure. The Ruts with No Name got it's name in the lead up to the 1999 World Round when a new marshal asked what the deeply rutted hill between Trout Hill and Swimbath was called. It didn't have a name so it became the Ruts with No Name. Ironically the ruts have filled in over the years so the Ruts with No Name now has no ruts either.

The riders emerged from the Crychan at the Picnic Site and again crossed the Tirabad Road into Glyn Saer. This was the location of the second test with it's signature ruts alongside the fence where wise heads followed the line carved by the pots of Mark Molineux's BMW. A hill at the end of the stage would have been an interesting talking point but it was very sensibly cut. With the end of the lap in sight many riders seemed to be missing the rain and drenched themselves by plunging into the deep puddles on Cefn Ludlow like Dreadnoughts.

Well done guys sounds like it was a war :comfort
 
Anyone know what happened to the rider who was carted off today in Test1?

Sheared my chain on the start of special test 1 on the last lap :mad:, Otherwise brilliant today (didn't care much for the Ruts on saturday though!)

Didn't see any of the bmw twins at all on the trails? What happened?

Dislocated knee i think :(
 
that sounds very painful, it was a hard weekend. Im surprised there were not more injuries..:cool:

there was ......... i got stuck in the ruts on the test fu*kin stupid putting them in after all the complaints ,they got worse after first lap stupid really..... ruined it for the trail bikes cant see why it was not cut out . i was digging the bm out on my hands and knees with my hands even tried to use a small sappling to lever it out ! one lift to many and i slipped a disc agony!!!!! stuck fast no healpers ,just watched evry one go by and watched the big bike championship end . completley exhausted still been there now if it wasnt for steve hauge who stopped and helped me lift it out. steve massive thanks to you:bow ..... no marshals in site !!!!!!! i need a miracle to ride again went straight to hospital ....awaiting a scan to say i am pissed off is a fu*kin under statement ...... thanks to all who helped me get the bike and all my gear loaded ........ over and definatley out :( mm
 
Oh Dear

Dib and Moly

Sorry to hear about your injuries, get well soon.

I have to say I would not have fancied any of the non firetrack stuff on a big bike, I struggled enough on a 400 pogo!! The second special on day 1 was a challenge all on it's own and if you happened to be in the rut behind a faller, well there was no way out!!!

Still having said the above I had a great time and enjoyed the whole weekend.

Should really call it a long distance enduro!!

Fred
 
Dave! Who gave Sarah a lift back to Abergavenny can you contact me please as she has left her keys an wallet in your van Doh!
 
I found it very hard, lots of ruts some very deep I'm a bit under the weather at the moment due to a stomach bug i picked up last week and i was soon out of energy after picking the SE up a few times so the bike ended up riding me, Slogged through Saturday missing out stage 2 on the second lap as this was one option due to a lot of big bikes getting stuck in there on the first lap and we didn't do it at all on the third lap. Some people who did stage 2 on the second lap spent so much time in there that when they got back to start lap 3 the course had been closed.

Went out again on Sunday after hearing that stage two had been changed but i found the course harder in reverse after about 30 mins i was totally knackred so called it a day and made my way back to the pits slowly before i hurt my self or got seriously stuck. :(

Poor old Ian lost his top shock bolt then knackerd his shoulder putting the bike back on the trailer :rolleyes:
 
top weekend

It was hard, i didn't have much to compare it to, as it was only my second rally. Fortunetly i was on a Pogo all be it with a fat ass tank.

I was with a couple of friends who have not done any rallying so i spent the whole time helping them, which gave me a great excuse not to go too fast or even attempt the 2nd special on day one... :blagblah

I was amazed at how fast the Big bikes went over the rutted stuff. Hats off to you fella's top effort.

Challenging stuff....whats next?
 
I reckon it was harder than some hare n hounds ive done. No complaints though, its not supposed to be easy. It was also one of the best organised "races" too,

Apart from puncturing on siting lap yesterday morning (got back to pits and got new tube fitted.Thanks to all who helped), and ANOTHER broken collar bone right at the end of the day, I had an uneventful weekend !!!!

It was a bit different to kielder eh lads ??

Best wishes to all those who have injuries.
 
It was hard, i didn't have much to compare it to, as it was only my second rally. Fortunetly i was on a Pogo all be it with a fat ass tank.

I was with a couple of friends who have not done any rallying so i spent the whole time helping them, which gave me a great excuse not to go too fast or even attempt the 2nd special on day one... :blagblah

I was amazed at how fast the Big bikes went over the rutted stuff. Hats off to you fella's top effort.

Challenging stuff....whats next?

How did your good lady get on ?
 
It appears I got off lightly too, Only mechanical issues rather than medical ones.

Hope you get well soon moly, and all others who were injured.
I was chatting to the marshals (as I had to wait an hour for the course to clear so I could gently amble back to the pits with a cobbled together chain), and they were saying there were a number of complaints from people that it 'wasn't technical enough!'. Some riders bailed after the first lap of day 2 moaning about the pace and that some of the big bikes were too slow! I felt for the Marshals who had to explain that it was part of 'the big bike challenge' series and you shouldn't sign up for it if you didn't read the instructions!

I thought it had the right mix, I especially love the steep rocky climbs & descents (assuming you get a clear run at it). Ruts were testing on a sports bike and nigh on impassable on anything heavier.

Still have yet to complete the Beacons without any form of malady, so the unfinished business remains until next year.:augie
 
It appears I got off lightly too, Only mechanical issues rather than medical ones.

Hope you get well soon moly, and all others who were injured.
I was chatting to the marshals (as I had to wait an hour for the course to clear so I could gently amble back to the pits with a cobbled together chain), and they were saying there were a number of complaints from people that it 'wasn't technical enough!'. Some riders bailed after the first lap of day 2 moaning about the pace and that some of the big bikes were too slow! I felt for the Marshals who had to explain that it was part of 'the big bike challenge' series and you shouldn't sign up for it if you didn't read the instructions!

I thought it had the right mix, I especially love the steep rocky climbs & descents (assuming you get a clear run at it). Ruts were testing on a sports bike and nigh on impassable on anything heavier.

Still have yet to complete the Beacons without any form of malady, so the unfinished business remains until next year.:augie

i got moaned at by smaller bikes saying i was going to fast !!!!! and scaring them as i past them i think i will fit a horn for next time ...
 
Hope you get well soon moly, and all others who were injured.
I was chatting to the marshals (as I had to wait an hour for the course to clear so I could gently amble back to the pits with a cobbled together chain), and they were saying there were a number of complaints from people that it 'wasn't technical enough!'. Some riders bailed after the first lap of day 2 moaning about the pace and that some of the big bikes were too slow! I felt for the Marshals who had to explain that it was part of 'the big bike challenge' series and you shouldn't sign up for it if you didn't read the instructions!

Glad to see there listening to the Enduro riders after all it's an Enduro isnt it :rolleyes: because there sure not listening to the rally bike riders :(
 
great

How did your good lady get on ?
Taz did fantastic. She and I rode together all day, she was pretty quick on that DR, she even kicked me off as i tried to pass her on the special, she denies it of course but why else would i fall off,:D, so much fun.

Sarah pulled out after the 1st lap on Sunday due to fatigue, she must of had about 30 off by then. Even that little Serrow 250 is big for her. It must of been like trying to take a 1200 down there.. :thumb

Hows the Knee?
 
Most of the above comments just goes to prove that the organisers are never going to please one sort of rider or bike. Its always going to be a mixture.
One bike and rider will find bits easy, other guys/gals will suffer on that same terrain.

The Beacons and the Kielder rallys do seem to be at different extremes of the UK rally scene though. The kielder was easy, and perfect for me, as it came after recovery from broken bones. As per my other posts, the last two days saw an event for me that was harder than some h/hounds ive done. That said, I may find beacons "easy" next year and
Kielder will be a lot harder. (One mans "Enduro" is another mans bimble in the woods)
None of us know what to expect when we enter these events as they are open to other elements, such as extreme weather for instance.

For me personally, im just bloody glad to be out on two wheels.

Love it.
 


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