Once again another busy period for the club. Lots of good work going on by the trail projects, and the return of club racing. With all the events on, trail building updates take a back seat for this issue, but will be back in force next time. Lets hope this good weather sticks around and we get another golden summer of riding.
WDHS Update
The first two rounds of the Wgtn DH Series have given us some exciting racing in very different conditions.
Upper Hutt turned on a stunner for the first round, a blue bird day with only a slight breeze. The Maidstone track was in top condition thanks to Kerry White and his crew of volunteers. On a dry track, some riders opted for long travel trail bikes over DH rigs, and with a pedally section at the top this paid dividends with some of these riders making the podium.
Event Photos and Videos
>Round two and a return to 98 DH in Karori.This area had been hit very hard by the July storms, and 6 weeks before race day, it was a mess of fallen trees. A huge thanks to WCC and their Tree Team for getting in there and clearing out the worst of it, and also to Tony Harvie and Curtis for leading another group of (mainly the same) volunteers to clear out the track and get it running again. With some wet weather early in the week, the tech sections of the track were always going to prove a challenge, especially the "Chute of death". A smaller turn out but once again some great racing.
Event Photos and Videos
Sherwin’s videos on YouTube
The final round of the series will be held at Long Gully Station on Dec 8th on Jawbone. Once again the track will be in tip top condition and our thanks to Dan Smith to leading the charge here again with that ever present band of volunteers. Over labour weekend, the track received a much over due hair cut and with some upgraded features, it should be an awesome race.
Whilst some categories look all but sewn up, the overall title is still very much up for grabs in Open Men, Masters 1 and Under 19. In Open Men, 25 points is all that separates the top 4 racers. It should be a great day of racing so get your entries in today.
The club would like to thank John Whale and Dave Preece for organising the races, and all the volunteers who help out with marshalling, timing, driving and everything else. With out people giving up their time to help out, we simply couldn't run these events, so we appreciate all your efforts.
Shuttle Days Will Be Back
Shuttle Days have taken a back seat for the last few months due to the DH series swallowing up nearly all our available volunteer time. But never fear, they will be back, and we have a little something special planned for December so stay tuned to the
Facebook page for details.
The Welly Enduro Series Is Coming
Yup we are well and truly jumping on the band wagon. The Welly MTB Club is partnering with PNP, Revolve, WTP and Makara Peak Supports for a new Enduro Series that will kick off in late January.
The series will bring in some existing events, including the Miramar Mini Enduro, Revolve Super V and the Mt Vic Super D. There will also be two brand new events for this year, that will both be multi stage enduros, one in Wainui and the other at Makara Peak.
The goal is to raise money for trail building and maintenance in each of the 5 trail areas that will be hosting an event.
Riders will accumulate points throughout the series, with their best 3 results counting towards the overall championship. In addition to this, all events will be part of the NZ Mtb Crown Enduro series. Most events will offer 2 courses, 1 for the hardcore, with a bit more tech thrown in, and another for the rest of us who want to test ourselves on something less critical.
So save the dates:
- Mt Crawford Mini Enduro - 20 Jan
- Wainui Enduro - 9 March
- Revolve Super V - 23 March (Women’s only event)
- Mt Vic Super D - 30 March
- Makara Peak Enduro - 6 April (Doubles as the Wgtn College Sports Enduro Champs)
Series entry will open in December, with a special deal for all those who sign up before Christmas.
We will need plenty of volunteers to help us run this series, so please get in touch if you know someone who can help us out. Drop an email to events@wmtbc.org.nz.
A Huge Thank You To Our Supporters
In addition to all the sponsors who have been assisting with the race series, the club has been very successful with grant applications recently. The committee has been putting in the hard yards on getting grant applications into shape.
- Miramar Track Project received a grant to help fund a container for tools and other equipment from the Infinity Foundation.
- Transpower has kicked in with a huge contribution for the Brooklyn Trail Builders to help complete the trail network. Check our news item for more details
- A huge thanks to the Lion Foundation who are chipping in to support the health and safety needs of the DH series. This includes a grant to help towards a new PA and generator which we will be using for race briefings at all our events.
And finally thanks to all the supporters of the Welly DH Series
- Cycle Science - Round 1 Title Sponsor
- Mud Cycles - Round 2 Title Sponsor
- Bike88 - Round 3 Title Sponsor
- The Rock Wellington
- Big Design
- PNP
- Upper Hutt City
- Wellington City Council
And now for something completely different
BMX set to return to Wellington
The new Capital BMX Club is looking to get a nationals level BMX track built at Ian Gallloway Park. The committee see this as a great opportunity for all riders in Wellington and are very much in support. Capital BMX are looking for expressions of interest from potential members to help with their plans and to get support for the track. For $10 you can register your support now, and this will be deducted from your first subscription.
