We first heard of the Gawton tracks sometime last year when Jonesy and I journeyed South in the old Caddy (Dirt 73), the locals mentioned a new downhill track under construction that we should visit. Time was tight and we didn’t visit, then we kind of forgot about it. Then I notice an article over on PinkBike, so I get in touch with the main man in charge these days AJ for the low down, here’s what he says:
Over the last year I have been working on a new DH site in the South West of England with Rowan Sorrell and a select few others. It has had a lot of hype and could well be one of the best downhill locations in the UK. Its opening has been long anticipated and has remained fairly secret amongst locals until now…
“England? The South West?” I hear you say, “there’s no decent hills there for a downhill track!”
Well you’re wrong, there are indeed a few hidden gems in the Devon valleys, one of which has been snapped up and some big things have been going on…
You may have heard of Rowan Sorrell, a World Class downhiller and track designer, responsible for DH tracks such as Cwm Carn, and trail centers such as Afan. I, and a couple of others were lucky enough to be part of the team designing and building 3 new tracks in the South West. After almost a year of very very hard work, lots of paper work, unforeseen problems and various other delays we are just about ready to open the location to the public.
http://mpora.com/videos/ToveynN0N
Gawton helmet cam. AJ following Rowan Sorrell down Super Tavi track >>
Gawton, the name of the place, will feature 3 downhill tracks. One will be a super fun, fast, smooth and flowy track graded blue or red (intermediate). The 2 others will be black/double black – one will be super technical, the other will be flat out and knarly!
Each of these tracks have been built to a very high standard and will be regularly maintained and managed by a dedicated team.
http://mpora.com/videos/qAhni4ckN
Gawton helmet cam – HSD track >>
It has had a lot of hype and its opening has been long anticipated. It has remained fairly secret amongst locals until now. It will be officially open in the new year (2009) and will hopefully feature a regular uplift service (currently being tested out to iron out any faults). We are trying to publicize the new site as much as possible as we honestly feel it could be one of the best riding locations in the country. The organizers of the national downhill races have already shown a great interest in using it as a future venue…
Keep your ears open for further news…
-AJ
Gawton Downhill mountain biking track
