Ace Woodley, just beamed in some Combe Syd track news.The race date is getting closer,  the track team have been out again.    It’s still a work in progress up there,  the process of the track shedding it’s winter coat,  parts being rebuilt,  tested, tweeked, then tested again all takes time,  still time for pre-race uplifts,  get in touch with Don at www.kustombikes.co.uk for info and booking on that.

The track is on private land,  in a working Estate.  DON’T go there unless you are booked in on a uplift,  as not all parts of the track are rideable,  and more important you will really piss off the landowner,   so don’t go there unless on a uplift day.

Well nicer weather this time,  and a rough guide from the top,  the first section from the start is clear and has some shallow berms,  after the first double and into a rocky section which has been laid down (quite a few tried to ride round it),  the bus stops have been cleared and running well,  the middle woods have had some filling and berm work done,  this was semi-taped to see how the tweeks work.  The gap jump big ramp appears to have had a makeover,  for part of the day this and the jumps in the upper field where off limits.  The first table has been reworked,  no longer a quad,  now a double.  The berms have seen some work and the upper field section is now wearing 16tons of 803 hardcore,  the lower field appeared unchanged,  the lower wood was semi-taped,  and the final jump over the stream has a better bridge for those that may come up short.

Feedback and further work in coming weeks,  things may change again,  work in progress,  things appear to be moving nicely up the Combe.

Joel Anderson on the top double near the start line,  under snow last time.  A few runs later Joel binned it in the middle woods (greasy mud) and injured a wrist.

I think this is Adam,  doing the rocks.   Not many looked happy in here and a couple went round it.

The run onto the fire-road for the bus stops.  The picture above is a quick snapshot,  the rider is hitting a root about 7 feet back and jumping down to the road.   In the picture below you get a better scale of things as he also pulled this trick as well,  only saw these 2 hit that line,  Adam landed to far to the right and clipped the barend on the embankment,  nearly throwing him over the bars,  ripped glove and a numb finger.

The take off root is out of shot,  but i had look,  he cleared 12 feet of track.

The middle woods,  taped to test some of the reworked bits,  nice wide taping saw loads of line choice,  however final taping will be day before practice for the race.   Nice and greasy down in the middle woods,  but old ruts are new berms.

Exit of the woods to the field,  the jumps where opened up later in the morning…..sure the ramp is a bit higher now from last time,  scared the crap out of a few 🙂  Olly Hooper came sailing over, cleared it, hit the berms, back tyre on the edge of totally letting go, roosting round both berms,  and just nailed the rest of the field,  the others there reckoned he isn’t even doing the race ?

Looking back up the field,  16tons of hardcore lining the track through here,  the days of drowning in the braking bumps of old are gone.   The jumps have been tweaked, shaped, refined.

Exit of the field,  over the tree stump jump into the bottom woods,  semi-taped in here to get the main lines ridden in and over the rocks,  some greasy off camber in here caught a few out,  then exit the woods to the finish line,  the double and stream jump ramp have seen some hardcore and reshaping,  and bridge lander in place for those that come up short.

It’s looking good,  new parts are bedding in.   Riders are coming to get pre race practice,  a Madison Saracen rider was filming runs 🙂  is that for the rest of the team to watch,  wideopenmag came down for a look about and test ride as well,  I wonder who will turn up on the next uplift day as we get closer to race date.

The final picture,  a bit of Steve and hardtail action.  I think next time i go up i will have to take a bike and get stuck in and not take so many pictures.

For racing go to www.halobritishdownhillseries.com  there are only a few places left at each round now,  and for Rd1 we are expecting  Steve Peat,  Si tells me Brycleand has signed up and Alex Bond,  others TBC.

For uplift days,  at the moment you can only ride if on a uplift so DON’T go there !  check www.kustombikes.co.uk and talk to Don.

Ace.