The course was compact but filled with obstacles. The starting stair set seems eager to rip off chains and there weren’t many riders who didn’t have to stop and refit theirs at least once in the day. A set of wooden rollers then led riders up a short rise onto a stepped grass bank with slalom turns.

Next came the dreaded carnage corner. The left hand lane saw riders skittering off some steps round a tight concrete plinth, the right hand lane had them dropping off the bank and taking a wider corner on some rubber matting. Riders in both lanes were grateful for the bouldering mats used as padding.

The course then got back on the grass with a couple of kickers, some swooping flat turns, a road crossing then a dive down a bank across the finish. Total time was around 30 seconds – one mistake and your day was over.

Seeding was run on the riders’ right hand track and fastest man down was Brett Penfold with a 23.91. He pushed Steve Peat into second by 0.04 seconds with Orange’s Ben Moore in third.

In the women’s seeding Carrie Poole grabbed top billing with 27.65 followed closely by Anya Tolwinska and Ellie Dewdney.

With the crowd assembled there was only one thing to do, watch the gate and go racing!