After years of lobbying; development applications submitted and numerous trips to Wollongong to meet with the punters at Council; ASRA had a win. 19 April 2012 is the inaugaral Mt Keira Challenge which becomes the very first event on the calendar of the the World Cup of Downhill Racing.
It started for me when Robbo was running out of personnel who held an MR drivers licence (Rigid vehicle up to 8t). I roped myself into it and became a volunteer. Early one morning I set out with Trav and Hendo to Ingleburn to pick up an 8 tonner with gates and relocate it to Castlereagh (near Penriff). We then shuttled back to Ingleburn to pick up an 8 tonne Tautliner to go to Castlereagh. Blackwood had a group of volunteers to bag 500 hay bales. The conditions were appalling. It was pouring with rain and these guys were in a paddock doing the hard work. The trucks were loaded and I returned the next day along with a friend of Robbo's family to relocate the trucks to Mt Keira. On the hill at Mt Keira we began dropping hay bales, the idea being that we provide safety for the riders on the corners. That done we went to the Mt Keira Scout Camp which ASRA had secured for the rider accomodation.
Robbo had issues with the timing system that caused him to have to revert to going back to old school cable running through the bush. Robbo, Trav and Hendo did the business in the leech infected areas of Mt Keira's bushland. Fortunately for Trav and Robbo the leeches were attracted to hendo like moths to a flame.
The trucks were going to be used to ferry the 120 riders from the bottom of the hill; back to the top.
The primary issue for the riders was the condition of the road. It had been raining and there was not sufficient sun to get the whole track dry.
We are indebted to Rob McWhinnie for taking on the responsibility of preparing meals for the 120 odd people. What an epic job considering that he and Maga were also racing.
It started for me when Robbo was running out of personnel who held an MR drivers licence (Rigid vehicle up to 8t). I roped myself into it and became a volunteer. Early one morning I set out with Trav and Hendo to Ingleburn to pick up an 8 tonner with gates and relocate it to Castlereagh (near Penriff). We then shuttled back to Ingleburn to pick up an 8 tonne Tautliner to go to Castlereagh. Blackwood had a group of volunteers to bag 500 hay bales. The conditions were appalling. It was pouring with rain and these guys were in a paddock doing the hard work. The trucks were loaded and I returned the next day along with a friend of Robbo's family to relocate the trucks to Mt Keira. On the hill at Mt Keira we began dropping hay bales, the idea being that we provide safety for the riders on the corners. That done we went to the Mt Keira Scout Camp which ASRA had secured for the rider accomodation.
Robbo had issues with the timing system that caused him to have to revert to going back to old school cable running through the bush. Robbo, Trav and Hendo did the business in the leech infected areas of Mt Keira's bushland. Fortunately for Trav and Robbo the leeches were attracted to hendo like moths to a flame.
The trucks were going to be used to ferry the 120 riders from the bottom of the hill; back to the top.
The primary issue for the riders was the condition of the road. It had been raining and there was not sufficient sun to get the whole track dry.
We are indebted to Rob McWhinnie for taking on the responsibility of preparing meals for the 120 odd people. What an epic job considering that he and Maga were also racing.
