THE DUSTIN RUDMAN INVITATIONAL
13TH AND 14TH AUGUST 2016 (HELDERKRUIN HILL)
Going into the second round of The Dustin Rudman Invitational I wanted to have a completely new track that most participants have not ridden. I also wanted the track to be more rider friendly to beginners and kinda give everyone a fair chance to contend with the ‘top dawgs’.
I started cleaning up sections of an old existing trail a bunch of us built a couple years back, and to that I added a couple of new sections which consisted of steepish flat corners, a couple of tight switch backs and some super drifty turns. I kept in mind that with the amount of traffic that will be going through the track its definitely going to change things up for the better. I must send a big shout out to the boys that helped me out in prepping this track, to name a few, Bushpig, Frank, Marnus, Luke, Mikey, Cyril, Josh. Thanks for all the help chaps.( I may have missed a few names, apologies)
The event weekend was approaching fast and it was that time to tackle the organising and planning, as usual the nerves and anxiousness were strongly making their presence felt! I can never get too used to this feeling, seems to get stronger each time. Its a good feeling I guess.
Race weekend was finally here with those early morning wake ups and the winter chill still in the air.
Saturdays practice started off at 9am, it was a slow start but in time gained some momentum and the hill was a buzz! Saturday saw about 75 odd riders making their way down the little hill. Track conditions were changing all the time with lots of braking bumps forming, and lots of loose turf all over the place. It was a ‘Dusty’ affair for sure, almost impossible to follow your mates down the trail. This was definitely going to make Sunday very interesting as riders would may need to change up a few of their lines to make things smoother.
Race day was upon us! Practice started from 8.30a.m and was meant to end at 9.30a.m but I made a call and added another 30min extra. Being in charge has a few perks I guess, haha. The track was now a completely different terrain to what we had first started practicing on.
Race runs began at 10.45a.m with the race format of best out of two runs. So basically which ever time was your fastest out of the two runs counts towards final results. David Messem did another exceptional job with his timing system, it definitely made life easier working out the times! Thanks David!
We had a stacked field of riders, in total of 95 entries and 87 of those actually racing! It’s the biggest we've had to date. Huge shout out to all the riders that took part in this event! You guys make it happen, and make it happen well! Shot guys!
Unfortunately with this kind of fun we take risks, and we had a couple of nasty oopsyies. There was one major crash in particular that sent Richard Chris Hornsey off to visit the hospital. He ended up having a dislocated elbow which from the pictures looked like a completely destroyed arm! Speedy recovery man! See you on the trails in 8 weeks!! Listen to the doctor too, haha.
All in all I rate we had a hugely successful event with smiles coming from everybody ,which is what I love to see!
We had riders joining us from two other provinces(maybe there were more, I get confuse with so much going on). The Natal peeps, always good to see your faces in this hood for a change and the Mpumalanga gents, always a pleasure having you with us!
Wrapping things up we get to the results, theres some seriously fast up and coming pinners around!
The Ladies first of all ,always impressive! Throwing themselves down an intimidating hillside, well done to all of you. A special mention to Beani!!!! You legend! She smoked a good number of the lads, and she's not slowing down! Keep an eye out on this speed queen! A full podium for the ladies, good stuff!
The HARDtails! One of my favourite to watch, brings me back to my roots, some epic skills going on there with these guys. Well ridden to Rob Frost, #whatapinner!
The Juniors, so awesome to see so many young gunners at it! This is the future, lets keep it up! Little Matthew Minter sending it into 1st place and 3rd overall. I've been watching him, he's definitely put in some work for that result. Keep it tidy.
The Super Junior, this little guy seriously has some huge determination, riding a bike that practically weighs in at the same weight as him . Duncan Spence you champ! Keep it up!
The Vets, these 'old ' guys are defo not slow, you give the rest of us hope. Rory Grobler, you should try staying for prize giving just once, i'm tired of your baggage. haha. Well done on your big W.
The Subvets, always a super competitive category! These are the in-between pinners! Nice ride Cyril! Keep it up, we wish you luck for your masters World Champs over in Italy, remember to keep it tidy.
The 'Hashtaggers' Enduro boys, super talented riding over here! John-Michael du Preez taking top spot here! This guy has never been to one of these events, he came and lit it up. Good going!
The Elite or Downhill boys, pretty stacked category with some heavy shredders with the likes of Tiaan Odendaal, Frank-dowg Meyer, Kelvin Purchase and a well known,back in the day as we call it, shredder Ryno Fourie who finally graced us on race day. Tiaan took the top step and the overall. Well done chaps!
I know its a long read but I got to practice my typing, fingers need exercise. That being said I'd like to send my greatest of thanks to once again all the riders!
A double dosage of thank you to all the sponsors involved in The Dustin Rudman Invitational ! You guys are top notch!
Here's to naming them, Rapid Studio, Red Bull SA, Skullcandy SA ,G-Form SA, ShreddTech, Royal Racing, Kitted, Gravity Hub, Adidas Eyewear, Gravity Timer, Jt racing and to Adventure Life!
Thanks to the medics, Quick Response Services, always a pleasure having you with us, we feel so much safer in your hands.
To Arthur Driver and Bushpig, thanks to you guys for always willing to organise the shuttle truck and a driver, much appreciated.
The Rapid Studio staff, thanks for being our trusty energetic marshalls! Many overlook the importance of the role you play, so thanks for your services!
The Digital View staff, always happy to help, doing all kinds of things, thanks again.
To Cafe88 , I always seem to miss mentioning you guys on race days talk, thank you once again for all your awesome foods and coffee. Really cool having you with us. Those egg and bacon rolls, continued life changing experience. Cheers guys!
My last thank you goes to Laura Minter for helping organise all the nitty gritty paper work side of things, definitely an important helping hand. Thank you!
Right with that said, check out the results and we will catch you in December, thats the 3rd and 4th!
See you on the trails!
Cheers, Dusty
