After all

the pain and effort we had an awesome MX National!

There were still some ponds remaining from the previous weeks deluge!

Getting that hole shot!

Like ducks is a row!

Spectators! Wow the biggest turnout ever!

7th Heaven! The jump that seems so terrifying but loved by all that have mastered it!

Pit lane!

A view from the Marathon Mountain!

A very fine day after all!

This was the morning after the day before, hard to imagine how busy it had been, then the front end loader arrived and the post race fix up was done, this was the first time we have done this and the track should stay in this condition for at least 3 months now, I hope all the locals appreciate Anton's effort as well.

Anton doing his thing! If I ever win the Lotto I will buy him a tractor!

Cornering at speed!
Well done to Anton and all the other members that did their part in making this 20th anniversary BORC National a great success!
"No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it." H.E. Luccock

Stop...

means STOP! Even a kid knows that... Or so I thought, this past Saturday I was gobsmacked when virtually the whole Quad class ignored this most basic of signs and proceeded to blast over the crossing at top speed. Of course the subsequent list of exclusions from the day's results was not taken well by many. Unfortunately I am not letting safety take a second place to popularity or convenience, neither did some of the race jury members, MSA now has to decide... and I will comment further when that happens. in the meantime... please Stop!

"With a stop light, green means 'go' and yellow means 'slow down'. With a banana, however, it is quite the opposite. Yellow means 'go', green means 'whoa, slow down', and red means 'where the heck did you get that banana?'" Mitch Hedberg (1968 - 2005)

"One only needs two tools in life: WD-40 to make things go, and duct tape to make them stop." G. Weilacher

Rough Ride

We went to Rouxville this weekend for me to clerk the Rouxville 200 off road race, stayed with the Heyn's family who were "hosting" the main part of the event activities on their farm. It is a small world when I found out that their son was a friend of my kids. Sadly he had passed away last year in September. Even in their sorrow they found place to remember what their son loved most and the organisers also dedicated the race to him. I hope that somehow the event helped them in the healing process after the loss. We will miss you Phillip but you will never be forgotten.

Inspecting the route... KLR style! We had great fun doing the shorter route, albeit at a lesser pace than the competitors.
The day before...
Race Day at 07h30... the first competitors set up pit facilities.
Documentation, the ladies sorting out the entrants.
Riders briefing... pointing out the things to remember.

First pair off...
Even the local Constabulary lent an enthuisiastic hand.
All seems to be in place, the Route Marshal and COC sharing a joke.
Race Control... before the radio fried.
Hold still for your tick! Tick marshal at work at Race Control.
Even the rain gave us a break, sunset after a pretty good day.
Trophies and the COC's drink waiting for the results to become final.
"Next year we will do it this way" doing some retrospection about the day's race. Andre, Carel myself and Francois discussing the event and some of the inccidents and feedback from the riders. As usual we could never please them all but one thing was clear... they all said it had been well marked and organised. Unfortunately we had two injuries and we wish both riders with speedy recovery.

Our hosts were amazing and we have new friends for life...

"Traveling there was really boring so I headed for the ditch. It was a rough ride but I met more interesting people there." Neil Young

Accepting the challenge

This week has been a horrendous week for all forms of powered racing. Three pilots killed in Reno and Collin McCrae dies in a helicopter crash near his house. My thoughts go to the families of all involved.
A pictorial tribute...
In August of 2006, McRae and co-driver Nicky Grist competed for Subaru in the first live televised American rally in Los Angeles and finished second despite rolling his car

However one must remember all of them were doing something they loved and I am borrowing a poem from Scully at Skywritings to illustrate this.
And shouldn't I have,
knowing that this might be the last,
raced my craft around the sky once more,
just to feel the stick clasp my hand back,
joined in the thrall,
dancing with the wind
waltzing with the blue
knowing that never after should I feel so free,
so sure in risk, so sure in this, my calling
taming this sky with the pride of experience.
my future just a glint in the horizons
I hurl myself up to meet my fate---
"scully" 2007

I feel the same when I get on my bike, I know it has it's dangers, I am still in plaster from the last minor miscalculation, but the feeling of freedom and being able to give my thoughts wings as I wind my way down a twisty mountain pass is something I always want to be able to do. Actually I ache to do it, before the accident I would find any excuse to rather use the bike than the car. Now I can hardly wait for me to take it for a spin again. I am sure they also felt the same way about flying and racing.
People who pass from this mortal coil pursuing their dream and passion are fortunate in a sense... second only to those that give their lives protecting others. So I am sad at their passing but salute their lives as they were living their dreams and showing us all how to really live... You will be missed.
"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power." - Lao-Tzu

What happened on yours?

I do not usually take part in these meme things but this one over on Jock's place made me want to give it a bash. So here is mine for June 11...
Three Events That Occurred on My Birthday
1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy was sacked and burned, according to the calculations of Eratosthenes.
That is something I did not know! WOW
1776 - Continental Congress appoints Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to a committee to draft a declaration of independence.
Cool!
1935 - Inventor Edwin Armstrong gives the first public demonstration of FM broadcasting in the United States, at Alpine, New Jersey.
And that was the start of the POP era and the springboard for music as we have it today as far as I am concerned.
Two People Who Share My Birthday
1910 - Jacques-Yves Cousteau, French explorer and inventor (d. 1997)
Cool!
1939 - Jackie Stewart, Scottish race car driver.
Never knew that my all time F1 hero was born on my birthday!
One Holiday Celebrated on My Birthday
Kamehameha Day, official state holiday of Hawaii, United States, in honor of its first monarch, celebrated with floral parades, hula competition, and festivals.
Always liked Hawaii...
Five People I'm Tagging;
The first five on my blogroll to respond... leave a note on the comments if you care to join in the fun.
Sorry but that is all I have for today... I quess the quote sums it up...
"Sometimes the mind, for reasons we don't necessarily understand, just decides to go to the store for a quart of milk." Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, Northern Exposure, Three Doctors, 1993

No camera again!

High drama today on campus as I left the one Caf where I had been sorting out a comms problem... mmm now who is burning stuff in front of then West entrance I think to myself when it strikes me there is a small commotion going on and fellas dressed in blue running around with extinguishers and a car is burning... sorry blokes but the golden 2 minutes are gone... that baby is gonna burn!
As most rally enthusiast and racers will attest, you have 2 minutes tops to hit the extinguisher if you smell smoke on a rally car... if you see flames you bale out and let it burn... your own skin is worth more than a few hundred grand rally car.
The same goes for civilian rust buckets... usually by the time you smell the smoke the flames have taken hold under the bonnet and it is pretty dangerous to pop the hood and disconnect the battery, meanwhile the clock is ticking down to 120 seconds elapsed... that is when the fuel lines, brake lines etc. melt and dump their contents into the growing conflagration. Time to phone your insurance broker and tell him to bring the claim forms forthwith and then the fire brigade... just to make sure no other cars go up in smoke...
Sad but a fact of life unfortunately. This song is what went through my head while I watched this unfortunate incident... Somone is Carlos tonight...
Burn Baby Burn - ASH - Written by Tim Wheeler

You're all I have in this teenage twilight
Your golden hair and pale blue eyes
But through all the days and the sleepless nights
We have never been satisfied
Tumbling like the leaves
Yeah, we are spiralling on the breeze
Almost to the point of no return
Everything will burn baby burn

Look into my tired eyes
See someone you don't recognise
Binds that can't be untied
Oh this is slow suicide
Feelings that I can't disguise
And never will be reconciled
Oh something inside has died

You walk like you're in a daze
Unresponsive eyes in a distant gaze
Like all the good times have flown away
And their memory leaves a bitter taste
Tumbling like the leaves
Yeah, we are spiralling on the breeze
Destructive love is all we have
Destructive love is all I am

Look into my tired eyes
See someone you don't recognise
Binds that can't be untied
Oh this is slow suicide
Feelings that I can't disguise
And never will be reconciled
Oh something inside has died

Vicious bitter words
Becoming more and more cruel
But you always take me back
And let me lick your wounds
Tumbling like the leaves
Yeah, we are spiralling on the breeze
Almost to the point of no return
Everything will burn baby burn

Look into my tired eyes
See someone you don't recognise
Binds that can't be untied
Oh this is slow suicide
Feelings that I can't disguise
We're living in a compromise
Oh something inside has died
I hope this ends the misfortune I have seen, experienced and lived through the last few days... Things can only get better! As the D:ream song attests...
Things can only get better - D:Ream
You can walk my path, you can wear my shoes
Learn to talk like me and be an angel too
But maybe you ain't never gonna feel this way
You ain't never gonna know me, but i know you
I'm singing it now-
Things can only get better
They can only get better if we see it through-
that means me and I mean you too
So teach me now that things can only get better,
They can only get, they only get, take it on from here
You know i know that things can only get better

I sometimes lose myself in me, I lose track of time
And I can't see the wood for the trees
You set them alight
burning bridges as you've gone
I'm too weak to fight ya
I've got my personal hell to deal with, then you say
Walk my path, wear my shoes, talk like that-
I'll be an angel then
Things can only get better
they can only get better, now i found you
Things can only get better, they can only get better,
now I found you
and you and you
You have shown me prejudice and greed
And you've shown me how I must learn to deal with this disease
I look at things now in a different light than I did before
And I've found the cause
and I think you can be my cure
So teach me to...
Walk your path, wear your shoes, talk like that, I'll be an angel and
Things can only get better.....
Tomorrow will be a better day I say, every day seems better than the last when one looks back. I think a stiff one for medicinal use is called for tonight...
"Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water." W. C. Fields (1880 - 1946)

Amica donna mia

The title means "My lady friend" in Italian, to me the most romantic language to listen to in song, as I do not speak it or French for that matter I suppose it is a silly statement, but I have always found Italian songs more comfortable on the ear than French. Francisco Napoli, Eros Ramazzotti, Zuchero, Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli and the list goes on, all favourites of mine and all speak to my heart better than most French singers, the exception being Francoise Hardy... I had a schoolboy crush on her when her song Only You Can Do It (Je veux qu'il revienne) was a hit in the mid sixties and the pictures of her helped too...
I remember this one... sellotaped to my door...
My image of the quintessential Biker Chick... maybe she started me thinking about bikes?
Francois today... still good looking but not my type anymore... but I still like her music. In any case this is going slightly off track here, I wanted to focus on the Italian singers and the way they carry the passion of the song through their voices.

The song in question by Eros Ramazotti will always hold a special place in my heart as it reminds me of KatieB, when I hear it I picture her on the stand at the track, score sheet in hand, watching the bikes going over the finish jump while the song plays over the PA. I suppose I should have been focused on the race but I could not help stealing a glance her way and noticing how enthralled she was with the race. I think I feel the same way when I look at her, I see someone that is willing to put up with this crazy guy that loves motorbikes and dirt racing then I realize it is more than that... she actually shares my passions, how great is that? So to my Amica donna mia I want to say you stole my heart again that day... I hope to lose it each time we have an adventure or spend time together. Can one lose your heart to a friend? I believe so... I had better stop before I cause another Tsunami...

Just like a month ago when I went and blurted out my feelings over coffee and muffins... not that they have changed much. I have just learned to take each day at a time and be the person that she feels safe with, it is a learning curve for both of us I suppose but every day I realize this is a precious thing that has been given to us and we should treat it as such and nurture it like a special plant in a garden, too much water and it drowns, too much fertiliser and it wilts, too much pruning and it dies back. What I want to say is that I will always be your friend my Amica donna mia...

So here is my verse set to the same title:
Ere there was a time I was alone like the sands on the shore,
One amongst a billion, unseen unnoticed, unwitnessed,
Then my eyes were opened,
My soul was touched,
My life became reality,
You became my witness and I became yours,
You showed me that my dreams had purpose,
You became a lighthouse in my storms,
My arms became stronger,
Walls came tumbling down,
Friendship forged through adventure shared,
Amica donna mia forever.

Zen and the art of collaboration

KatieB has some excellent pictures up from yesterday's racing, much better than I take for sure.
We have a new vision for the club and maybe a new name... I suggested Central Dirt Racers... hope it sticks. I just hope all these plans get implemented and that the people making all the suggestions have the guts to persevere and not once again leave it up to the few die hard's to carry the load. It would be great to have a place where dirt racing is the passion of all concerned. I know for one that come what may it is now ingrained in my skin and soul... The smell of wet dirt as a bike comes through a berm followed by the smell of expended racing fuel is like a sweet incense. How this became a passion is a mystery to me but since I get so much satisfaction in being involved I do not try and dissect it at all, I just accept it as another gift of love from God. I have always loved motorcycles but dirt bikes and the races have become a part of me. I will always be involved in some way or another.
I also enjoy getting things done as a team and we have such a bunch of willing people that love the sport as much as I do, I just hope that the new direction does not turn into a bureaucratic nightmare but with a good set of rules this will be avoided. So the quote is most fitting... MX riders lick gravity regularly...
Now to bed, it was a long meeting and a glorious ride home on Shrek... I did not even feel the chill! The streets are rather quite on a Monday night at 23:50... much safer than weekends at that time...
"We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming." Wernher von Braun (1912 - 1977)

Plumbtucker

I feel like a beaver that has just completed a huge dam wall... tired but satisfied with a job well done... Thanks KatieB your team was great! Anton, the track was awesome. The medics were top notch! The riders that pitched up were great sports. All in all a MX race of note... the ones that were not there are the poorer for not going to the trouble to race. I hope the word goes out that the race was Megalicious! Hope KatieB posts some pictures as I was just too busy.
Since KatieB enjoyed the song so much from "Sabbatical" here are the words to Here With Me by Dido;

I didn't hear you leave, I wonder how am I still here,
I don't want to move a thing, it might change my memory
Oh I am what I am, I'll do what I want, but I can't hide
I won't go, I won't sleep, I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me
I won't leave, I can't hide, I cannot be, until you're resting here with me
I don't want to call my friends, they might wake me from this dream
And I can't leave this bed, risk forgetting all that's been
Oh I am what I am, I'll do what I want but I can't hide
I won't go, I won't sleep, I can't breathe until you're resting here with me
I won't leave, I can't hide, I cannot be, until you're resting here with me.
The afforementioned playlist is rather long, so tonight I am dispensing with posting it, maybe as a post of it's own.
So to bed I go... satisfied with life and the Universe as it is... Thankful to my Creator that He willed it so...

"The enemy came. He was beaten. I am tired. Goodnight." Vicomte Turenne, Message sent after the battle of Dunen, 658

Drop of a hat

When I clicked on Winamp tonight it started of with Dakota by Stereophonics... great song with a good beat by the way. Then I realised that it has been more than a week that KatieB and I have last had some adventure together... I miss that! I must compile a list of drop of a hat adventures to do for when we both get a break from normal life. My personal adventures this week have been to just get all my stuff at work up to date but that is more like ">Mission Impossible than an adventure. So untill I get that list figured out my main aim is getting all in place for next weekends MX, taking more steps in the Ops GOF planning and trying my hand at graphic designer for the Big Adventure's website.

Dakota - Stereophonics
Thinking about thinking of you
Summertime think it was June
Yeah think it was June
Laying back, head on the grass
Children grown having some laughs
Yeah having some laughs.

Made me feel like the one
Made me feel like the one
The one
Made me feel like the one
Made me feel like the one
The one

Drinking back, drinking for two
Drinking with you
And drinking was new
Sleeping in the back of my car
We never went far
Needed to go far

Made me feel like the one
Made me feel like the one
The one
Made me feel like the one
Made me feel like the one
The one

I don?t know where we are going now
I don?t know where we are going now

Wake up cold coffee and juice
Remembering you
What happened to you?
I wonder if we?ll meet again
Talk about us instead
Talk about why did it end

Made me feel like the one
Made me feel like the one
The one
Made me feel like the one
Made me feel like the one
The one

I don?t know where we are going now
I don?t know where we are going now

So take a look at me now

So this weekend will be a "go with the flow" type of weekend, I may check out the Karting on Saturday and see how the track fixing goes as well. The scorer Caravan must also be moved. So I have enough to keep me busy...
Bisonburger from the herd that appeared in 'Dances With Wolves.' On the menu at Al's Oasis in Oacama, South Dakota

Backblogging

Should one backblog? that is when you blog about something after the fact so to speak but make the date correct for the subject. I do sometimes and have been doing so for my 12 Days with Shrek journal. I do not think it is cheating but it does show a chink of procrastination I suppose.
Anyway... I will be backblogging sometime about Bill Flynn, my favourite South African actor. I see his memorial service will be on the 23rd July... hamba gashle Bill. I bet the Angels are in hysterics at present with your tales. Maybe God needed some cheering up.
I have a motorsport meeting later that I am not looking forward to... I am not good in confrontation, especially with numbskull's.
6 hours later...
The meeting actually went well... there were no fisticuffs and some good points were raised... but I have this deja vu feeling that this has been said and done before... now to see if the words will become deeds. We all want to promote dirt racing in it's various forms.
The only thing I regret is that I had to turn KatieB down for coffee, I would have rather done that than a stressful meeting. The quote sort of sums up my feeling about my love for being involved with dirt racing and the club affairs. I just detest the politics involved...
That is why I like adventureing with Katieb... there is no hidden agenda or facade... we are who we are... I love it that way...
"Play: Work that you enjoy doing for nothing." Evan Esar (1899 - 1995), Esar's Comic Dictionary

Lagging blogging

Yeah I know I am lagging behind but blogging is playing second fiddle to Life As We Know It... (a Blog title in there somewhere!)
My previous blog mentioned a playlist that went down well at yesterday's MX race... and it brought us rain as well, fortunately it was not a Noachian Deluge and we could finish the races although we snipped about 8 minutes off each moto for the the last set of heats and then the heavens opened again... prize giving was a very intimate affair for those hardy souls that stayed for their share of the booty. We all squeezed into the clubhouse stoop and Anton's gazebo.
[Reserved for pics!]
As soon as our intrepid Chief Scorer Thea remembers I may post some pics... yours truly was too busy as COC to take much in the way of photos... although I do wish we had some of the Crash of Note, executed by Estefan, who had no clue where he was for a while! I never knew a human body could do such contortions and bounce like that without breaking bones... Those Angels need serious overtime pay.
Now I know today's quote has little to do with Motocross crashes but at least it has "crash" and "bumpy" in it... so maybe there is a connection? in any case I loved Northern Exposure... wish it was on TV again.
"Most of you have been where I am tonight. The crash site of unrequited love. You ask yourself, How did I get here? What was it about? Was it her smile? Was it the way she crossed her legs, the turn of her ankle, the poignant vulnerability of her slender wrists? What are these elusive and ephemeral things that ignite passion in the human heart? That's an age-old question. It's perfect food for thought on a bright midsummer's night."
Martin Sage and Sybil Adelman, Northern Exposure, The Bumpy Road to Love, 1991

See the yellow spot...

way up the mountain? That was one of the Marshall points on the route for the Rouxville 200 off road race.

Being MSA Steward afforded me more time to take pictures, here is the Bike Start at 09:30, 56 bikes entered

Kenny screwing his eyes shut from the glare of a scorching sun!
And this was the Quad Start at 13:30, 67 quad entries in all. Minus the one dude that had no racing kit!

Last quad home was at 17:25. To Sarel, Ria and all the other organizers and sponsors, job well done. The venue was 100% better than last year and the route was well marked as usual, technical but not dangerous, the average speed of both the leading Quad and Bike was well within the 60 Kph target. To all the Welkom riders... grow some! This is off road racing, not flat track or drags! Here one can see the dust trail of one of the quads negotiating the trail down the first leg.
And this was the same guy approaching the pit section... still going flat taps, balls to the wall!
A dedication Cross for Elmer Symonds was also present during the race and prizegiving, it will be at each of our regional events, thanks guys this is a wonderful memorial to a bloke that lived for the sport.
After the racing the dam became a good spot to relax and cool down in after a very hot and hectic days racing.
All in all a great event and I am looking foreward the the Mayaputi 200 next month... but as I will be scoring there will not be much time for picture taking.
"Dedication is not what others expect of you, it is what you can give to others." Unknown

Chillingly hot

Blogging time has been rather scarce... what with not getting enough sleep (a book on it's own),getting last weekends MX regional up and running and work it has been way down the to-do list... maybe this weekend will allow me to do some updating...
In the meantime it is scorching hot... not abnormal though, it has been much hotter! Something to do with El Nino not Global Warming.
Saturday was one mad rush, as well as being COC, I had to grab a scoresheet for some of the races, without W as assistant COC it would have been chaos... All pics I got was during documentation before racing started.

So here I am, sipping lime juice with lots of ice and wondering what quote would go with "chill" and "summer"... voila!
"The bone-chilling scream split the warm summer night in two, the first half being before the scream when it was fairly balmy and calm and pleasant for those who hadn't heard the scream at all, but not calm or balmy or even very nice for those who did hear the scream, discounting the little period of time during the actual scream itself when your ears might have been hearing it but your brain wasn't reacting yet to let you know."
Patricia E. Presutti, 1986 winner of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest

Leat the brace begin...

actually it has begun and BMW and KTM are endorsing the Leat Brace by bringing out branded models of this South African developed neck brace for all motorcycle use as well as all other forms of motor racing.

I also want to congartulate Dr. Chris Leatt on his pioneering work in the developement of what I believe is an essential part of the overall safety kit required by any Motocross or Offroad rider. I hope that it becomes mandatory as soon as possible and I will be doing my bit to get it on the MSA list.

Hat Tip to the Kneeslider for pointing out this safety device.
"Racing Smarter Does Not Cost, It Pays!"

Whoops!

Saturday was our annual Guy Fawkes practice and braai... all I can say is I need a week to catch up with lost sleep... after playing "Time to say goodbye" by Sarah Briteman I managed to get away at around 2AM Sunday morning... and the guys who were going to sleep over were still awake around the fire... I wonder if they ever slept!
The main thing is that after the weeks good rain and Anton's efforts with the tractor the riders all had an awesome practice... and then had an awesome party... I forgot what I played or how many, will try to ressurect the playlist and add it here sometime... meantime I have to get to bed to face Monday!

Traction!!!!!!!!!

Tractor pulls: they're in it for the short haul
This is what I call TRACTION!

This is what a Rally car should look like...

This is Gugu Zulu's car after final controll at the Windmill Casino in Bloemfontein... his was the dirtiest car and one of the last finishers of 25 out of the field of 45 entries in this years Osram Rally!
The Subaru of Salie du Toit and Gert Janse van Rensburg, Number 68 was left in the veld as a burnt out hulk after pulling off with a flat... ingnoring rule 2 of rallying (Never pull off in long grass.) can be terminal! Fortunately the occupants were able to tell the tale of woe afterwards.
Dave Ledbitter one of the photgraphers from Motorpics had two narrow shaves as well, first narrowly missing the signboards at a T junction and then getting tattered and torn when he and a barbed wire fence were taken out by one of the competitors who had a brake pedal failure! His clothes looked like a tramp's after this... Here is Klaas Geswindt dashing off to find the next spot for photos... More on the fence episode and the rally at Rally Star. Picture from Motorpics site.
This is the winning Polo of Jan Habig and Douglas Judd. Scarcly dirty... I suppose being lead car has it's advantages!
I had the honour of being asked to assist on the Scrutineering team.
To Fred Vroomen and the other organisers I want to say job well done! It was great fun and I will be there to assist again next year! Hopefully I will be able to go out on the route as well as an observer.
I missed the Bloemfontein Air Show at Tempe Airfield though... but the Sasol Tigers made a pass at the final controll... although I did not get such a good picture... check the two L29's in close formation at the top of the picture.