Racing News |
Podium Finish for Daniel Fraser After Gruelling Clare Valley Mud Battle
Over the weekend I headed into the Clare Valley for the fourth round of the SART Championship. With a significant amount of rain in the lead up to the weekend, I was preparing for a mud race. But optimistic that conditions would be favourable! This was not quite the case as it was raining as I pulled into main control at the Clare Racecourse. The format for this event was a 6hr day/night race. The organisers had seeded the expert class of the previous round’s results; I was the fourth expert away and given a starting position of 34th. Ultimately, I was pretty happy to be starting in the thirties. The track would have an established line and if it was going to be muddy, the track would be in ok condition when I got to each section on the first lap.
I was due to leave main control at 1:34pm. Looking at the forecast early in the week, race-day was meant to be mild and sunny. But as with most weather forecasts, this was not the case as it started to rain as I left main control! It was a cold and miserable ride along the road out to section 1, but thankfully the rain passed as I arrived at the first control. Section 1 started in an open, grassy paddock, and I had an absolute ball! Yes, it was slippery from all the rain, but they were conditions that are right in my wheelhouse, and I had a great time flowing between the turns! Once we got out of the grass-track the course worked it’s way up and down a steep hillside. The slippery conditions proved to be difficult for some of the sidecars that were ahead of us as there were still bikes stuck in this section trying to get up the hills as I came through! The section then snaked along the top of the hill, significantly tighter and more technical than a usual section. Again, favourable terrain for my riding style and bike set-up. Section 2 was a few kms down the road, I’m not sure what kind of vegetation was in this section but it was about shin height and was strange to ride through, it hid enough of the terrain where I felt I couldn’t trust going off the main line in fear of clipping something hiding within it. Thankfully this was a relatively short section, and I got through without trouble. Section 3 was to the east of Clare and was another change in terrain. It was single track through the trees, linked together by rocky turns. I felt really strong through this section, it was a bit janky through some of the turns in this section but able to push the limit and record a solid time. The route then headed further east to a section that had featured in previous editions of the event. It started in some tight scrub before opening up and following an existing track in an open, grassy paddock. Once I got out of the trees the clay-based soil was very slick and you had to keep your wits about you. It was very easy to push the front or loose traction on the rear wheel. It was the type of soil that just sticks to everything, clogging tyres which further contributes to your lack of traction!
It was a long and cold transport to get out to sections 5 and 6 were both in the hills between Clare and Farrell Flat. The section snaked its way through a gully before going up and over a hill. These sections, traction was unpredictable. The terrain all looked the same but had slippery patches that were hard to anticipate. It didn’t help that both these sections were very fast and open, which made pushing the pace sketchy! I thankfully was able to keep it upright through both sections. I then jumped back on a transport to head to the 7th and final section. At most reliability trials, the transport sections are timed at 60 kph, this usually allows for ample time to complete the previous section then arrive at the next control with a few minutes to spare. However, the organiser must have mis-calculated the time between 6 and 7 as I arrived with the rider in front about to leave! This didn’t give me any time to prepare for the section or clean my goggles. Before I knew it, I was dropping straight into the section. I made and absolute meal of the muddy, rocky creek at the start. Legs flailing everywhere and far too much wheelspin. After the creek, we dropped back into some tight scrub, and I was able to find my flow again.
After the final section it was a short commute back to main control. When I checked the results, the times were showing I had the outright lead! I was pretty content with that, I didn’t have to push a crazy pace or take unnecessary risks, but I was able to lay down a competitive first lap. I left main control at 4:55pm for lap 2. The first two sections were quite tough due to the fading light. At that time in the day, it is not bright enough to see everything perfectly, but your lights offer little benefit when they’re on! After struggling through the first two, it was thankfully dark enough to make full use of the lights when I arrived at section 3. I felt good through 3, the track had formed well and provided a great line to follow throughout the section. However, things unravelled a bit through the following sections. I had a couple of silly low sides in the slick conditions. Nothing crazy, but a little bit of time here and there adds up! The rest of the lap went well but I was unable to claw back the time lost. Unfortunately missing out on the win by 48 seconds and having to settle for 3rd outright.
It’s a strange position to be in, 3rd outright is a bloody good result, but I can’t help to feel like it could have been better! Nonetheless everything is clicking this season, and the good results are compounding! I’ve made a ton of progress since last year and It’s only a matter of time before it all comes together!
Next up I’m tackling the 24hr on the 11th and 12th of July, and I’m keen to see how I stack up! Thank you all for your gracious support!