SDA Round 4

Pitfichie 7/8th July 2007

Round 4 of the SDA series was at Pitfichie Forest near Aberdeen. Parking on a steep field wasn’t easy but luckily we arrived there early and got a flat pitch. After walking the track on Friday night it was up early for practice on Saturday.

From the start the track goes across the tops of a moor winding down with fast, flat corners and boggy sections and some small jumps in the middle. This was where a lot of time would be made up. Sprinting the top section along the granite slabs leads you into the woods. Here there is a drop which lands onto a rutted section with roots and rocks everywhere. Over a jump and into a muddy corner and you go down a deep valley with tight rocky lines. Off another drop and round a berm leads you into the off camber section, keeping tight to the trees to avoid sliding out.

Here you go off a rock drop and then to the right where you go up and over a rock platform and back onto the muddy ground. Another off camber section with more rocks and tight trees keeps you on your toes. This leads you into a rocky shoot, picking the smoothest and fastest line through the rocks.

Round a berm to the left and round a flat right hand corner and you go off a small jump into a rocky left hand corner and then keeping high all the time you go over a set of off camber roots and round a tight tree. Round the tree and again keeping high you avoid the bog and go over the grass on the left. This leads you into an off camber rock section where it is hard to pedal so keeping speed through the rocks is vital.

Through this section and you go flat along the bottom of the wood and a long a smooth section with a few drops and roots to add some obstacles into the flat section. Over a set of roots to the left and your into the final few corners. Over a drop and you fly round a left hand berm and keeping on the inside line you go back to the right and off a small jump into the finish arena.

Sunday afternoon came and Ben set off foe his race runs. After some rain the sun came out and by race time the track had dried out a lot. Ben put in two good race times although the very flat track was difficult and finished in 14th place in the youth category.