Hamsterley Down ‘n’ Out Round 1

The weekend of 15/16th December saw Ben travel the short distance to Hamsterley Forest in County Durham to race in round 1 of the Down ‘n’ Out winter series having moved up to the junior category.
The track was laid out to test the riders on all their skills and abilities, with tight sections twisting through the trees all the way from top to bottom, with the top section fast and flowing and the bottom section steep and rocky keeping you on your toes all the way down.
Ben had a good practice day despite coming off a couple of times on a particulary flat and icey corner, he was soon on the pace and getting to grips with all the obstacles put in his way.
Race day arrived and with another cold day in prospect the practice session got underway. Unfortunatley just as racing was about to start a rider was injured on the track and the ensuing delay meant 2 runs were no longer possible with the shorter daylight hours, so practice was extended for a further hour.
Once underway Ben put in a fast time of 1min 49.473secs putting him in 4th place and 8th place overall.