NPS #1 - Reality Check
Pulling into the venue we pass Gee Atherton, current World Champion, outside his Animal Commencal team van setting up in the pits and I realize that this is a totally different ballgame. This is the first time I've been to an NPS – same for Senior team rider Elliot. It would be up to Junior Greg, who did a few NPS races last year, to show us the ropes.
The NPS (National Point Series) is only one wrung down the ladder from World Cup racing. It’s almost like a feeder series. No doubt tomorrow’s World Cup stars are racing NPS this weekend…along with some of today’s World Cup stars like Kovarik, Atherton, and Fairclough. To be honest though, apart from Brendan, I was more impressed with the British contigent in Expert and Elite. Their bike handling is off the hook. I couldn’t believe the speed around this big greasy off camber corner that the likes of Joe Barnes and Joe Smith could carry. Faster than Gee. Seriously. Check out this photo of Joe Smith…he was so far over I think he was dragging his knee for a good ten feet - and he rode this out!
The track was Ae Forest, one of the first venues for downhill in lower Scotland. It’s a somewhat uninspiring landscape, but sunshine was painting it in a good light on Saturday. The track, surprisingly, lacked the big features you might expect at this level. There were two table tops and a short but tricky rock garden with a 4 foot drop that lands you, well, in more rocks at quite a speed. The real challenges lay hidden in seemingly simple corners, tricky alternate lines, and a mixture of flat and off camber corners. Heaven forbid it would rain, but this is Scotland after all…
Greg and Elliot had a pretty good practice session on Saturday, getting about seven runs in along with some sessioning. I was watching them and they were getting their lines pretty dialled. But I was also watching the competition, and getting a bit nervous. Greg and Elliot smoke it on our little hill in Cannock and at the Racer’s Guild, and are either on or not far off the podium on the regional races. But this was another level.
On Sunday – race day – the difficulty level got a x2 multiplier with overnight rain. Out came the spikes for one or two practices and then seeding runs. Greg was down first with a 2:33 and we got pretty excited as he slotted into second place for a while…check the score board in the picture below. He eventually drifted into 10th, so we were on target for a top ten finish, which was the goal.
Elliot came down with a 2:36 and puzzled look on his face. He’d had a clean run, but he thought it would be faster. It’s not often Greg takes 3 seconds out of Elliot, but the course was constantly changing and may have suited Greg’s style a bit better. Elliot’s time still gave him the 8th spot in seeding (if I recall correctly)…pretty good!
You only get one race run at the NPS races – remember, this series is preparing riders for World Cup racing! Unfortunately Greg’s ended in disaster at the rock garden where he was ejected pretty hard after his shorts caught his shifter. It’s amazing and quite lucky he wasn’t hurt. He cruised down and landed at the end of the pack. That’s racing, eh?
Elliot had better luck, with a clean 2:35 run, finishing 12th. It’s a very good result for an NPS, and only fractions of a second from top ten, which was his goal. I’m very pleased, but I know Elliot went away a bit flummoxed. But he’s got a renewed determination to go faster and get on that podium.
I enjoyed watching over the weekend, spending some time with the guys, and snapped these pictures while dodging rain showers. I did wish I was racing, but I would have been schooled at this level. Maybe next time, if I can get some BC points and qualify… -Aaron
Dirt magazine has some videos up on their website here and here.
Unknown rider tackles the roots high above Ae Village
The NPS (National Point Series) is only one wrung down the ladder from World Cup racing. It’s almost like a feeder series. No doubt tomorrow’s World Cup stars are racing NPS this weekend…along with some of today’s World Cup stars like Kovarik, Atherton, and Fairclough. To be honest though, apart from Brendan, I was more impressed with the British contigent in Expert and Elite. Their bike handling is off the hook. I couldn’t believe the speed around this big greasy off camber corner that the likes of Joe Barnes and Joe Smith could carry. Faster than Gee. Seriously. Check out this photo of Joe Smith…he was so far over I think he was dragging his knee for a good ten feet - and he rode this out!
Joe Smith is the man. He rode this out.
The track was Ae Forest, one of the first venues for downhill in lower Scotland. It’s a somewhat uninspiring landscape, but sunshine was painting it in a good light on Saturday. The track, surprisingly, lacked the big features you might expect at this level. There were two table tops and a short but tricky rock garden with a 4 foot drop that lands you, well, in more rocks at quite a speed. The real challenges lay hidden in seemingly simple corners, tricky alternate lines, and a mixture of flat and off camber corners. Heaven forbid it would rain, but this is Scotland after all…
On of the best pics I took, and it happened to be my neighbor and RG rider Tom Knight!
Greg and Elliot had a pretty good practice session on Saturday, getting about seven runs in along with some sessioning. I was watching them and they were getting their lines pretty dialled. But I was also watching the competition, and getting a bit nervous. Greg and Elliot smoke it on our little hill in Cannock and at the Racer’s Guild, and are either on or not far off the podium on the regional races. But this was another level.
Greg pins his seeding run.
On Sunday – race day – the difficulty level got a x2 multiplier with overnight rain. Out came the spikes for one or two practices and then seeding runs. Greg was down first with a 2:33 and we got pretty excited as he slotted into second place for a while…check the score board in the picture below. He eventually drifted into 10th, so we were on target for a top ten finish, which was the goal.
The finish area, complete with Monster truck and...is that Si Paton? Or a small child?!
Elliot came down with a 2:36 and puzzled look on his face. He’d had a clean run, but he thought it would be faster. It’s not often Greg takes 3 seconds out of Elliot, but the course was constantly changing and may have suited Greg’s style a bit better. Elliot’s time still gave him the 8th spot in seeding (if I recall correctly)…pretty good!
Elliot enters the frame above the switchbacks.
You only get one race run at the NPS races – remember, this series is preparing riders for World Cup racing! Unfortunately Greg’s ended in disaster at the rock garden where he was ejected pretty hard after his shorts caught his shifter. It’s amazing and quite lucky he wasn’t hurt. He cruised down and landed at the end of the pack. That’s racing, eh?
Elliot had better luck, with a clean 2:35 run, finishing 12th. It’s a very good result for an NPS, and only fractions of a second from top ten, which was his goal. I’m very pleased, but I know Elliot went away a bit flummoxed. But he’s got a renewed determination to go faster and get on that podium.
If you ain't wheelying across the finish, you ain't tryin' hard enough!
I enjoyed watching over the weekend, spending some time with the guys, and snapped these pictures while dodging rain showers. I did wish I was racing, but I would have been schooled at this level. Maybe next time, if I can get some BC points and qualify… -Aaron
Dirt magazine has some videos up on their website here and here.
posted by Aaron at
22:37
2 Comments:
Great article Aaron and some great pictures to! looked like a good weekend away :)
Really good report, it will be interesting to see how the Squadrons speed increases over the season!
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