BUCS Downhill Championships 2013 – Preview

This coming weekend the BUCS downhill Championships head to Combe Sydenham in Somerset.  Below we have some info sent over from the event organiser, Chris Roberts.

Organiser Schedule:

Friday 19th April
09.30 – 17.00 Registration Open
09.00 – 10.15 DH Course open for foot inspection only
10.15 – 17.00 DH Course open for Practice with Uplift
17.30 – Team Captains and Riders briefing
Saturday 20th April
08.00 – 11.30 Registration Open
08.00 – 12.15 DH Course open for Practice with Uplift
13.00 – 15.15 Qualifying Run
16.00 – 17.00 Championship Run
17.30 – Medal PresentationTop 100 men and top 10 women qualify for Championship race only.

The track:
The local trail boss Dave Walker-Blai said is getting down to work on the track to get it in the best shape possible after the weekends BDS race. He has taken Wednesday off work to hit the track hard, planning to completely tidy the top section, tape and clear out a new middle woods line above the road gap, tidy the field and put some more harcore down in the landing of the gap and up to the first berm and. He then plans to tape a new line for the rock drop at the bottom. The track will also be ridding in on Wed evening with some locals to make sure all the new work is tip top and flowing well. He has also taken Friday off work to get out there early and be on hand to help out and change anything you don’t like about the track or to fix any bits you want to change.
The fire road has also taken a hammering, but work is already on its way to get this back up to shape.

Unfortunately the Combe Sydenham BDS race was targeted by thieves at the weekend, the BUCS event will have a security guard on Friday night but riders need to lock there bikes away in cars or vans. The security will be doing patrols of the area through the night to help keep everyone safe. They are not responsible for any thefts that take place they are as a deterrent to the thieves. So lock it or loose it!

Camping:
The camping area can be found at the venue, and there are portaloos and catering onsite for your comfort. Combe Sydenham Country Park is a private estate, as such we ask all competitors to respect the land owners and neighbours by adhering to a few site rules:
• No fires whatsoever are permitted onsite.
• No loud music to be played – please respect other riders and neighbours.
• Riders should respect that land owners and under no circumstances approach private houses on-site.
• There will be portaloos on-site for rider’s convenience. Please respect these and leave them in the state that you found them in.
• There will be a skip on site, all riders must ensure than any rubbish they bring with them is deposited in the skips, no rubbish should be left at the site.

Please note any disruptive behaviour will result in ejection from the campsite and the competition, and could result in disqualification for the entire team and further disciplinary action.

BUCS Student Champs Downhill, Rheola – EyesdownFilms.tv from Eyesdown Films on Vimeo.

Registration:
All riders will need to register to pick up their race number before practice or competing. Registration will take place in the BUCS tent from 8am on Friday 19th April

Marshal Information:
Marshal briefings will be at the Extreme Paramedics Tent. Please be punctual.
Marshalls will be required to be at the Marshall brief 1 hour before their start time – It will take approx 1 hour from start of brief to Marshalls being in place.
There will be 2 x briefs per day, taking place at the Extreme Medics tent:
(Friday & Saturday)
Morning brief: 0815 – On course 0900 – 1315
Afternoon brief: 1230 – On course 1315 – 1745
(Please note no Marshall should move from their position until their replacement arrives )

Note For Marshalls:
All Marshalls will need warm and waterproof clothing – As you will be on the hill for a number of hours you should have with you: Warm clothes, Waterproofs, Woolly hat, Gloves, Food & Drink. Everyone will be given a brief prior to going on the hill and will need to collect a whistle, Radio, 2 flags and a vest – You should arrive at the brief with everything you need to go on the hill.
There will be a marquee open with Hot food until 9pm on Friday night.

Kustom Bikes will have a stall there over the weekend for all those breakages.

Watch the BDS video from the weekends racing at Commbe Sydenham

All details will be sent to Universities from BUCS, please contact through your Uni for any questions. You can also chat about the event on the Ride.io FORUM