Mainland Challenge -  Yoda's View

GT Radials Bryan Chang - showing them how its done. 

The Mainland Challenge was held here in Christchurch it was an 150km Enduro at No10 Road, Swananoa the track consisted of fast farm paddocks and a dried up river bed and an awesome table top we had to complete 30 laps of the 5km circuit on Saturday and 3 Heats of Shortcourse racing at the Canterbury Offroad's Club track Weedons Ross Road, West Melton.
 
Saturday morning dawned fine we headed off to the track early to set up the Fleet Cycles Pit tent complete scrutineering and the time trial. We had five Class 8's entered for the weekend. After the time trial we came away with 7th fastest and 2nd in Class 8 behind Dave Taylor who managed pole position carrying on the tradition set by Andrew Thomason in his Toyota Tundra last year. We were on the 2nd row of the grid.
 
Then it was time to grid up 5 wide and 6 rows deep for the one flag drop start. The flag drops and we were off all dicing for position to the single lane drop off into the dried up river bed. Everyone get's away without any issues.
 

All ready to Go - Mass-start in Mainland Challenge Enduro

I decided to take the first couple lap's easy to sort out the track and get the feel of the new turbo supplied by Turbo Reconditioners here in Christchurch. The third lap we open it up a bit OOP's a bit of brain fade on my part as we came up to the drop off into the river bed I out braked myself and nose dived into the river bed heavily on the left front turning the rim inside out and blowing the tyre we carried on back to the pits where my faithfull crew Owen and Neil changed the wheel but then noticed I had also put a hole in the bottom radiator tank.
 
Unable to repair it we decided to circulate and come in every couple of laps and top up the water and try and get through to the 60% of the distance to be deemed a finisher. So we carried on at a reduced pace and pulling over where ever possible so not to get into other competitors way. And just make sure we got to the finish but I also had a nasty vibration coming through the wheel I put it down to a unbalanced wheel.
 
We got 19 out of the 30 laps completed which gave us our 60%.
 
Saturday night we remove the radiator solder up the tank. Owen and Neil check out the left front wheel to find I had badly bent the hub.  I guess that's where that nasty vibration was coming from so they replaced it and we put it back on the trailer all set for the shortcourse.

Bryan Chang - Still going Hard

 
Sunday we were off early again to the club track to set up the Fleet Cycles supplied pit tent. and Brake test.
 
The shortcourse heats start Class 8,4 and 2 are all together. The flag drops and we are off Dave Taylor gets a good run with 4WD and also new comer Mark French via England now living in Blenheim with his V8 Landrover trials vehicle he brought over.
 
Dave and myself had a good tassle for the whole five laps following him home in a close 2nd.
 
Second heat and it was pretty much the same and another 2nd place.
 
The third heat my left hand nerf bar came adrift and started dropping on the ground so we had to drop the pace a bit trying to make sure I didn't get blacked flagged but we got another 2nd place.
 
So we come away with a second in Class 8 for the Enduro and three seconds for the Shortcourse.
 
Then there was a 10 Lap all in race start were you like I started of the back with Class 3 and Class 1 to see how we would go. Not sure where we ended up but it was a lot of fun.

So we came away with 2nd in Class 8 and 7th equal overall for the weekend not to bad considering the drama's I caused myself with that bit of brain fade.

Thoughts from the weekend: Hmmm 4WD will never catch on just like Disc Brakes and Fuel Injection.
NOT!!!!!!!