ATBA-UK Series '08 Round 2

It was with a mixture of excitement and blind hope we left for Haredown Mountainboard centre late on Thursday, the weatherman was suggesting we could be in for quite a soggy weekend. However, despite a few showers on the way down, on arriving we were greeted by the sun and the Soba crew who had been working hard all week preparing the centre. On Friday it was the usual story people working to get the track dialled, which was slower in sections and slightly saner than in previous years. Once everyone was happy with the track and legs were weary from fast corners and pumping rollers it was all eyes to the freestyle, where a selection of riders had done some reshaping to the lips and landings. It was soon clear that if the weather held off the boarder-x would see some highly competitive racing and the freestyle was going to be huge.

On Saturday the new ATBA team worked hard to get the qualifications underway, with a battle of the top riders soon breaking out in the elite with Jamie White, elite boarder-x winner at round 1, and Jonathan Charles of team NoSno battling for the fastest time. On the first qualification time JC was ahead by less than a second, but Jamie White looked to have taken it with a sub 50 second time on his second run. However JC managed to then beat Jamie White's time by half a second promising some fast competitive racing. And that's exactly what we got with tussles on the first corner and many chances for riders to slip up on the way down, the elite final ended with Renny Miles returning to competition taking first, Jamie White second and Joe Dickson and JC filling 3rd and 4th respectively. The ladies category is also very much worth a mention with more competitors than ever taking part this season and raising the general level of riding.

After the boardercross had finished the tired riders then made their way to the freestyle due to the fact Sunday morning practice was being cut short since an early start to the freestyle competition the next day. As riders started going bigger and bigger over the jumps the session really started to kick off, Aussie rider Ryan Slater, of Munro Boards, getting used to the size of the jumps and really getting his tweak on. Matt Brind was wowing the spectators until dark fell with shifty shifty 540s, among other variations, and generally going massive. Saturday night was as mad as ever, woods plus mountainboarders camping in field next to it meant massive fires quickly emerged across the campsite. NoSno turned up in their new 7 tonne truck (complete with road legal buggy in the back)showing everyone how camping is really done before it was round the campfire for some all day breakfast fun!

When everyone eventually rose from their camps on Sunday morning we were all relieved to see no rain had fallen, although probably not as relieved as Ryan Slater who enjoyed sleeping �al fresco', props to him for that. The freestyle kicked off with the U14 as ever, but this year the level of riding seems to have really stepped up a level, despite Mick Kirkman being out due to an injuring in practice on Friday. With most the riders managing to reach the landings, on jumps which were by no means small, and Tom Duke even busting out some sweet backflips! In the under 18s Jamie Johnston's front boardslide rainbow rail action and Tuai's massive 540s got the attention of the judges. In the Ladies the show was stolen by Nikki Forcast as ever with a massive front flip on the second table, with 2nd and 3rd being fought out by team Soba's lady riders. It was then to the elite jam which promised much madness, and we weren't disappointed, with insane tricks being landed all over the shop. Among the best tricks of the day had to be Ollie Morrisons corked 720s which defy all laws of physics, Joe Dickson's run of 720 on the first table, to 360 on the second to a massive 720 in the quarter and Matt Brind for his 540s on the second table and switch 540s in the quarter. In addition Matt Brind's 720s, although after the competition, are definitely worth a mention.

So there we had it, Round 2 at Haredown, making up for last year's disappointment at Haredown being a washout. Big thanks have to go to the centre and the ATBA for putting on the great weekend. Finally the weather also deserves a big thanks, holding off all weekend until I had finished taking my tent down and made my way to the pub where the skies seemed to open and release all the rain predicted to get us over the weekend.

Words and by Jack Beezer and thanks go to Tom Haycock's memory.

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