Barjarg

YOU MUST PICK UP YOUR NEW SEEDED RACE PLATE AT EVERY VDHS EVENT

COURSE DESCRIPTION

By Ben Watkins

Here is your chance to race the track that Bryn Atkinson called 'Probably the raddest race track in Australia'.

Barjarg is a track with a difference. Before any rock was moved or any single track dug, the goal was to make a course that has mental A lines that reward riders brave enough to ride them with much quicker times, and yet each section has slower B, C and even D lines to cater from everyone from expert right down to beginners, so that every section on the race track can be ridden by everyone.

The track is basically a constant series of massive boulder fields one after the other that have been linked together to make one of the hardest and most technical tracks in Australia-that is, if you take every A line. If you're new to riding there are plenty of easy lines around the hard stuff. For those who've raced here before expect much of the same, although there is several major section changes. These will have a few riders putting their heads together to hopefully come up with more than just multiple dandruff. The new sections in this year's track come about from severe erosion and wash outs that are turning most B and C lines into A lines, so to cater to everyone some of these sections have been fixed, altered or totally re-aligned.

The track now has almost sixty different line choices as you make your way down the mountain and as usual the fastest line requires the biggest balls, but we have seen over the years this gives more variation in the top podium spots. Riders who take a chance usually gain huge time by the finish line.

The track starts off in the same spot, but for 2010 there will be a start hill that will give more speed and less pedaling straight away. After about twenty meters the first major change takes the track off to the left and around some big rocks and then kinks back onto the track just before the first big left hand berm. Straight into a right hander and then left handed berm back to back the track continues through some rocks and over a large boulder. The down slope of this has been rock armored and packed in, but most expert or faster riders won't notice the difference.

The track then hooks around to the right and this is where some of the big changes have occurred. Riders wanting the easy option can go to the right and take the B line, where this section has been smoothed out and big holes filled. Riders wanting the big time gain can still go left into the chute. This section has been worked on to make it less underwear splattering but it has still changed over time and needs to be walked and inspected before launching into it. You ride over a boulder then down another steep smooth rock before slamming into a mass of sharp rocks, into a sharp left that drops steeply between two boulders as big as houses, which throws you into the man made concrete berm right hander and out between the boulders into a wide open high speed single track.

The two sections meet and cruise along the side of the hill and around next to the access road. This is the next major section that has been totally rebuilt. The track has been re-aligned to the right around and above three gigantic boulders where the bravest of A lines await anyone willing to jump off the top and gap the whole section. You may need your passport to fly that far. Check with your travel agent. There is also B, C and D lines down through the boulders here for those without wings.

The track then heads straight into the same left hander rock garden with many lines to choose from here. As the track then turns sharp right the easiest option and D line is straight ahead across the hill above all the big boulders and then into a tight left and dribbles down through mellow rocks and single track. As usual just as the track turns right above these rocks the obvious A line into the chute is still there with several different lines into it, and the usual B and C drop lines to the right of the big chute.

All lines meet below the boulders where a high speed decent that throws you through a small gully and up the other side has been re-worked and smoothed out also. Get on the gas and keep your speed around a slight left hander and a short flat pedal towards a very long flat rock garden. A line to the right all the way through the rock garden and launch the jump over the log or B line to the left and around. Take care not to slow down here, if you slow down you will completely stop as there is many wheel swallowing holes between rocks that are hard to see.

After launching the log or going around, it's a right hander then sharp left hander which takes you into the coffin rock garden. There is at least six different lines here and many variations on those. A line takes you to the right hand edge where you can gap from just before the coffin boulder and over the end of it, landing on the platform below it and veer slight left to miss several sharp rocks of bike flipping doom and high speed your way though the steep off camber section towards the jumps. B C and D lines all go left of the big coffin rock up the top of this section and the further left you go the easier it is to pick your way through. If you love tech A lines this is another section that needs to be inspected if you have not ridden here before.

After traversing the steep section after this there is two jumps ahead (A and B lines) that you can hit full noise, or slow down and go down and to the right and around them on the C line. The left hand jump is a single jump with nothing behind it and can be hit slow or fast and is the B line. The jump to the right (in the middle of the track) is the A line and needs to be hit with speed to clear the log behind it. C line is slow but to the right.

After the air time you zig zag through high speed single track, drift around a right hander and if you head straight you jump over another low fast log jump. Easier lines are to the left and risk free. Upon landing there is a left hand berm you can hit full noise and race towards a rough single track section and then with tons of speed up into a long very tech rock garden.

This rock garden has many many line choices. Easier lines can be down and to the right or also high and left. Faster lines can be achieved by gapping into the rock garden at full speed with no brakes and clearing half of it, then picking another rock and gapping the rest of it, or jumping in stages. Again its buyer beware and you will need to ride to your own skill level here, but easy lines can be found.

Exiting the rock garden sends you down a steep fast section towards the big rock wall ride section, where if you want you can boost off a rock and land right up high "whistler style" on a big granite wall, or you can hook sharp right against the big tree and stay low and fast and back into the gully where you zig zag from side to side.

Next section gives you three choices of rock drop where you can drop big and cut the right hand corner or stay out wide and low into the corner. You then shoot across the top of the waterfall section and choose A B or C lines. Sharp left drops you into the rock infested fast steep shoot to sharp left hander at the bottom which many riders struggle to make, or you can option for the fast and smooth B line or roll around the lot on an easy C line where all three lines cross the bottom of the water fall and onto single track.

This leads along the side of the hill and to the big rock drop section. A small log jump lands you just before deciding to go left for the C line around single track, straight ahead to zig zag down a steep short chute or go for the air time and kink right to launch totally blind off the big drop at high speed. All lines re connect and high speed single track shoots down though the valley and up the other side into a drifting left hander.

Another fast single track section shoots you down and across the gully once again where you head up a ramp and launch off a rock straight ahead and ride along a flat boulder section where you can launch off or pick one of several B C or D lines off onto the grass.

This takes you into the sloping open grass section where a totally new section is currently being built. This is another one where the choice is yours as how technical or fast you want to go. This heads you down into the final smooth rock boulder and down this into the gully launching out the other side off a jump and pedal towards the finish.

We would like to stress to ALL riders this year to WALK THE TRACK before doing practice runs. The track has changed considerably and even elite riders be hitting new rocks that weren't there last race. Walking the track will maximise your riding and limit damage to you and your bike. If you're a beginner or intermediate level rider there are PLENTY of easy B, C and D lines through the tech sections and we encourage you to come and have a go. If you're a fast guy who loves riding tech A lines, come see how good you really are on Australia's hardest track.



CATEGORIES

Elite Men, Elite Women, Under 19's , Under 17's, Under 15's, Under 13's, Expert, Veteran, Masters, Super Masters, Hardtail, Sport and Fun Boys and Girls.

*Note*
For example: If you turn 19 in 2011 you are no longer under 19 - same goes for all other age group categories.

PRIZE MONEY AND PRIZES

Elite Men: 1st = $600.00, 2nd = $400.00, 3rd = $200.00, 4th = $100.00, 5th = $100.00.

Elite Women: 1st = $400.00, 2nd = $250.00, 3rd = $100.00.

Junior U19 Men: 1st = $400.00, 2nd = $250.00, 3rd = $100.00.

The prize money for Elite Men, Elite Women and Under 19's for the 2010-2011 season is to encourage more rider participation and competitiveness, and hopefully entice some interstate riders to compete in the VDHS. The aim is to improve the competition in Elite Men, Elite Women and Under 19's in order to lift the level of Victorian riders at a National and International level. Prizes to the value of approximately $2500 will be distributed to all other categories

HOST CLUB

Samaria Mountain Bike Promotions

COST

Saturday & Sunday Senior = $95,
Saturday & Sunday Junior = $80 (Under 13 and Under 15 ONLY)
Sunday Only Senior/Junior = $80
Weekend Racing licence = $30
Yearly Racing licence: Junior $80, Senior $110 (may vary depending on which club you join)
All riders MUST produce their MTBA Competition Licence. If you do not have proof of MTBA Competition Membership you will need to fill out and purchase a Weekend Racing Licence from registration.

EVENT SCHEDULE

Friday

Course available for on foot inspection only (NO RIDING)

Saturday

0800 - 1600 Registration Open
0800 - 1000 Course available for on foot inspection
1000 - 1430 Official course practise (ALL GROUPS)
1430 - 1530 Official course practise (NO PRO GROUP)
1530 - 1630 Official course practise (PRO GROUP ONLY)

Note:
PRO GROUP = Elite Men, Under 19 Men & Expert Men
NO PRO GROUP = All other categories.

Sunday

0800 - 0900 Registration Open. (Entries after 0900 will not be accepted)
0800 - 1100 Official Course Practice (ALL GROUPS)
1115 Sharp. Rider Briefing at event central (All riders MUST attend)
1130 Racing Begins
Presentations will be held at the conclusion of the Elite Mens final

Pro Groups = Elite Men, Under 19 Men, Expert Men
No Pro Groups = All other categories.

*Note: A diligent effort will be made by event organisers to police these groups on course. For example, Elite Men Plates (1-99), Under 19 Men (600-699), Expert Men (100-200) are only allowed on course during Official Open practice and Pro Group practice, and are not allowed on course during No Pro Group practice times. The Race Director has the ability to disqualify any rider that disobeys this rule. All Pro Group riders will have a colour coded race plate.


TRACK FOOTAGE

Barjarg Round 2 VDHS '08-'09 footage HERE

LOCATION

GETTING THERE

FOOD

ACCOMMODATION


Questions? Contact VDHS headquarters vicdhseries@gmail.com


Have a read of Steven Matthews race report of the Barjarg Race Track from the 2008-2009 VDHS

Four weeks after Long Gully was blown into a dusty, fiery pit of doom, the traveling circus that is the Victorian Downhill Series rocked up at the little town of Barjarg. And by little town, I mean Barjarg is a general store on the side of a highway for no apparent reason, but I digress.

This second round of the VDHS, hosted by SMBP, drew similarly huge numbers to the first round, with nearly 270 entries. Riders came from far and wide – and I mean that, we're talking 'Western Australia' far and wide - just to ride this manliest of manly tracks. Not to take anything away from the girls who raced, but there is no denying that riding Barjarg requires balls in either a literal or a figurative sense.

The track is full on from the word go, if you're not turtling your pants in a steep rock chute, you're hucking over or into other rocks at high speed, and the pace is relentless. Flowing berms, rocks, steep sections, rocks, jumps, more rocks, off camber, even more rocks, the track has enough to test anyone's mettle. Unfortunately the demanding nature of the track took its toll, with plenty of flat tyres, lots of derailleur carnage and worst of all, a few serious injuries requiring the ambos. Best wishes to anyone who got hurt.

Transport was well coordinated as has been the norm for the Vic DH Series the past couple of seasons, but the huge turnout meant shuttle queues were unavoidable. The event was run smoothly, and there's not much to dislike about on-site camping with MTB movies played on a projector on Saturday night! It also seems that Victorian downhill has entered the glam-rock phase, with Gobby and Patto, who wished to remain anonymous, inadvertently starting the Pimpest Motorhome competition. Hard to argue with a full-size coach, yet a trailer featuring a double bed as well as kitchen, toilet, shower and bike storage certainly wins some points for fully-sickness.

The clock ticked over to Race Day O'Clock and everyone who'd been on the piss the previous night was up by the crack of 10:30, whilst many riders were ready to roll on the first shuttles at 7:30. A few practice runs, a few more mechanicals, a couple more injuries and it was time to race. Will Gower of WA, and Mikkael Kinnunen, also of WA, qualified fastest in U19s and Elite respectively, with almost identical times of 2:58. A few of the usual big hitters in Elite took themselves out in their qualifying runs, with Jarah Breese not making the cut, nor Trevwah Burke after injuring his thumb.

The Expert men laid down some very respectable qualifying times, notably with Ash Parry setting a time that would have qualified him in Elite… on a singlespeed hardtail. Karl Peel blew away the rest of the veteran men with a time that would have qualified him second in elite, despite having no chain for about 80% of the track, with Barjarg's track builder, hucker smurf and allen key courier Ben Watkins taking second, while Leonie Picton cruised to another 20+ second victory in the Elite Women.

Race runs for the quick blokes rolled around quicker than expected given the huge rider turnout, maybe due to the large number of injury/mechanical-related DNS's. Fastest Expert qualifier James Hunt took out Expert by a big margin, with a stonkingly fast 3:01 that would have put him 6th place in Elite. Mikkael Kinnunen knocked 4 seconds off his qualifying time to take out Elite men with a flying 2:54, but even this was trumped by Will Gower's time of 2:53 which took out U19s with the fastest time of the day.

Another awesome race on another sick, sick track. Great weather, top notch organization, drunken campfire shenanigans and lots of rocks - to those who didn't bother going this time: don't miss it again!