The WHES Graham Jarvis Invitational was not always going to be just about Graham Jarvis. But it was always going to be about a hard and technical race! Because that's what the line up demanded. It's also what the spectators expect.
I mean, if you are going to dump Australia's best hard enduro racers, plus one Goat, in a paddock you are going to want to keep them flocking well entertained.
And how do you do that?
By giving them about 1000 acres to play in and 15km of fast, flowing natural terrain single track to play on. Oh...and make damn sure that it is punctuated by the gnarliest rock gullies and drop offs our great southern landscape can conjur. And throw in some concrete.
The property and the track WHES have created is going to be a challenge: make no mistake.
In the paddock during practice, I heard one punter sigh and mutter the following to one of the Sweeps: "There is no point me going back out there. You'll just be coming to rescue me again. I can't make it through any of that." And this is an invitational comprising only Gold and high level Silver Class riders!!! What the?
Nevertheless, those from the east (and from abroad) are ready for anything.
I saw Force Accessories KTM300EXC Rider Billy McCulloch's eyes light up the back of my Prado like a couple of disco balls as we rounded the last crest and the property opened up below us.
Callum Ceglinski was twitching wildly by mid-morning on practice day as his Sherco 300SE Factory hadn't arrived; yet he had, hours ago.
And Wade Ibrahim? Well, he was shuffling in the Bull pen and pawing at the dirt whilst WRD Team Principal Daimon Mackean put the final touches on his fresh new race bike.
Midst all of this, there is one more thing that is going to add a whole fifth dimension to this event. And that is that the King of Traction, Trial and Enduro Skills Rider Neil Price, is going to race on a bog stock standard "how's ya father" Beta 300 XTrainer.
I found out pretty late in the piece that Neil was riding this event. But if that was not enough of a buzz, he messaged that he was going to give it a bit of "what for and then some" on the X Trainer.
An X Trainer up against the Husqvarna TE300I ridden by Jarvis, the KTM300 EXCs of The Bull and Billy, the Reiju MR300 Pro of Sam Rogers, and the Sherco 300 SE Factory bikes ridden by Geglinski and Braap Daddy Pruden.
Well, as the title says, there ain't nothing wrong with bringing a knife to a gun fight, especially when you know how to use it!!!!
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