Friday 26th March

In preparation for this weekend meeting (more details on this link) several of is who had time off work/weren't working/retired/etc met up the track to get ready for the event.

Above : Trade stand area is laid out, toilets are delivered.

Above : Brian E, Colin B, Tom P and Dave P erect the technical control area.

Above : We've taped the entrance road in, to direct the public to the car park we'll be using. More importantly you can see the fence we redid on Sunday replacing the 35(ish) year old original fence.

Above : A shot of the widened finish line jump (on right) that was done on Sunday. This involved lengthening/moving the finish line loop duct (the purple tube) for the timing.

Above : Shaving off the finish corner. We're moving back the fence a few feet and all this will be put back together tomorrow.

We also received all the straw bales which we're going to bag up and place around track tomorrow.

See you all tomorrow for the final push.

Sunday 21st March

Following on from yesterday's excellent start on the track stakes we set about finishing off yesterday's work in two teams again.

I'm afraid I was rather busy carrying stakes today to take photos, but I've taken a panorama from the bottom of the circuit so you can see some of the completed job.

Above : The Lagoon area, Ski Jump, Steps, etc.

Above : The Lagoon area, Steps, Washboard, etc.

Above : After completing the track stakes we went to do a little remedial action to some fencing that had attacked the digger while it was grading the track. Here John E hold the stake upright while Colin P knocks it in, with Paul M lurking in the background.

Above : Brian E came up and fixed the Commentary Tower (aka "Brian's Folly" or "Colditz") windows that were broken last summer by vandals. Dick D was up to reinstall the start gate that has received it's maintenance and he spent the afternoon adding some paint. Also Colin B on the right. I must also mention that Ivan was despatched with a copious white paint the paint just about anything.

Above : Having finished grading the track we got Tony to redo the drainage ditch outside paddock bend, with Sten P and Kurt P in the foreground.

After lunch one team went to redo the fencing by the entrance gate to Canada Heights, which has been in a decrepit state for many years but recent repair to the front gate have brought the situation to a head (sorry no photos of this, but you'll see it as you drive past / come in the heights). The other team split in two and half finished track staking "Madden's Hole" which Michael B's 360 had just vacated.

Above : Mark C and Colin B carry stakes to finish the track stakes in "Maddens Hole".

Above : The washboard far downhill last Saturday (before being graded), as you can see a lot of this is buried by earth. We we're unable to solve this last weekend when we were fencing, so with he track being graded (and thus this fence dug out) and now all track stakes out, we set about repairing it.
Above : Jack P Jnr, Sam E, Aaron M and Kaydee (dog) remove the old fence and stakes - note the depth the fence was buried!.

Above : The fence removed (see gap). Unfortunately I have no more photos of us putting up the fence or the finished job as it was so hot I took my fleece off (with camera) and left it in the tractor - what a change from yesterday's driving rain.

I must also give a word of mention to a whole extra team who have been at two local shopping centres (Maidstone last Sunday and Bexleyheath this weekend) promoting the event, club and motocross in general. Sorry i don't have photos or even know how they got on, but with help from the sidecars we got a sidecar outfit at Maidstone!

We are going to be up the track on Friday to do some finishing touches and will be there saturday to put out the straw bales and other little touches - any help is welcome.

Saturday 20th March

Having completed the track fencing last weekend, this weekend's project was to bang out all the track stakes. To aid this we dug out our 2nd trailer and put away the post driver - by having to move our currently engine-less dump truck (its under repair).

Armed with both tractors we set off for our wood store, a 40ft aluminium container that was once a site office on a site before we acquired it. suffering from a leak in its roof, and presence of a lot of wooden stakes (we have more than enough to lay out our enduro/cross country as well as the whole mx track) and other toot (sorry highly useful equipment).

Above : Aaron M and Colin B loading our 2nd trailer with track stakes, the long "enduro" stakes are being weeded out for storage as they are really too tall for the mx track.

Above : Colin B and Colin P, with Alan C and Roger B somewhere in the background, passing out track stakes from the "wood store" - not old insulation panels down the side and the condensation on the roof (a job for another day).

We split into two teams with one starting in the "orchard" and working round the back woods and down the "Washboard" to the lagoon, while the other started at "Paddock Bend" and then went up the "Steps" and then did the finish area and start straight. You'll have to forgive lack of photos but I was lugging a rather large sledge hammer and the weather wasn't co-operating at this point. At the end of the day the second team reached where the first started and then went to meet the first team by the lagoon where I got several shots of the track almost all graded.

Above : Looking the wrong way back past marshal point 14 (front right) to marshal point 13 (back right).

Above : The old whoops sections, without track stakes (start here tomorrow).

Above : The lagoon table top, viewed from across the lagoon.

Above : Aaron M, Ivan, Colin P, Paul M and Alan C with Kaydee the dog all having a good chin-wag (although their faces look deadly serious in this shot).

Above : Looking up the washboard the wrong way, with marshal point 12 on the left (not this corner has been widened).

Above : Michael B re-sculptures the Ski Jump.

Above : "Meehan's Nightmare" or the bottom corner, redone with two preformed berms. Named after club rider/helper back in the 1990's John Meehan who broke his leg (IIRC) around here.

Above : While we all working on the mx track, the bottom car parks and wood played host to Dartford District Scouts annual cross country running race, which Sidcup & DMCC let the Scouts use for free. They seamed to have a good, if a little wet, time - although I'll stick to riding a bike around Canada Heights. More info/photos here.

See you all tomorrow to finish off the track stakes.

Sunday 14th March

Carrying on from yesterday's work on general fence fixing we went down to the lagoon to repair the lower areas of the track.

Firstly we repaired various holes and gaps in our lagoon fencing. We the moved on to repair various bit of fencing in the lower area of the track and marshal point 13.

Above : Rolo the dog (or submarine?) loves nothing better than to swim in the lagoon.

Above : With Pete B off, Aaron M was promoted to the big tractor, with Colin P, Paul M and Ivan.

Above : Colin P and Ivan with Holly and Rolo (the dogs). Replacing stakes on the fence alongside the ski jump, which due to the soft sand is eating up the 8ft stake that Ivan is hammering in!

We've now completed all the fencing work for 2010, the 360 is moving around grading the track and we intend to spend next weekend putting in the track stakes - for which we'll need lots of help and be grateful for any assistance

Saturday 13th March

Newly equipped with more chestnut fencing following last weekend's depletion of our stocks, one crew we set off to complete the gaps in the fencing around the Work area and "Claggy Maggy".

Above : Dave P, Paul M, Colin B and Wes B put up the last two rolls around "Claggy Maggy", the gap on the left is for access and the two marshal posts are old redundant ones.

The other crew took the tractors and embarked upon a general fence repair project across the centre of the track (ie "steps" and "washboard").

Above : Ivan, Michael B, Aaron M, Peter B and Colin P fixing holes in the fencing at the tops of the steps.

Above : After this winter's work this section on the steps uphill, is one of the oldest sections and without rail, but structurally sound (might replace next winter) after the addition of a few stakes. Ivan here is pruning up the trees.

Above : Colin P and Aaron M take down the fence between Derek's Dive and Maddens Hole (on right).

Above : Colin P, Pete B, Ivan and Michael B with Sabbie the dog onlooking. Here were are replacing this whole segment with new stakes and rail, but using the old sound fencing.

Above : Ivan and Aaron fix the last of the fencing up, while Pete B looks on from the tractor.

Above : Alan C went on a solo mission in "Derek's Dive" to install the new gate we left a gap for last weekend and repair the gate on the right.

Above : Wes B, Colin B, Michael B, Dave P, Paul M and Ivan with Sabbie the dog. The first crew went around the track fixing odd bits and met up with the second crew at the end of the washboard. Here they fixed the fencing on the left, which will probably need replacing in a year or two, and the fencing in the background. On the right you can see where last weekend the fence was moved back to allow this corner to be re-shaped.

See you all tomorrow.

Sunday 7th March

Following on from yesterday's excellent work, we started off with one crew using up what fencing we had left (more is on order) to fence the "island" in "Claggy Maggy", we've still got a to put up 2 or 3 rolls here to finish it.

Above : Paul M, Dave P, Colin P, Peter B and Aaron M putting up fencing in "Claggy Maggy".

Above : John E, Paul M and Dave P with Kaydee, Rolo and Holly (Dogs) fixing the fencing after "Derek's Dive" going into "Madden's Hole".

Above : The other crew had, over at "Paddock Bend", put in the new gate post yesterday, and today fixed the fencing up to it.

Above : Pete B, Colin B, Roger B and Alan C fixing various bits of fencing (here inserting new stakes) around paddock bend.

Back to the first crew, we then moved over to the "Finish Line" / "Work Area" / "Bushell's Bend" section of the course. Here we built another marshal post (the repositioned point 2), the fence alongside the finish and some bits of the work area.

Above : John E and Michael B fix chestnut up around the finish red flag post.

Above : Peter B, Colin P and Roger B building marshal point 2.

Above : We have the 360 up this weekend, grading up toward the orchard tunnel, photo from where the new marshal point 2 will be.

Above : End of the day - view from atop the new marshal point 2.

Above : End of the day - view back down the track to the "Eastwood" corner.

Above : End of the day - view out of the "Eastwood" straight into "Derek's Dive". This has still to be graded.

See you next weekend, when we'll be on the homeward stretch putting up the last few rolls of fencing and fixing odd bit of broken fencing around the whole circuit.

Saturday 6th March

Last Saturday saw loads of work get done, but with the atrocious weather forecast last Sunday's work party was cancelled, but with dry sunny weather since the Monday afterwards allowed us to achieve loads more at this Saturday's working party.

One crew went to work on the track changes out of "Eastwood" into "Derek's Dive" while the other crew finished off last Saturday's work on the exit of "Claggy Maggy" into the downhill "washboard" straight.

Above : Colin P and Peter B put up rail on the downhill straight of the washboard. This bit of fencing had been knocked over by the jump.

Above : Aaron M and Jack P Jr fill the gap in the new fencing from last Saturday.

Above : At the top of "Claggy Maggy", Colin P, Peter B and Sten P build the new/moved marshal point 10.

Above : Sophie P tests out the new marshal point.

The other crew were putting up fencing on the two new/rebuilt corners into and out of "Eastwood" that they laid out last Saturday.

Above : The other crew working on the "Eastwood" into "Derek's Dive" section. They are taking down the old fencing to reposition it. Michael B, Paul M, Dave P, Sten P and Ivan C with Kaydee and Holly (dogs).

Above : Looking down the spectator walkway to Derek's Dive from the water tanks (outfield). "Claggy Maggy" on the left and x"Eastwood" into "Derek's Dive" section on the right. Sten P, Ivan C, Michael B, Jack P Jr, Alan C, Dave P and Colin B.

Above : Colin B poses with some police tape. The club let Kent Police conduct off road motorcycle training for their officers at Canada Heights during the week several time a year.

See you all tomorrow.