Saturday 27th February

After last Sunday's rain strewn mess, the sun was shinning on the Sidcup crew.

The first job saw the crew go to complete the fencing work that got rained off last Sunday afternoon in the area around "Bushell's Bend" to the "Orchard" tunnel.

Above : Looking between the two tunnels towards the finish line area, new fencing on the right..

Above : Looking towards the "Orchard" tunnel, new (well recycled) fencing on the right.

Above : Grading work on the finish line jump, we've filled in the gap between the 2nd and 3rd bit of the triple. Posts and fencing are still to go up on the right.

While in this area, we were putting up fencing in an extremely soft area where we have filled in a hole with lots of soft wet mud. After getting everyone else to avoid only muggings could get well and truelly stuck - so deep that it was above my knee. After much struggling, even digging with a shovel, I had to admit defeat, leave my boot behind and get the digger to dig my boot out! Thanks to everyone for their help and Aaron for taking the photos of me stuck!

Above : Stuck! My left leg is up to my knee.

Above : One boot.

Moving on to the other side of the tunnel, another crew began taking down the fencing, while the digger moved the old berm our of the way.

Above : You'll now turn left after the table top, around where the guys are standing on top left..

Above : Inside of the corner on the left, leading into "Eastwood".

Above : Outside of the corner, looking back at the "Orchard" tunnel.

Above : Wrecking crew of Michael Banks and Colin Bushell.

Moving around the track, through the "Eastwood" corner and over the new (last winter) little jump, we come towards the water tanks corner that lead into "Claggy Maggy". We're now going to be turning right instead of left, around the marshal post and into "Derek's Dive".

Above : Going along the straight out of the "Eastwood" corner, you are now turning right.

Above : We in filled the depression and put the stakes in with the digger but it was wet underfoot.

Above : Dropping into Derek's Dive, the earth on the right form the old berm, will be use to make some sort of drop off.

While one crew was working on the wrecking / laying out the new corners, the other crew got on with putting up the fencing in Claggy Maggy following last Saturday's work.


Above : Same shot as last week, but now in focus..

Above : You can see the gap in the fencing opposite for access to the little island in the track for our enduro / cross countries.

Above : New fencing up around the outside of "Claggy Maggy".

Above : Looking around the corner. We'll be coming back to finish off the infield "island" fencing (and some tree pruning), hopefully with whatever we can recycle from the other projects.

Above : The other end of the enduro access. In the centre is a hole we've dug for clay for jumps on the mx track and we used it successfully in 2009 for the enduro and cross country, in past years we've had a little woodland loop to the right.

Above : Looking back around the corner. Peter Burton leans on the fence while waiting for the tractor to come back with more rolls of chestnut fencing..

Above : Peter Burton and Colin Parkin, waiting for more fencing to arrive. The "lump" in the foreground will be used to define the inside of the corner, rather than having to put new track stakes in every meeting.

Above : Didn't quiet have enough fencing on the roll to make it to the gate. We'll join on a little bit of recycled left over fencing form elsewhere to do this bit. A little bit about the gates - we've now brought ten of these in two batches over the winters of 2008 and 2009. They have a metal frame on each side and below ground to hold them firm (we've built 1 out of wood planks and 1 out of a pallet with dubious success). They are really good for giving not only track workers and first aiders access to the track but at 1.2m wide they are great for our enduros!

Above : Just right of the gate is a little problem to fix, the Jump was widened for a red bull arch, but just a little to far and the fence is collapsing..

Above : Taxi! Aaron drives Pete B and Colin P back after a long day's work.

Thanks for wading through the long post, felt we had to make up after last Sunday's disappointment and with the bad forecast for Sunday, leading to Sunday's work being provisionally cancelled, looks like I'll see you all next Saturday.

Sunday 21st February

Sunday dawned not with the hard frost of the previous day but torrential rain and maybe a hangover or two from the previous evening's festivities (Sidcup's Dinner and Dance - there will be some photos of the awards over on the Sidcup site later). This deterred many, but a hardy crew turned out and when the rained stopped we swung into action. Going back to the "Bushell's Bend" area we joined and then stapled up a large amount of the fencing, before the torrential rain returned forcing us to stop play.

Above : After the first bend the start goes along to join the rest of the track. Ungraded track in foreground and graded on the lip of the jump.

Above : Start drop off, paddock return on far left, with work area in back centre. The track joins from the right.

Above : A panorama (you can click on all these photos for larger versions). The finish line jump in the foreground. The old finish loop in the middle right - this will be graded back to the jump in the foreground and then fenced off. The marshal point in the centre is actually for our end of lap guy - it's citing may not work in the new layout so this is something we'll have to look at. In the top right you can see the new berm and fence leading into "Bushell's bend".

Above : Following on from the previous photo, you can see the regraded "Bushell's bend" in the background leading into the new corner (middle right). The new marshal point 2 will probably be somewhere around the oak tree in the centre. The hay-bale in the foreground is about where there will be a fence.

Above : Carrying on from the previous photos, panning around.

Above : Completing the arc, fencing still has to go up on the approach to "Orchard" table top.

Above : Now looking from the top of "Bushell's Bend", we can see the banked corner, the berm under construction and Dave P with a mattock off to drain puddles..

Above : Looking back the other way, the new bit of track. The foreground was only constructed the day before, and fencing and posts needs to go up on the left to fill the gap.

On a side note Dick Dickenson made a return and shaped up with the chainsaw the new gatepost, and Alan B (Chef) returned from travels in exotic lands.

See you all next weekend.

Saturday 20th February

Due to the frosty weather we make a quick change of work from where we were last week ("Bushell's Bend", etc) over to the other main area of focus - "Claggy Maggy", due to the frozen ground we hoped to make less mess. Due to the other track changes we have planned we not only want to renew the life expired fencing around this corner (right over the back by the water tanks, traditionally a muddy clay fest), but we want to take this opportunity to tie up the different bits of the track in a different and hopefully more exciting and competitive way.

Above : Looking along the longest straight on Canada Heights. Previously one would tackle the washboard hairpin, go over the large jump (marshal point 5/6) and sprint along and curve left (past marshal point 7/9) and drop down to the "Eastwood" bend (marshal point 8). We now intend for the track to bear right here, into "Claggy Maggy".

Above : The new right hand turn. Last winter's new fencing in "Eastwood" stopped at this gate.

Above : The already graded straight (graded in earlier frozen weather).

Above : The "island" on the left will be re-fenced, but with gates so we can use it for enduro use. Marshal point 10 will probable move from the inside to the outside by the tractor gate in the previous shots.

Above : Turning back around to look at the water tanks. These tanks provide us with water storage that can be filled slowly during the week, and then piped under the track to easy access point under the commentary tower, where there is an additional tank. This site is the highest point of the track so we can use gravity to move the water out onto the track.

Above : Facing the right way again, we can see the ground didn't stay frozen for long. The new fencing stops at the access gate on the left of the tractor. When this is complete most (80-90%) of the public's track fencing will be "railed" (leaving a few odd sections dotted around). Mark R, John H, Peter Burton, Dave P and Adam R.

Above : Staking the inside, we don't intend to rail this. The old marshal point is a legacy of the track running the other way around. While we don't use it we've never had reason to take it down. Mark R, John H and Peter Burton.

Above : Starting the fencing - Ivan and Colin B.

Above : Sophie P, John H, Sten P, Peter Burton and Colin B survey their work while more fencing arrives from stores.

Above : Colin B, John H and Sten P roll out another roll.

Above : Out of focus I know!, but looking through the gate you can see the stakes for the outside fencing on the right. To the left you can see that the "island" has been half fenced off already and there are gaps and both end to access the bomb-hole we used at both the enduro and cross country this year.

We've still a lot of chestnut to put up in this area but we've got the harder bit of it all done. We thus all clocked off early for Sidcup's annual Dinner & Dance taking place that evening, we'll see how well everyone is tomorrow....

Sunday 14th February

Sunday 14th February saw continued progress on the work around the "Bushell's Bend" area of the track. Yesterday saw the work focus on the work area exit, while today we moved on to the new corner around marshal point 2, approaching the "orchard" tunnel.

Above : Looking back at the actual "Bushell's Bend" from the new corner. Marshal point 2 should be moved back to around the area this photo was taken from. Post and rail is going up along both sides, with Aaron M on the left, Peter Burton in the tractor and John H and Colin P on the right.

Above : The Inside of this new corner. Peter Burton in the tractor and John H and Colin P on the right.

Above : Looking forward up the track towards the "Orchard" tunnel. Post and rail still to go up.

Above : Turning around 180 degrees, shows Paul M taking down the fencing around where the start straight joins the track. New fencing will be put in on the left once the old track in the foreground is graded.

Above : Alan C clears up old fencing for recycling. This gap will be filled in with post and rail and then chestnut, with a tractor access gap on the left.

Above : Looking back from the foot of the "Orchard" Tunnel table top, shows how wet it has been recently, especially on the clay parts of the track.

Above : Panning round more to the right than the previous shot. Instead of coming in at a sharp 90 degree from in front of the tractor on the right, the track comes from the oak tree behind the tractor.hello

See you all next weekend!

Saturday 13th February

Saturday 13th February saw us carry on with the previous weekend's work around the Work Area / Bushell's Bend / Approach to the "Orchard" Tunnel.
Above : Ivan and Colin B put up the chestnut fencing. The pit lane exit will run behind this fence.

Above : Colin P and Alan C put up recycled chestnut fencing. The pit lane will exit in the foreground.

Above : John H and and Colin P put up chestnut.

Above : Michael Banks (of Riverside fame) joining chestnut fencing.

Above : John H in the tractor and Michael B. This is the pit lane exit, with outside fence on the left and mx track on the right.

Above :Alan C and Dave P removing old fencing. A slight change to last weekend's plans, we now are going through the gap in the chestnut on the right rather than make a "S" bend. The soil in the foreground will be excavated to make a bowel, and the fence where Alan C is is moving back.x.

Above : Looking back at the pit lane exit.

Above : Michael B and Colin B are connecting the pit lane exit to the work area.

Above : Pit lane exit onto track. Alan C and Colin P putting up the fence.

Above : Another view of where the track will go, the new corner is going where the tractor is.

Above : Ivan and Colin B join some recycled chestnut fencing. Pit lane exit slip in middle.

Another problem we are working on, is out signing on container has a leek in it. As you may have noticed while queuing for signing on over the years, there has been a steadily worsening drip where you need to sign. We've thus got club member and welder to the stars Tony D to fix it.
Above : Metal plates between the roof/mezzanine (aka "Taj Mahal") and the signing on container (aka "press room") have been removed.

Above : A few holes, plus the seam has gone (see line of rust).

See you all next week!