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.