Southern Hemisphere Cup - Entries close 5th Sep

[Stuart]

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE CUP - ON-LINE ENTRIES CLOSE 5 SEPTEMBER
The Southern Hemisphere Cup promoted by Waratah Vets will be held at Eastern Creek Raceway on Sunday 19 September. This is a graded scratch event over five grades. The event is sponsored by Continental and Rudy Project, with over $3,000 in prizes.

Please place the event in you diary and ensure you enter on-line via the CNSW web site before the closing date of 5 September.

Jo & I are going - BTW Masters Only - lets have lots of DHBC riders in the mix. Eastern Creek is a great track to race around.

[mikesbytes]

I'm thinking of doing this one. Last year you could enter on the day

[williamd]

I will be in the northern hemisphere riding around near ancient Olympia so I cann't make it to the southern hemisphere cup.

[MarkL]

Entered

Being a fast course l think l'll need some gears for this one

[Peter T]

In for a run.

[AnthonyI]

I'm in too. Should be fun around Eastern Creek.

Hope it's not windy - like yesterday..

[timyone]

i dont get the fact that some of the riders are listed as elite

[Stuart]

i dont get the fact that some of the riders are listed as elite

totally weird - this is a masters only event supposedly !!

[shrubb face]

They are masters riders who have elite license. Mat Wallman is a rider in this category. This allows them to compete in a number of elite events through out the year, such as state titles but they still remain masters riders.

[mikesbytes]

Yip, CNSW worked out a way to get more money out of Masters. Previously Masters could enter Elite events, but CNSW changed it so you had to have a more expensive Elite license to enter Elite races, however the Master rider with the Elite license can still enter Master races.

[Stuart]

ok, makes sense now

[Stuart]

I've had it confirmed that late entries on the day will be accepted. Request for you to be there well before 6:30am if you intend to enter on the day.

[mikesbytes]

OK, in that case I'm in

[mikesbytes]

Received today (I'm on their mailing list)

Dear Michael,

Just a reminder to all riders that this Sunday, 19 September, the Waratahs will be hosting the Southern Hemisphere Cup at Eastern Creek Raceway. This is a graded scratch event over five grades with races starting at 7am. The event is sponsored by Continental and Rudy Project with over $3,000 in prizes to be won.

If you missed entering on-line don't worry, late entries will be accepted on the day. So please come and join us for this event and our first race at teh Raceway since May.

Regards

Ian Jackson

President - Waratah Masters CC

[mikesbytes]

We came around to lap E grade and then we realised it was their sprint finish so we went neutral and I got a Birdseye view of Peter T and Stuart in action, both were working hard on the inside but the other riders were a little stronger.

[Trouty]

We came around to lap E grade and then we realised it was their sprint finish so we went neutral and I got a Birdseye view of Peter T and Stuart in action, both were working hard on the inside but the other riders were a little stronger.

It is such a great track, I love racing there. Anthony (Bianci) and I did D grade and had a ball. Most of the laps were pretty comfortable - except for the last one! I heard Pete T did a lot of work on the front in E grade. Apparently there was a "burglar" in E grade who did a break away from the pack very early and time trialled the whole race on his own to win.

[Trouty]

Heres some links to some photos:

Mark Lacey:
http://www.erniesmithphoto.com.au/780%2 ... 30_thm.htm

Stuart in full flight:
http://www.erniesmithphoto.com.au/780%2 ... 06_thm.htm

[Peter T]

A great morning at the Creek. Beautiful track, great surface, just enough rises, lovely bends and a big turnout.
Thanks to Stuart for the fast company and to Jo, Mark L, Anthony and Mike for the buzz.
Can't wait to get out there again!

[mikesbytes]

It is such a great track, I love racing there. Anthony (Bianci) and I did D grade and had a ball. Most of the laps were pretty comfortable - except for the last one! I heard Pete T did a lot of work on the front in E grade. Apparently there was a "burglar" in E grade who did a break away from the pack very early and time trialled the whole race on his own to win.

Yeh saw the bugler, guy with gray hair. First time we lapped E grade, going into the hairpin, we didn't catch that guy till the next corner, he had a pretty decent lead. I'd say they'll bump him to D grade.

The funniest thing was overtaking the second A grade bunch, then they winged, but "what the" were they doing lapping slower than B? After that they took off.

[timyone]

nice pic of stuart! totlly got the motorcyclist lean happening!

[Stuart]

nice pic of stuart! totlly got the motorcyclist lean happening!

Yeah - I love that corner and I can make a good 30-40m or so on E grade there if I jump off the front coming down into the turn but then they always get me again before the uphill L hander (turn 12) onto the straight!

Had a great race, did some time on the front and as Jo said, Pete did more than his fair share but Marian Renshaw (mother of Mark) in her full HTC-Columbia kit did some huge pulls on the front, including the entire last lap till we got to the top of turn 12 - and she looked shattered.

As usual, the old blokes who sit in all race pulled out in the sprint and won it. I really, really need to learn how to sprint - I'm hopeless at it - was in way too high a gear with too low a cadence as I attempted to follow them.

But a great day all round Eastern Creek is the best place to race a crit and Waratah Vets are well organised. They better put that bugler / time trialler bloke up a grade though, even if he is 70!

E Grade stats:
Avg: 30.7 kph
Fastest lap: L2 of 7 - 7:09
Total Distance: 27.17 km
Time : 53:01

[mikesbytes]

B Grade 70 minutes + 1 lap

After about 5 laps I had a half baked attempt at a break with the orange&black guy, but it didn't go anywhere.

Then we got the whistle for the prime, I was on the back kinda blocked in, but I got myself out and rolled towards the front, when the stocky Canberra guy turned it up so I got his wheel, but he faded and that left me in a bad position, so I didn't contest the prime but waited for the usual attack that typically happens after a prime and sure enough 5 riders went off the front so I tacked on but we caught the second of the A grade bunches, now I'm not talking about that the lapped us, I'm saying that we caught up to them, the attack went around them and then they winged like a bunch of girls, so my breakaway hauled up to let the girls go past and that let the main bunch get back on.

For the rest of the race nothing happened apart from going neutral on the front straight to let E grade do their final sprint. Then on the last lap 3 riders went off the front, but they got run down, largely by the orange&black guy. I had got myself pinned in and finally got out just in time to catch the stocky Canberra riders wheel again, but this time I was ready for him to run out of steam which happened just before the final turn into the front straight, I went straight across to the other side of the road and got someone elses wheel. Coming down the straight I could see the finish line and decided to go for it, got out in front of everyone else and the finish line was coming, but I had jumped too early and got swamped near the line. It was a badly timed pathetic sprint.

On a windless day average speed was 37.8kph, which is probably the slowest B grade race I've done. If I remember correctly last year was about 1kph faster in heavy wind.

B grade finish, photos available at Ernie Smith Photography