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The 2010 RTRA West Coast Safari Summer and Winter tour
The 2010 RTRA West Coast Safari Summer and Winter tour
Report by TigeR The RTRA has it's genesis in 2005 with WATARC, when Pretz (aka The Prez) and Mrs. Pretz (1st lady) decided to pursue the interests of trail riders in WA. Most of us fail to even comprehend what's even involved in understanding the issues - but five years on; have a look at RTRA website to see what's being achieved. This is the envy of other states - check the current ADB mag for details on that. This couple have made it their full time work and used their considerable business skills to tackle the issue head on. The public service is a big, lumbering beast - but it has plenty of people who want to make a difference - and with the Pretzel catch cry of "these trail bikes are making me dirty" - things are happening. All WA dirt bike riders should be thankful we have such fine representation. It's a great start to a long journey. So knowing the increasing workload on the Pretz's - it was nice to see The Prez park the Air Force One in the hangar for a weekend - and get back to the passion that underpins the RTRA and get out for two days of awesome riding in the South-West. His wearied but satisfied smile at the return to Kirup on Sunday said it all "How bloody good was that!?" ... but I'm sure he was also thinking "I hope Val has finished the replacing the oil on Air Force One" ... theres no salary for the RTRA 1st family!. If Steve and Val are the 1st family, then John and Georgina Staino are the ambassadors of WA trail riding - running a truly professional operation but also educating new and old trail riders on what it takes to make this sport we love - sustainable for the future. Staino has turned into "little boy blue" and has moved across to riding Yamaha - you've got to think that KTM was slumped over the handlebars on that score - how could they have left such a living advert for KTM slip away? Anyhoo - that's all well and good - but we were all here to do some riding - so let's get on with it. Queensland is beautiful one day, perfect the next - this weekend the South-West was summer one day, winter the next. 18 riders rocked up at Camp Kirup on day one - in amongst the group we had a sprinkling of CQers - Pretz, Darin, Jeff, Pat & last and least TigeR. The rest were all RTRA members encompassing the gamut of new, returning or experienced riders. All were relishing the two days ahead. Everyone busied themselves prepping bikes & gear as if an AMA championship depended on it. There was the usual mash-up of bikes - multiple KTMs, Yammies - a couple of obligatory John Deere's - I mean DRZs, an exotic Husaberg or two - with not a Honda or Kwacka to be seen. The prayers and rain-dances leading up to the tour didn't bear any fruit - so we were faced with summer riding conditions. Staino gave the pre-ride talk, explaining the need to spread out to ride in dust free air - followed up by Pretz with a chat about the RTRA and the multitude of projects on the go and a thank you to the attendees for their support. Our lead and sweep were dressed in Yamaha's which is a new sight for those who've sampled a West Coast tour before. The sweep, "The Reverend" rides a WR250F, and when unleashed shows you why nobody really needs anything bigger. A true proof of the axiom "It's 90% rider and 10% bike". Formalities dispensed with, we were out on the trails. Once again - I start a West Coast tour in super-gumby mode - feels like I've got my boots on the wrong feet, my helmet on backwards and my goggles .. well, let's say they weren't improving my vision. Must be the same way Chad Reed feels before ... he cuts the lawn. At first regroup I was glad to hear Pat was in the same predicament - we were looking forward to being plain gumbies again. We'd warned Jeff, a CQ newbie that he wasn't in Kansas anymore and we were off to see the Wizard ... a few minutes in and he began to see the Yellow Brick Road - by the end of the weekend - he was the Wizard. Perth has some fine riding and I've been lucky to sample lots of it with the CQers - but the South West - well, it's on a different level on a ride led by Staino. The dust was thick for the impatient, but clean air was awaiting those smart enough to wait a minute or two. The dry ground made my spanking new tyres feel like slicks - this complemented beautifully with my boots on the wrong feet - luckily I couldn't see where I was going. The morning was spent traversing the trails from Kirup into the Blackwood Valley for lunch at Tatrha Winery. I don't remember much of the trails - partly because my helmet was on backwards - but also because it pales into the background with the rest of the weekend. After lunch, Pat & myself pronounced ourselves born again gumbies and we were into it. The group was finding it's feet, spreading out nicely - dust floating off in the wind. The pine sections were a standout - on one section I had a great tussle with Darin - until he decided to stop toying with me. We had a drag race down an open dual laned sandy 4WD section he proceeded to pass me on the outside lane on a left hand corner and leave me in a whiteout of dust - John Deere would have been proud. Pass Of The Day goes to Darin; elsewhere the rest of the group was living out their own tussles. Jeff has his own tussle with a log on the exit of a corner, he took a trip over the bars and was a bit roughed up. He soldiered on - happy in the knowledge that SOTD was in the bag. The trails got sandier as we approached Margs - and soon we were convoying through the main street to our salubrious lodgings. Adventure riding looks good - but you can't beat a hot shower, good pub grub, cold beer on tap, some bench racing and a good nights sleep in a bed to polish off a days riding. There was talk of rain - but it didn't look promising. I awoke at 6:50am to the sound of music - raindrops on a hot tin roof. It was bucketing down I felt like a kid peering out on Christmas morning and seeing snow floating down. This was going to be good. We slunk out of a sleepy Margaret River and were soon sampling the finest riding conditions known to man or beast. What followed was a day of riding through some magnificent trails. Jeff followed me through one particulary magic section and then proceeded to pass me - there should be a CQ law that stipulates no passing riders with 60 more rides on the board than you! - even if you are a Wizard. I could go into more detail but just imagine primo riding conditions in all terrains - it just doesn't get any better than that. All too soon somebody clicked their red boot heels and we were back in Kansas .... Many thanks to RTRA & West Coast for another stellar tour! No photos were taken by CQers - too busy having fun. Jeff also scored ROTD, but we found out his secret at the end - he rides a scooter to work. EPILOGUE People sometimes baulk at the cost of a 2-day tour. Sure it is cheaper to go for a ride with your mates, but Ive often wondered how does it compare to the cost of a dirt bike rally type event where you get to ride with 100+ of your closest mates and get held up and/or roosted by them on a closed loop of about 60kms. Heres how they stack up... It would take 3 rally events to get equal to a 2 day West Coast tour in terms of bike kms travelled, around 400km. The cost for both is around $550 when you take event cost, travel and food into account. Ok, same cost what other differences If you do the West Coast tour: 1. Youll save a day (2 days vs 3 days) 2. Do one round trip from Perth to South West instead of three (an extra 800 kms!) 3. You wont score a nights accommodation to do some bench racing Which one would you pick? "It looks fast from inside my helmet!"  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010  RTRA WCS 2010 |
