Registration for the Port 6 hour is open and entries are rolling in!. Teams need to nominate a Team Captain so we have a single, simple point of contact (this may or may not mean that the team captain is simple).
A special request for all Junior Teams: We require that your Team Captain be 18 years or older. That person must be willing to be the single point of contact for all of our communications with the team. They are also responsible for assessing your ability and agreeing to your participation in the event. We must have confidence that all riders competing are able to handle track and event conditions.
All registrations are via Register Now on the MTBA website:
Here are a few things to know before you enter:
Entry Costs
6 hour junior $120 per team
6 hour solo $65 per person
6 hour teams 2 $130 per team
All Classes and Categories start at 12:00 midday on Saturday 12th and finish at 6:00pm the same day
We will have a wave start, as directed by the Race Director.
The 6 hour race is a very straight-forward format. Either individually, or as part of a team, you ride for six hours. The person of team who has done the most laps in the allotted time wins! Conduct of the race is governed by the rules and by-laws of the Mountain Bike Association of Australia - MTBA. Applying those guidelines to the event itself is the responsibility of the Race Director. All of this means you will need an MTBA licence to race, or to purchase a Day Licence for the event when you register on-line ($30.00) If you would like more info on any of the rules and regulations, you can check it all out at the MTBA's website:
Our two main concerns as race organisers are your safety and enjoyment! We reckon that track and the atmosphere will help take care of point two. Here are a few tips on point 1: Naturally you need a helmet (and a bike). You may also need lights.
Because sunset will be before the actual finish time of the 6 hour race (sunset will be around 5:00, race actually finishes at 6:00pm), if you choose to ride right up until the official 6:00pm cutoff on Saturday, you should expect to be running with lights fitted from about 4:30, Actual time for lights on will be determined on the day by the Race Director.
- Expected Time for sunset is around 5:00. Be prepared to head out with lights fitted from 4:30pm Saturday. You will be advised the exact time for lights on on the day -
That means that if you intend to head out on a lap from around 4:30pm on you will be required to have lights fitted, ready to use. You can choose to stop riding before this time. There is no penalty for this, as such. We understand many people do not wish to race at night. However, you will suffer an obvious time disadvantage to any in your class who continue under lights.
A note on lighting. Often tech regs prescribe 10 watt primary light source, but that's a bit obsolete with LED's (a good LED which was rated at 10 watts would be a real possum fryer, though). We recommend as a minimum, one 200 lumen light on your bars and a similar light helmet mounted. Running a single headlight is not permitted. It will leave you in the dark if the battery dies or there is any other failure and a single-source light doesn't provide good depth perception.
Make sure your batteries are fully charged before the event. There will be a free light battery recharge tent at the race but you won't need to for use the facility if your battery is fully charged when you start.
You are also required to have a tail light. Red in colour. There are no governing rules on brightness but we ask you, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't have it switched on to flashing modes. This will cause epilepsy and/or road rage in anyone following you.
For first-time soloists, especially - good on you! It might be worth pointing out, though, 6 hours is quite a long time in the saddle. Pacing yourself is vital. Only you, of course, know what a good pace is. Eat and drink plenty! Rehydrate with more than water (a well-balanced electrolyte replacement is suggested, rather than the soft drinks advertised on TV, but each to their own...). Having pit crew is invaluable. In fact, pit bosses are the unsung heroes of this crazy kind of races. So let's sing their praise now - good on you pit crews everywhere!!!
Similarly for teams riders: it's likely to be a pretty intense afternoon!. Make sure you, too, stay well fed and hydrated. Marquees are a great way to enjoy the vibe trackside, as are camper trailer. Take a chair and you might also consider taking a stationary trainer or rollers. There will be a gap between laps for 2 person team members. Your muscles will get cold. You need to warm up before your lap and it is not permitted (or practical) that more than one team member is on the track at one time. If you have a good sense of when your transition is due, you can get on the bike in the comfort of your mobile home-away-from-home and be ready to rocket from the blocks like Fabian Cancellara. And feel free to stay overnight and cheer the crazies on! We can accommodate you on the camping ground, right by the track.
On that note, teams riders. You will no doubt be fired up, ready for your lap. Please remember, as you rocket from the transition area, back on to the track, there will be other riders still circulating who are not as fired and not nearly as fresh as you! Many of these poor sods will be 24 hour soloists. Not, perhaps, those in contention for the win, but tough blighters who, no matter how hard you have pushed yourself, are doing it way tougher than you! Please be considerate as you pass these souls (they are usually easy to spot - heads slumped, shoulders dropped from about 10:00pm Saturday, eyeballs jiggling out of their heads, occasionally bumping the top tube and looking like they just left a shift down a Welsh coal mine). Give them warning and a little time to react, then a few words of encouragement and you've just made a new friend!
Especially for Junior Teams:
As a very important part of the HVMTBR Port Macquarie 24 Hour MTB Race we are proud to be again running a junior teams event. This will allow teams of any number from four to eight riders, aged from 10-15 years (inclusive) to compete in either the mixed (boys AND girls), Girls (only) or Boys (only) categories. To put that another way - by teams of four to eight we mean that any one team can run with a minimum of four to a maximum of eight riders. And, yes, these numbers even accord with the MTBA's DRAFT on junior participation!
These young riders will be running alongside their senior fellow-competitors. This is definitely not a wipper-snappers' event, so we expect parents, guardians and Team Captains entering young riders will carefully consider their ability to compete (see the guidelines at the top of this page regarding Team Captains). Older juniors, from 14 and up have the opportunity to race for somewhat longer durations in open categories. This gives the "Big" young guns scope to step up ranks. If you want more info, please contact us direct and we can give you a simple answer on ages and appropriate categories.
The keen-eyed will notice that this is the biggest spread of categories in any one class. The cost per rider is also the lowest. That's because, as most of you will already know, we REFUSENIXs are absolute believers that juniors are simply the most important riders out there! We know that teams are already being formed, deals and rider contracts negotiated... it's getting exciting!
For all 6 hour categories and classes you will need to finish your last lap by 6:00pm, Saturday for that lap to count. Any laps completed after that time will not be counted towards you or your teams' total. You DO NOT need to be on course when the race officially finishes at 6pm, Saturday 12th. Any and all laps completed prior this time will count towards your total and you will be given a finish and place.
Port 24 hour cancellations and refunds
We’re looking forward to a great race on a great track for the 2012 Port 24.
Part of your entry fee goes directly to the Hastings Valley Mountain Bike Riders club to help the club develop and maintain the track. We think it is important to support the club in their excellent work and so we have decided to pay the club that fee on every entry whether or not the rider or the organisers cancel the event.
There is also a considerable admin cost in putting together an event like this, that includes among many other things the credit card use fee charged to cover credit card payments on entry fees.
For these reasons, we cannot offer full refunds for any withdrawls. We will offer partical refunds up to April 31st. Unfortunately, if you decide to cancel from 1 May there will be no refund of your entry fee.
6 hour and
6 hourJunior MTB races
