|
How to Enter an Enduro!
Now this is a novel one - 'If
your not in the know, its not always as easy as you might think!'
Quite frequently in the South West riders have asked me -
"where do I get an entry form for 'such and such' Enduro?"
Now although I try and keep in touch with all the local event
organisers and stay on the ball with relevant news. There are
occasions when I have stated "I didn't know that one (a race)
was on! No regs have been sent through for our website and it
hasn't been mentioned!". Of course then I ask "where did
you hear about it?" - and it often turns out that the event
regs have been around for a while, - but only to a small select
few.
Well thats not entirely true - often thousands know about it.
But here's the rub, - hardly any Enduro riders have heard about
it. So how can this be you might well ask. Well it turns out that
in the South West there has been for very many years a wonderful
little magazine called 'The South Western Centre Gazette'.
Its a magazine that carries all ACU local Regs and Entries,
plus good reports on ACU meetings. Who to contact for what and
many other useful things too. And this is the good bit - the regs
are all set out nice for you to fill out and post your entry in.
Well here is the crunch, - you try and get hold of one
somewhere!!!
 As
most ACU clubs put on Trials and MX meetings, there are loads of
entries and regs in there for each magazine issue from each club.
But as many ACU clubs only run one Enduro a year there are only a
few occasions when Enduro or Hare & Hounds Regs appear.
So riders that ride trials or MX usually see their respective
club stewards and organisers regularly and can therefore get the
contact info to obtain a subscription to the Gazette. But although
Enduro riders have to join just about every club in the country to
ride frequently, its almost impossible for us to find out how and
where to get the vital at times, magazine!
(Left - A typical list of the sort of
superb info offered in the Gazette. Now don't you wish you could
buy a copy somewhere!)
This month of September has been a classic example, 2 ACU clubs
have organised an Enduro with what seems like very little
notification to the vast majority of potential entrants. In fact
most riders only got the chance to have a set of regs, at about
the same time the official 'entries are closed' date was due.
This isn't the best way for riders to plan their season. And I
would request that in future a little more notice would help all
concerned - a lot. Answers like "the regs have been in the
gazette for months", is no good when riders do not know how
to get a copy!
This really is True - really really!
I tried for eighteen years to get a copy of the South West
Centre ACU Gazette - and was finally successful last week, when a
kind man sent me his copy so I could use the deatils to order my
own. I was amazed at the booklet - it's great. And the good news
is - I can now pass on the info to you lot - on who to contact to
obtain one also.
This appears to be a subscription based mag and apparently the
form required to get one is only included rarely, so it remains to
be seen whether you will be ably to place an order - but hey lets
try!
 (Right
- Diane the hard working editor does a superb job)
I have photo-copied the contact details as you can see for
yourself. So if you are at all interested, give Diane Redston a
bell and see how you go. My first impression is that its a very
good mag, but mainly focuses on Trials and MX.. But you never
know, as Hare & Hounds get ever more popular things may soon
change!
Maybe when we all have a copy - we will be able to get our
entries in on time!!!
As they still say in Knightsbridge - Chow!
Or as they down yer in Deb'n - ooh arrh!
Article Copyright - Adrian Harris. Please Note:
This article was written in 2003 so some of the contact phone
numbers may have now changed!
|
