Ford Dunton Summer Series

Tjgoodhew
Tjgoodhew Posts: 628
edited April 2014 in Amateur race
I am looking to ride this in May as my first introduction to racing and I wanted to know if this is a good place to start ?

Its classed as a Go-Race event which from what i understand is geared towards people like me that want to get into racing.

Did anybody here ride this series last year and what should I expect ? Other than for it to be pretty tough and expect to finish towards the back on my first few races !!
Cannondale Caad8
Canyon Aeroad 8.0

http://www.strava.com/athletes/goodhewt

Comments

  • charlie_potatoes
    charlie_potatoes Posts: 1,921
    Some of our club members rode it last year. I guess it is as good a place as any to start. The circuit is one of the test tracks and is banked either end. The banks are concrete and the straights tarmac, there is a marked difference between the two surfaces. Apart from that there is not much else to say really except that photography is not allowed as it is a "Top Secret" test centre.
    I'll see you on May 1st :D
    "You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul
  • gattocattivo
    gattocattivo Posts: 500
    I've raced there maybe 6 or 7 times, I think. It's not really a Go-Race, only in name. Most Go-Races are much shorter (maybe just 30 minutes) and are done as one-offs mostly for people who want to try out racing and can have quite a wide range of abilities in. These races are an hour long (give or take 5 minutes), usually have about 40-50 riders in - most of them 4th cats, but some good junior riders - are run off at a reasonable pace (24-25mph), and the vast majority don't get dropped.
    It's not a bad course to get started on as it isn't very technical - there are no tight bends or steep hills, just long sweeping bends at either end and a mini-climb and descent at one end. The only thing that takes a bit of getting used to is the banking on the bends which is quite steep and switches halfway through (so one minute you're at the top, the next you're at the bottom).
  • pashda
    pashda Posts: 99
    I have had a couple of goes in 2012 as a total novice. It is fast from the start so a good warm up is essential. Hang on for the first couple of laps and it usually settles down. Apparently!! One thing to note the road surface especially on the change from tarmac to concrete is rubbish. Good luck

Categories