Less than two weeks remain until the first CDMCC Cross Country of the year gets underway at the new venue on Knockagh Hill where preparations have been on-going for a number of weeks. One part of the preparations was to secure a sponsor for the event and the club has done just that.
Cullybackey based, HTM Off Road, who are Northern Ireland’s dealers for Husaberg, Husqvarna, Gas Gas and Beta enduro machines, have now been unveiled as the main title sponsor, a business that is clearly no stranger this style of event. Philip Caldwell, owner of HTM is a well-known figure about the paddock and spoke of his new connection with the event lined up for 31st March;
“I am pleased to be working with the Carrickfergus Club to help promote their first cross country event of the 2012 at this new venue. First impressions of the course are that it’s a challenging course made up of nice fast flowing grasstrack and motocross, mixed with tight, technical sections.”
Philip met with the club last Saturday afternoon on what was a glorious day at the scenic Knockagh Hill venue where work was still continuing on the track layout. Knowing of his Enduro experience, CDMCC were quick to seek advice on how to improve the track layout to suit all abilities of riders. Club Vice Chairman, Peter Denney was happy for the extra knowledge of the sport during the track build;
“Our new event sponsor Philip, was with us this weekend when we were working at the track so using his experiences; we have worked on making the track more suitable for all levels of competitors while also adding some difficult sections that will be used for the Expert race only.”
“Each lap will be approximately ten minutes long and is laid out in such a way that it will be fun to ride for the clubmen but also is challenging enough for our expert competitors. The track will consist of forest trails, a few rocky sections, plenty of elevation changes and will also use the whole motocross circuit from last season’s Two Day Motocross.”
“This is our first attempt to build a Cross Country track from scratch and we are very excited at the opportunity to run an event of this nature so we hope the riders will turn out in their numbers to support it.”
Entry forms for the event have now been out for a couple of weeks and are available in most motocross shops across the country and are also available to download as a PDF on the CDMCC website. Entry fees are priced at just £26 a competitor and a minimum of one and a half hours bike time is guaranteed. Riders must pre enter for this event so are encouraged to get entry forms sent to the club right away to avoid disappointment.
For the most up to date information on the event you should head to the club website, www.carrickfergusmcc.co.uk or e-mail info@carrickfergusmcc.co.uk if you have any questions or queries.