Stroud’s 2017 6-Hour: Special Awards

Transmoto’s Enduro Events were conceived to encourage participation from riders of all ages and abilities. So it’s only fitting that – in addition to the trophies for Ironman, Pairs and Team classes – we also hand out awards to those who deserve recognition for other reasons.
So, let’s pay homage to the Special Award winners from the 2017 Transmoto 6-Hour, powered by Husqvarna…

PRIMO PIT AWARD – TEAM SJC

Simon, James and Caine (aka, ‘Team SJC’) might not have been too creative with their team name, but they sure put some thought into how to best use their 6×12 metre pit plot. By ingeniously re-jigging the layout of their plot’s tents and trailers, it enabled them to erect a kiddies’ crèche from orange mesh. It was deftly positioned so that the kids (Ethan, Sienna and Denzel) could safely watch their old boys racing. Boom. Little tackers safe. Conscience clear. Nice work, dads!

HARD LUCK AWARD – KTM NEWCASTLE DAZ/LINC

For the ‘KTM Newcastle Daz/Linc’ team of Darren Lewis and Lincoln Amidy, things didn’t start well at Stroud. Just five minutes into the six-hour race, Darren found himself off-line in a creek crossing. He cased out on a rock, lost his engine oil, and had to park the bike. The pair made a damn good recovery, though. Sharing one bike for the rest of the event, they worked their way up to 45^th in the Pairs class and 116^th Outright.

BEST OUTFIT AWARD – TE ENGINE BALANCING

The TE Engine Balancing duo of Nicholas and Jack Edwards have raced five Transmoto events, and the boys didn’t think twice about driving overnight to race Conondale’s famed Green Park circuit in Queensland. At Stroud, their matching turquoise jerseys might have been hand-me-downs from Team Greasers’ outfits at a previous Transmoto event, but these brothers were one of the very few (non-Pro) teams at Stroud to make some sort of effort to run matching garb. And given the boys were only 90 seconds adrift from the Pairs-class podium, we were more than happy to hand them the Best Outfit Award, even if they saw it as a bit of a consolation prize.

FASTEST LAP AWARD – HUSQVARNA AUSTRALIA #2

Husqvarna’s ‘factory-backed’ trio of Broc Grabham, Jackson Flaherty and Damian Smith had to settle for second in the Team and Outright results, but the boys did manage to post the fastest lap time of the race – a staggeringly quick 21:55 around the 18km loop. Not surprisingly, the time was laid down on lap one, before the track got exponentially rougher. So, who actually clocked the record time? As much as 40-something-year-old Damian Smith wanted desperately to claim the accolade, the honour goes to Broc Grabham.

PROACTIVE PARTNER AWARD – TRACK-BUILDING CREW

When it comes to endurance races, the difference between a bloody good ride and hours of agony comes down to the quality of the track. It takes experienced track builders to put together a loop that stands up to the abuse and remains fun to ride. Thankfully, the track-building team at Stroud (Chris Taylor, Adam Goulston, Gavin “Gonza” Sepos, “Red” and “Terry”) are all locals who know the property’s terrain like the back of their hands, and how to best utilise it. The event’s 18km loop was superb for a number of reasons. It had a broad variety of terrain. Ninety percent of it was freshly cut and marked. A number of well-positioned grasstrack sections gave fast riders ample opportunity to pass slower guys. And not only did the cloverleaf configuration let spectators eyeball their teammates several times per lap; it also made access for medical services and sweeps way better. The boys even signposted their favourite sections with names such as Husqvarna Enduro Test, Modus Mud Pit, Metzeler Downhill, Jim’s Hill, Gunns Gully, Shinko Chicane, Bo-Ally Dreams, Brenda’s Hill, The Ruins, Transmoto Creek, The Crossroads and Red’s Logs. In other words, awarding these hard-working blokes with the Proactive Partner Award was an absolute no-brainer.

START YA BASTARD AWARD – THROTTLE HOGS

The Start Ya Bastard Award materialised a couple of years back as a kind of hole-filler; an award we could dish out to person or team who deserved acknowledgement for reasons not covered by the other awards. Well, it just wouldn’t have been fair to send the Throttle Hogs’ Gareth Cooper and Peter Layton home without singling them out (and not just for Gareth’s efforts in the Ballard’s Uphill Battle). Suffice to say that the Throttle Hogs managed to destroy three bikes at this one event – a feat best explained by Cooper himself (warning: heavy Pomy accent and frequent profanity!).

THE HOODLUM AWARD – TIMING SERVICES

“Count” Steve Squires and “Lord” Danny Graham are two of Australia’s most highly credentialed motorcycle racing officials. They handle the all-important timing services for our events and these amusing ‘Old Timers’ constantly wheel out this shtick about being on-the-take. A Quikshade, a new car, a share of our event’s revenue, personal catering, a new generator, a top-end laptop, free cigarettes … you name it, they’ve asked for it all. Funnily enough, we handed them a couple of Transmoto hoodies to acknowledge their years of dedicated service, and they were chuffed to pieces.