Stroud’s 2017 6-Hour: 15 Talking Points

Right then. You’ve copped an eyeful of the highlights video, been wowed by the images, and pored over the results. But what were the standout back-stories that helped define the 2017 Transmoto 6-Hour at Stroud? Here’s what preoccupied talk around pit paddock campfires on Sunday night…

POWERED BY WHOM?

It’s never easy to seamlessly splice a naming-rights sponsor mention into every second sentence, mainly because it takes a catchy-sounding name and turns it into something that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. No such problem for the 2017 Transmoto 6-Hour at Stroud, though, because Husqvarna riders, teams and dealers where everywhere. The brand’s signage, bikes and personnel dominated the trade alley, the pit plots, and the pointy end of the results. Yep, this year’s 6-Hour at Stroud was, quite literally, powered by Husqvarna.

JIM’S HILL

Stroud is a small country town about an hour north of Newcastle. And not far out of Stroud, in a remote little valley called Gunns Gully, one of Transmoto’s shareholders owns a picturesque 1300-acre parcel of prime countryside – a working cattle property, which was home to the inaugural Transmoto 6-Hour in 2015. This year’s course had one significant addition: “Jim’s Hill”. It was named in honour of the Sundell family’s legendary patriarch, Jim Sundell, who died a few months ago.

Fittingly, Jim’s Hill has a commanding, 360-degree view over the property’s house, vineyard, cattle yards, and the network of 6-Hour tracks and trails. RIP up there, Jim.

TRANSMOTO’S GRAVITATIONAL PULL

Our entrant surveys reveal a lot about the make-up of entrants at a Transmoto events. And the most telling stat is that more than half of them only race Transmoto events. So, why is that? Is everyone just drinking the same Kool-Aid, or is there some magic in these events’ ingredients? Truth be told, probably a bit of both. But the rationale we’re most frequently given revolves around the relaxed atmosphere, and the fact these events give people an opportunity to ride with, or against, their mates on challenging custom-made tracks.

WAKE-UP, SOLDIERS OF DIRT

As has become tradition at Transmoto Enduro Events, race day is marked by Reveille. But instead of a lone bugle, it comes in the form of an eardrum-bursting sunrise blast across the PA system with a track that’s typically been the subject of months of argument. This year, we let the event’s track builder have his way with The Cult’s She Sells Sanctuary, followed by a medley of old-school, hardcore Crusty Demons tracks design to rattle fillings and tear people out of bed.

FRESH, HEALTHY GRUB

Serving quality food at large events and festivals is no easy task. Which is why most organisers give up and flog lukewarm meat pies, chips and hotdogs that are doused in similarly low-rent sauce to mask the cardboard taste. Not at Stroud’s 6-Hour, though. We lucked into a local food truck operator called El Poco Loco, and their Mexican-styled cuisine was out-of-this-world tasty. And fresh. And healthy.

For breakfast, lunch and dinner, the El Poco Loco crew served up a delicious array of nachos, quesadillas and burritos, which – thanks to our suggestion that they tone down the chilly content a whisker – didn’t translate unnecessarily into a heightened demand for the Port-a-loos.

GARETH THE GLORIOUS

Gareth Cooper has got a thick Pomy accent and hilarious turn of phrase. He comes across like a 10-year-old who’s jacked up on Mountain Dew, hiding in a 30-year-old’s body. And his abject lack of preparation means drama is always close at hand. Gareth is a regular at Transmoto’s events and he’s forever busting his body or bike, or both. But at Stroud, we saw a different side to the man; the athletic Gareth. Initially, when we urged him to take part in the Ballard’s Uphill Battle (a Rafferty’s rules, dead-bike push in moto boots up a grassy incline), Gareth declined; explaining that he was eight beers into his afternoon’s festivities, and that he’d definitely puke if he were to exert himself like that. Two beers later, however, he’d signed up. True to his word, Gareth puked at the top of the hill after his heat.

And don’t think that didn’t get a laugh or three! But he also convincing won his heat, demonstrating a turn of speed that belied his portly build. Then in the final, up against the super-fit Jarrod Bewley, Gareth did it again – both the winning and the puking, that is. In fact, it was a dead-heat between Cooper and Bewley, but the former Aussie champ magnanimously granted Pomy-Cooper-Puker the gold! For the record, Gareth and his ‘Throttle Hogs’ teammate, Peter Layton, managed to destroy three bikes over the course of the weekend. As Gareth does!

THE FOX TOSS

If you Google “Stroud, NSW”, you get a bunch of information about the town’s infamous annual “International Brick and Rolling Pin Throwing Contest”. And that’s why the crew from Fox Australia chose to launch their all-new Fox 180 boot at Stroud’s 6-Hour by staging the “Fox 180 Boot Toss”. After a few over-enthusiastic participants’ wayward tosses fashioned fresh dents in a van and trailer in proximity to the playing ‘field’, Lachlan Smith (famous for riding into a 20m deep mineshaft at last year’s Sunny Corner Trail Bike Ride) was named the victor.

The big bloke managed to toss the boot further than anyone else, and walked away with a fresh set of size 13 Fox 180 kicks for his troubles.

IRONWOMAN DEBUT

At the annual Transmoto 12-Hour, we limit positions in the Ironman class to just 12. But at our shorter 6-Hour events, we open the class up to more entrants to meet the additional demand. And this year, we had a record 35 entries in Stroud’s Ironman class. Or should we say “Ironperson” class? Huh? Well, a 23-year-old woman called Tyla Barton signed up for Stroud, which makes her our first ever Ironwoman. Believe it or not, the 6-Hour was Tyla’s first ever race, full stop. So, she had a full-blown support crew to help her through it, right? No, not exactly. “Well, my partner is also racing, so I’ll be looking after myself, I guess,” she said nonchalantly at Riders’ Briefing. In spite of having no one to fuel her bike, replace her air filters or massage her flogged arms, Tyla laid down six laps of the gruelling track and finished a very respectable 26^th in class.

CHANGING OF THE RUBBER

In enduro circles, the ability to change your own tyres – in a fast and competent way – is kind of a badge of honour. And off-road guys like to think it sets them aside from their prima donna motocross cousins, who apparently have no idea how to maintain their bike or change its kicks. And that’s why the Metzeler Tyre Changing Challenge was a popular distraction during Saturday afternoon’s sign-on. Admittedly, we didn’t attract any of the zany entrants who came out of the woodwork at Conondale – the barefoot bandit, the one-armed lever twirler, or the bloke who changed the tyre with a can of beer clenched firmly between his teeth – but there was still plenty of plumber’s crack, grunting and spilt claret. For the record, Jarrod Bewley won the three-way final in a handsome time of 1:14 – narrowly ahead of Broc Grabham and Rohan Stace – and took home a free set Metzeler’s all-new MC360 hoops.

THE MEGA-SCREEN

The idea of adding “Movie Night” to the weekend’s schedule sounded like a great idea. Until we discovered that the weatherproof LED mega-screen (which still works a treat in full sunlight) costs a pretty penny to hire. Thankfully, the dirt bike-friendly crew from AllTech Australia cut us a deal, because this thing proved enormously popular. On the Saturday night, it showcased everything from rare 1978 Mister MX footage from Broadford (shot on a silent Super 8 camera, and accompanied by a classic Deep Purple soundtrack), through to teaser imagery of the Stroud 6-Hour’s 18km track. Then on Sunday, it converted into a massive live timing screen that teams could read from 40 metres away.

POLE DANCING FOR DONNA

It has become tradition at Transmoto events for pole position to be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to a worthy cause. And for Stroud’s 6-Hour, the money raised – through both the auction and donation buckets – went to former 6-Hour track builder, Donna Learoyd, who was recently involved in a horrific car accident. The boys from Morgan Engineering and Hunter Valley Plant Maintenance posted the winning bid ($1500) in the pole position auction, which gave one of their team riders, Luke Richards, a three-minute head start on the field. Donna and her partner, Darren “Yogi” Goodwin”, were so moved by the gesture that Donna mustered the energy to return to the event on Sunday arvo to wave the chequered flag. “Donna’s got a long road to recovery ahead of her,” explained a choked-up Yogi, “but this is really going to help with the ongoing care she’ll need. It’s been so nice to see how giving the 6-Hour community us, and it’s been greatly appreciated.”

DEALER DERBY

The Lower Hunter Valley has long been a hotbed for off-road riding talent. Home to guys such as Chad Reed, Casey Stoner, Craig Anderson, Dan and Jamie Stauffer, Luke George, Beetle Bailey, Chris Watson, Phil Lovett, and a whole lot more, the region is dirt bike heartland; moto ground-zero. And it’s much the same when it comes to motorcycle dealerships. While these guys do support other Transmoto events, the dealer presence we get at Stroud is second to none. With KTM Newcastle (Broadmeadow), Chris Watson Motorcycles (Cessnock), Powersport Central (Morisset) and Coastal Motorcycle Centre (West Gosford) all sponsoring the event and fielding a bunch of teams, Stroud has evolved into somewhat of a local dealer derby. Sure, the boys are competitive, but they keep things in check. After all, they’re racing for Flavor Flav-style plastic trophies, not sheep stations.

FEEL-GOOD FIRST-TIMERS

“How ya feeling, Riley?,” Husky Australia’s team manager, Christian Horwood, asked his young charger, Riley Dukes, five minutes before the 6-Hour got under way. “Really nervous,” came the reply from the 17-year-old Husqvarna-backed motocross talent, who the team had thrown in the deep-end as their lead rider. “I’ve never raced an enduro before in my life,” Dukes said. “I’ve got no idea where the track goes or how long it is or what sort of obstacles it’s got or whether my bike’s set up right. Of course I’m nervous, Christian.” By this time, Horwood is laughing and nodding his head from side to side. “Look, Riley, he says, taking on a fatherly tone. “This race is all about fun. Just latch onto one of the quick guys, get into a rhythm and enjoy it. Next year’s contract doesn’t hinge on your performance over the next six hours.” The kid visibly relaxed in response to Horwood’s reassuring words. He obviously found his rhythm, and by the midway mark, he was smiling and telling anyone who’d listen how much fun this off-road caper was. Another convert, it seems.

Riley Dukes was just one of dozens of Transmoto event first-timers at Stroud, all of whom seem to go through a similar ‘induction’ process. It’s amazing how, when you put fun in front of officialdom and create a team environment, people are reminded of how enjoyable racing a motorcycle can actually be.

THE BRIERLEYS’ BIG-LEAGUE DEBUT

While most teams are made up of mates of similar ages, some are multi-generational. And this year’s Team and Outright winners at Stroud’s 6-Hour were a perfect example. Making up the Motohub Husqvarna team was young off-road racing standouts, Josh and Mitch Brierley, and their racing mentor cum coach, 30-year-old Jarrod Bewley – himself a former national champ in both the AORC and A4DE. Incredibly, the 6-Hour was the Brierley brothers’ first ever Senior race. And something tells us it’ll be a memorable one for these 16-year-old twins. Having gone 1-2 in the J4 class (the premier Junior class) at this year’s AORC, these likeable young blokes are set for big things in the sport.

SPITERI CRACKS ONE

Peter Spiteri is a former Pro rider who’s discovered that Transmoto events offer him and his mates a watertight excuse to hit the road and enjoy a weekend worth of camping, beers and racing. No matter where we stage our events, Pete and a bunch of his mates are there. And all of them know how to pedal, too. Over the past seven years, Pete has made the occasional podium appearance, but he’s also copped some gnarly injuries in the process.

Which is why it was so cool to see Pete and his ‘Balloon Knots’ partner, Larry Mooney, finally crack a Pairs-class win. Together, they laid down 15 laps of the Gunns Gully loop and ran a very impressive eighth Outright. Way to go, Brutus!