Racing Information

General safety guide for any discipline

Bike racing is a fun but also very challenging. For each discipline there will specific information to you can use, which will be relevant to you.
General Safety guide for any discipline, as follows:

• A helmet must be worn at any race that has an Australian certified sticker present inside.
• XC riders require minimum of an open face helmet. 
• DH riders require minimum of a full face helmet.
• Road and Triathlon riders require minimum of an open face helmet.

For DH racing it is highly recommended that extra protection is worn see the following list below.

Body armour such as a safety jacket that consists of a spine protector, shoulder guards, elbow guards and sometimes a chest plate normally offer the highest level of  upper body protection.  Full race suits offer the complete protection package in one item. This has the same features of the jacket but combines the upper leg, Knee-shin and ankle protectors in one item of clothing. Alternative knee or shin protection can be bought separatory. Neck protectors have been popular within the last few year and stops extreme neck movement if there is an impact. Full finger gloves are advised to prevent abrasion if there is an accident.
Sun cream is advised due to the nature of the sport. Often riders are out in the hot sun for hours on end. A minimum of factor 30 protection should be used and reapplied as per manufactures recommendations. 
Hydration and food are a major concern when out riding therefore it is important to consume hydration liquids and remember to eat foods and or energy gels to keep your body fuelled. Take your own water and fuel just in case you find there is no food to buy.
XC and DH racers should wear the relevant clothing for the conditions.
Your bike should be excellent working condition before riding to allow for a good time and for safety.  Handlebar plugs must be present or the bike is deemed unsafe to race.

General racing rules

The course is marked out with tape (bunting) While racing you must stay within the taped section. If you ride out of the tape, quickly return to the point where you left the track and restart from this point. There will be a penalty if you gain an advantage from not restarting at this point.

If you withdraw from the race tell the officials so they can remove you from the start list. This is important because if you don’t people may be out on the trail looking for you thinking you have crashed and unable to communicate.
If you come up on a rider and want to overtake shout “Track” and the rider will pull over when possible. This must be carried out safely. Shouting abuse at the rider will only cause panic, which may result in a crash or making the pass slow.

XC racing rules

No outside assistance is permitted during the race therefore all equipment that you require to finish the race must be carried.  Only outside assistance can be permitted if the rider is injured.  After the start finish line there is a food zone.
Be cautious of rider if you are running or walking your bike during the race and allow them to pass with ease.  The finish of the race is determined when the lead rider crosses the finish line. At this point every rider to follow finishes on the lap they are on while they cross the start/finish line.

DH race rules

Generally DH races are 3mins long but staying inside the taped course still applies.  Riders leave at 30 second intervals from the top of the course.  The timing clock alerts the rider that they have 15 seconds before they have to start their race run. The rider may start their run at any time from the last 5 seconds shown on the clock. If you catch a rider the same rules apply to pass. Remember to call out in advance so the caught rider has the time to move over and let you pass.  Your race run finishes when you cross the finish line.

You have the right to protest your result if you feel you have been penalised by an official or another rider. The time limit that you can have is 15mins after you finish you race.

You can either pre- enter on line or pay on the day. Normally pre-entering allows the organisers to roughly gauge the amount riders will be racing on the day.

More to come...