WC AMAGEZA Assessment!!! No blood, but sweat and tears!!!!

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These gyrocopters are the most amazing small aircraft I've seen. One of the pilots explained to me that it has a worm-drive that engages the main rotor and pre-spins it to a certain amount of revs, only a fraction of the speed of a helicopter's rotor. [it could be 77R.P.M??] The push-prop then propels this aircraft forward, and the top rotor now rotates on it's own, the pinion-drive being disengaged, and the top-rotor is now it's "wing" The pilot also said that these craft are far more wind-stable than the fixed-wing microlights. 1.5 hours Cape Town to Sutherland, and can cruise up to 180KM/H.
 
Everybody involved in Sunday the 9th will agree when I say, It was a hair-raising moment when Len came over the starting line at rooftop height!

There are a couple of very important thank-you's I want to convey, and in no order whatsoever:

God: Who I asked the morning at 04:00 to protect every rider, and bring all back home that day without any injuries!

Andy 660: This man changed more tyres yesterday than most of us do in a year! He was out from the start till we brought in the last man! Thanks bro!!
Firecoast: She was again the center of the Amageza, arranging for lost guys to be found, broken bikes to be picked up, and managing all the admin. Thanks FC!
Leftless: Not only did he manage the first 2 hours of the ride from a gyrocopter, acting as position and radio relay for the rest of us, but apon landing, went on to recover bikes stuck in Atlantis, towing them out with his Landy. Shot Kobus!!
Sprocketbek and co: Waited for hours in the 36 degree sun for riders to pass to take pics, and recovered bikes in between as well! Thanks to both of you, you flippen rock!!
Pure-Orange: Who supported the broken bikes and marshaled for the event! Thanks my bru!
g1_: Jeff, buddy! Thanks man. For sitting on the back of my bakkie all day, for shooting in the blistering sun, getting sun-burned and dehydrated! Appreciate it man, really!
Crossed-up and Scrat: Who acted as sweep on their bikes, and had one hell of a time in all the other bikes tracks in the sand. Thanks to both of you! I promise never to ask you to do it again!  ;)
Wayneh: The marketing manager of the Amageza! Spent all day with me, in the sun, climbing dunes in search of riders, driving when I had the phone stuck to my one ear and the other on the two-way radio, and shooting from his cool HD cams. Thanks bro!
Nandi Who for the first time in her life was strapped to a seat under a spinning blade and asked to shoot still footage from tree-top height! Thanks Nandi, I'm sure the footage will be awesome!
Len Klopper: Chief Gyrocopter flying instructor at Morningside Airfield, who arranged three Gyrocopters for us for the day at no cost to the Amageza, and flew me out two days before the qualifier to recce the air-route. He also is responsible for shooting the footage from the air with one of the Bigshot Media guys, and a HD cam mounted on the nose-wheel. Thanks Len!
Jean, and the other gyrocopter pilot: Thanks to both of you. Together with Len you guys made it possible to shoot this event from the air.
Morningside Airfield: For hosting us, providing coffee before, and burgers and beer after the qualifier!

All the entrants! Man you okes are a rare breed. You just jump into the unknown, don't you! Thanks for all of you who tried. For those of you who did'nt make it, you know now what to train for, so we could see you soon hey!

If I left anybody out, it's unintentional. Please forgive!
 
GlenInk said:
the_wes said:
how did you shoot that? RC helicopter?


wayneh said:
This was a big day...  :deal: 27x hopeful competitors, 4x operation coordinators, several marshals, 2x sweeping crew, 3x recovery vehicles, 3x gyrocopter, 3x film cameras, more than 5x action cameras, 4x still photographers...

...and gallons of sweat & tears   >:D

I'll load some video clips shortly.

:thumleft:

guess I should learn to read  :mwink:
 
Kameelkop said:
Everybody involved in Sunday the 9th will agree when I say, It was a hair-raising moment when Len came over the starting line at rooftop height!

[flash=1280,720]https://www.youtube.com/v/TG7jHSYJ39E[/flash]

- Shot with the all new Drift HD (High Definition) Action Camera
 
Thanks vir al die organizers! Dit was nou baie lekker!!!

Special thanks to Scrat who organized me a backup battery after the first official breakdown of the Qualifier, a full 1km into the course...  :ricky:
 

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I only took one photo.

I took an unplanned detour that cost about 20 mins, a litre of water, a few near heat exhaustion moments and a broken rear indicator to get out of.

 
A sample of the 12 kms of rutted Atlantis sand tracks... Combined with the excessive heat, this was a taxing challenge

[flash=1280,720]https://www.youtube.com/v/JyOzPHE7FCM[/flash]

 
Some more.
 

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Breakdown!!!  :dousing:
 

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...Fast sweeping jeep tracks with interesting wash-aways & ruts

[flash=1280,720]https://www.youtube.com/v/NwP_X-IMRUA[/flash]
 
where are the other reports ? Is everyone too farked to type?  :ricky:
 
Whoop whoop.

Lekker manne

Thx Kameelkop it was a great ride we just neede more sand.
3 puntures later I was home. Dankie Andy 660 first time anybody has changed a tube for me.......I like you I wiil have to take on all my rides oom. :thumleft:

Thx for all the people that I could scavange GPS info from as my GPS died 20 km into the 210km route  :dousing:.

Great fun glad all is safe.

Andy and Attie I ow you both a 21 " tube remember and andy Attie just phoned he still has your 22mm spanner tyre lever combo.

Dankie Firecoast for all the admin :thumleft:

Manne you missed out big time. this was one fun ride.
 
Yes well done to Kameelkop, Firecoast , the Marshalls , The tyre changers , the Photographers and Wayne H  :thumleft:


This was a Mother of an assessment !, all that sand and all that heat  :eek:  Pity so many bikes broke or had puntures or battery issues. Pity so many GPS issues also . I know there were many very good riders taking part , but on the day the 4 guys who excelled and came in long before the others were Beserker, 2SDan, Legadema and Kamanya. Boy you boy'tjies can ride  :drif: , well done in rocking it in such tough conditions !   :notworthy: :notworthy:
 
Sprocketbek said:
I'm too knackerd to look at all the pics I took.......and I wasn't even on a bike!

Just posting a sequence that, for me, describes the nature (and spirit) of the event. Thanks everybody, was a fantastic day!

Oh no! You had to start the RR with pictures of my most embarrassing moment! A big thank you to the photogs who picked my bike up.
When I came over the rise and saw all those ruts and several photographers lined up ... I knew there was trouble coming! These pics don't show the stump I hit just before that and which threw me off course. ... I thought I could just power my way through this bush (like so many others before that!) but I guess it's not called a taaibos for nothing!

A truly epic experience. I've never had to dig so deep to find hidden resources ... hours of relentless sand and windless heat, a Camelbak bladder that did its best to starve me of water by kinking the tube, too bald a rear tyre, a total lack of company for most of the way (where were you, Dakarboy?!). It was a super tough route and I'm proud to have brought that heaving hulk of HP2 metal through all that. Great thanks to all the organisers - a super day!

This pic is where I had a little picnic somewhere north of Atlantis - boiled eggs and dark chocolate, yum!
 

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Dakarboy said:
Thats my dad hahahah!!! what a doosh!! COUNT ME IN ON THE NEXT QUALIFIER FOR SURE!!! Work is a complete ******* and with the short notice on the change it was too late!!! 23rd here we come!

Son, the spelling is "******".  :bueller:

And don't you ever call me that again!
 
Keen to hear the stories and see the pics / video.

I spent most of the day with KK and Wayne trying to find out where the action was happening. But managed to get some footage. Then I jumped ship and joined Leftless and a few others and tried to get some recovery footage.

Keen to see what Big Shot Media managed to get (video wise). If I have time I'll do an unofficial edit from what I have, but I think all the footage will be pooled together for the official edit.
 
Hey Kameelkop, firecoast, John, Leftless eish - almal van julle!
Baie reelings, backup ens - maar ons doen dit weer die 5de November?
Was great, harde werk, maar nogsteeds fun.... het 'n paar keer gewonder hoe dit nou actually kan fun wees om jouself so te torture! Maar kon net elke keer opkom met positiewe redes! Was awesome!
@ Gabriel, shot dude, ek is nou al 'n meester met jump start!!  :mwink: :mwink:

Sweeping was 'n nagmerrie, .. maar ek sal dit actually weer doen!  :thumleft: Volgende keer gaan ek verseker meer bier saamvat!  :thumleft:

Kani wag vi al die fotos nie!
 
What can be said about the assessment ride.. the day started off with great anticipation, getting the tracks finally loaded onto the GPS was the start of a day to remember.

While some describe the route as a fun day out with a picnic basket the pile of bodies and bikes along the way told of a very different story, I have never seen so many people fall all at once.. neither can I remember falling as much in one day. The sand was deep, hot and  energy sapping stuff to say the least, I was so happy to see train tracks, it was like heaven compared to the sand..

To see okes stopping to help fellow riders get their bikes up or push them out of a deep hole they had dug for themselves was awesome to see. To every rider who was arm pumped and dog tired but still made the effort to stop for a fellow dog to help out.. take a bow.

For those who finished all I can say is that you are machines.. 2 big thumbs up,. I have no idea how many okes finished , how many turned back or how many had to be recovered but at one stage along the route I didn’t see another rider for over an hour, which means that I was either stone last ( probably ) or lost ( probably at least at one point )

It has to be said upfront that the organisational level these okes took it to was worth a +1000, from organising filming, photo’s the route planning, recovery, sweepers. It is really an amazing effort, I have never experienced anything like it.. well done guys, you rock. To all the other riders I for one was very proud just to be lined up with so many talented riders, for some it is about getting there 1st, for some it is about achieving a personal goal, for some it is just about riding with some brilliant characters, whatever your reason for riding is, I salute every oke who took part and decided to get up, saddle up and kuk off for the love of riding instead of sitting at home and watching the rugby.. well done.
 
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