DirtTV:Marc Beaumont on the Gawton 1.04 a Mountain Biking video by dirt
Downhill mountain bike rider Marc Beaumont tests his skills on the Gawton using the Freelap timing system.
Video Transcript
DirtTV: What are your thoughts on the track?
Marc: I thought it was really tricky and it wasn’t what I expected at all. I was kind of expecting a really simple track and there might be a couple of sections that were difficult. But when I walked it and I think there had been some rain yesterday so I was surprised at how slippery it was. Also It’s pretty technical and kind of awkward in places. So it’s certainly not like a straightforward that you can just turn up and do a couple of runs and know where you’re going. So it takes a little while to get to know where you’re going and I was glad I walked it so I knew most of the more difficult bits.
I was struggling this morning I didn’t do the best. I didn’t feel like it was going to be a very good day to be honest after that little crash into that switchback. I banged my hand a little bit and knocked myself about. But this afternoon turned out a lot better once I got into a rhythm doing a full run I think it’s a little bit easier to do the whole trail instead of doing it in sections.
DirtTV: How many runs did you do?
Marc: I did six in total. Five timed runs [with the Freelap timing system]. I was pulling in two or three seconds per run until the last two I got down to the 1:52 and then I went 0.8 seconds quicker in my last run. So, 1:52.62 I believe which is currently the fastest. It’s pretty intense to go that speed and be consistent. I think my second to last run was probably my best one and then I made a small mistake in the last right-hander and my foot slid out. So I probably lost a little bit of time there but you’re looking at small amounts of time as opposed to pulling in big chunks of time.
There’s a good variation of lines. Some of the local guys were telling me people are going here and people are going there. There is plenty of little lines that people are doing. So yeah, it’s a really interesting track.
DirtTV: What tire did you use?
Marc: I was on a cut spike. I’m not sure that it was the best. But then towards the end of the day I started to feel more comfortable on that tire. So yeah, it worked out pretty good.
DirtTV: Can your time be beaten?
Marc: Yeah, for sure. People can beat it. The conditions today were pretty greasy so on a dryer track they’ll beat it. I think that I could possibly beat my time in the same conditions as today. But, you know, I’ll take it because it’s a target for the next person, I guess. But yeah, it’s a cool little test track that you’ve got and I enjoyed riding it.
