I'm happy to hear that people liked the format, as I supplied it. I've been trying to get a stage rally type event running since 2002. I've been a rally marshal for years and I could see how stage rally events could work on singletrack.

At Core bike show, Kona asked us about doing an event together at Skyline as we are part of the Bikeparks program. So I pitched it to Ben Gaby, and he liked it. But decided to get MJW to run it instead of using the Skyline team, and proceeded to deviate from the rules and structure of the format I'd laid out, to fit their idea of what the event should be. Even down to the name, (I had already named it Afanlanche Enduro) this is where, I feel things went wrong.

They decided that paying customers should not have to worry about timing, and their system would handle it.

I was going to use my rallying contacts and get BRC / BTRDA approved timing in place(may not have been possible due to costs, but maybe something with freelap would ) complete with time cards. Rally crews have been paying £100s to enter events for over 40 years with no complaints about time cards.

But this event needed the marketing hype that a brand like Kona could bring to get it into the mainstream. And on that score, it was a success.

I've now got backing from the South Wales FC and some possible sponsors to put on a small series next season. It'll be 3 races to start, all in classic Welsh Rally forests, and on different terrain. One natural, one man made, and one mixed but with a sting in the tail. Afan won't be used, so it'll need a name change, and Time Trail works on a couple of levels.

If you enjoyed the format, and you want to compete in the same type of event, look out for more next year. If it's well supported, it'll grow to a National series for regular trail riders.

HUZZAH! 2nd from last which goes to prove...don't have flats, crash or have stiff forks or be shite

Although I did technical go faster than some 'technical' people on Jetlag WTF!

Jetlag wasn't on the Technical course, do you mean Darkside?  

The timing's shit!

I gave my mate a huge start on the last descent as I'm usually quicker than him, I passed him near the finish and the timing has me as only 9 seconds quicker.  I did have my doubts as to whether it beeped as I passed so went back to the mat and I suppose that's the reading it took.

Still.... I enjoyed it at the time. Get a timing system that works and they'll have a good race on their hands.

Nice result Mike. Well done.

I did have my doubts as to whether it beeped as I passed so went back to the mat and I suppose that's the reading it took.

If it beeped the second time, it probably did. I thought of doing another run on Windy Point having failed to get a beep, glad I didn't bother now

It's a pity that Windy Point came out, because that only left Darkside as a shared enduro/technical section, which to me was one of the more interesting elements. 

Makes me chuckle for the Mojo rider who was screaming rider rider rider rider so hard his voice went all high pitched sounding like he'd cry if the riders in front didn't pull over coming down that section, bless his cotton socks.