TMX Says: Bull fighters in real Hare raiser
By TMX Archives on 1st Jun 16
I spent almost two and a half hours in bed on Sunday morning with my eyes glued to my iPad not literally of course as this would be really dangerous and the most dangerous thing I do these days is get out of bed without offering my wife a brew as the Red Bull Hare Scramble unfolded live on (internet) TV.
It's one hell of an event and makes for compulsive viewing even when not all that much is happening. In that sense I'd liken it to other televisual sporting greats such as the Paris-Roubaix cycle race and London marathon that suck you in for hours on end yet are just as enjoyable viewed as a 90-second highlights clip the next morning.
The format for such a programme normally goes a little something like this – mass start – check, front runners pulling away – check, montage of suffering – check, winner crossing the line – check, more footage of mortals suffering – check. Time to close Facebook and delete all work emails instead – check.
Unlike more traditional off-road events – that are normally best viewed by real enthusiasts only – the Red Bull Hare Scramble pleases on many levels. For example I was getting off on the technical abilities shown while my missus – no doubt still waiting for me to offer her a brew – couldn't quite believe the scale of the thing.
Meanwhile, the kids (when the heck did they join us?) loved the plethora of You've Been Framed-style crashes. Happy days for everyone.
And as the resident dirt bike expert it was an easy event to explain to everyone n'all as the Hare Scramble is a race from A-to-B passing through a stack of checkpoints along the way.
There are no second motos, heats, finals, helmet colours or anything else to complicate matters which meant I could actually enjoy it without having to explain everything that was going on – repeatedly!
I know I wasn't the only one tuned-in either as my FB feed was full of people commenting on the race as it all happened. Some were looking out for loved ones who'd made the cut in qualifying while the majority marvelled at the skills and resolve of the leading riders.
I must admit I was keeping an eye out for #243 – TMX test pilot Martin Craven. Now Martin is an ace at this kind of stuff and he's reached the finish of the Hare Scramble a number of times but his lack of speed on the prologue normally means he starts quite far back in the pack, which makes it way more difficult.
This year was no different and a fifth-row start meant Martin had no chance of making it, so after spending almost an hour eating rocks in the midst of the pack called it quits somewhere between checkpoint five (Zumpferlwarld) and six (Drive Away). I'd say better luck next year but I think he's totally over it...
Meanwhile in Talavera the real #243 – that's Tim Gajser – blitzed the MXGP elite at the Spanish Grand Prix to extend his lead in the title chase over current champ Romain Febvre to 24 points, as the series hit the halfway mark.
With the British GP at Matterley Basin now just weeks away, the championship is entering its exciting time as the baying pack needs to hunt down the Slovenian before the gap becomes insurmountable. Matterley hasn't exactly been the friendliest place to the 2015 MX2 world champion in the past few years though and he'll no doubt be looking for some strong results to bury those Matterley demons for good.
Whatever, it's bound to be awesome – and definitely a stack more awesome to watch live at the track than on TV – so do the smart thing and get online to britmxgrandprix.com to take advantage of some scorching pre-event ticket offers...
