COLEBY DOWNHILL CHALLENGE

A two day non-stop festival of racing supported by the village and surrounding communities. Expect to feel shattered on Sunday evening

Many racers turn up on the Friday night and camp next to the Village Hall. Or you can arrive early on Saturday morning. Scrutineering is at the Hall and then it's a 200m push to the start. Saturday is untimed and runs start about 11.00 after a safety briefing and course walk. Probably 4 or 5 runs are possible. Karts can be left in the Village Hall overnight. Saturday night is party night though more restrained than some other events. Sunday is all competition and first kart is away by 10.00am. Generally 5 timed runs but it does depend upon the weather. Karts are set off in numerical order. It's advantageous to have a middle or high number which means it gives you time to buy a drink or burger and use the toilet. The on course pub, The Tempest, never seems to close over the whole weekend and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as the usual.

It's a push start and to ensure fairness its the same pushers for everyone. After 20m there's a gentle right hand bend, followed 50m later by a 90deg left hander in front of The Tempest. Avoid the drain on the apex of the corner and also the very substantial hay bales protecting the patrons of the pub. A very long right hand curve comes next. It's time to choose a line. Right is shortest but watch out for the manhole covers. Down the middle of the road is slightly smoother although the camber on the road is significant so its like traversing an arête. The kart will continue to pick up speed owing to the gradient which only flattens out after the finish line. This is not a place to relax. Due to the camber and bumps a small loss of concentration will almost certainly result in a wild ride. If its been raining there will be a stream flowing down the left and centre of the lower course. Best not to go paddling. Just about everyone will be doing 45+mph at the finish. Apply the brakes slowly and pull over onto the right verge, clearing the road for the next kart.

Time to chew the fat with fellow descenders and eat and drink. It's essential at Coleby to pack food and drink as well as tools/spares. You can spend 45 minutes at the bottom so be prepared for the interlude. Once everyone is down, tractors will pull you back up the hill. Prize giving, at The Tempest (of course), is promptly after the recovery of the last run.