THE 2007 ISDE LA SERENA, CHILE,
SOUTH AMERICA.

         On a cold November morning 5 members of the Corps met at Heathrow Airport and began what turned out to be a very long journey to their final destination of La Serena on the northern coast of Chile. The International Six Day Enduro can be likened to be the equivalent of the Olympics of off road motorcycling where nations compete head to head in a gruelling six day competition. This was the 82^nd running of the event and Chile was selected to be the host nation. GB was well represented with two national teams and two club teams, the Army team being one of the latter. The Corps was well represented with ex WO2 Dusty Martin (GB team manager), ex WO1 Dave May-Miller (GB logistics manager) and 5 of the 7 strong Army team. 

         After 15 hours flying time, 6 hours on the road and lots of hanging around the team eventually arrived at the GB hotel only to find they we expecting us two days later than our arrival time! This minor hiccup was soon rectified and we soon tracked down our ISO container and began un-packing the bikes and to prepare them for the event. Meticulous preparation is vital as the rider is only allowed to work on his machine for 30 minutes a day during the event and ad-hoc repairs cost time and can incurs penalties. The cliché “fail to prepare – prepare to fail” has never been more apt.   

         The riders have to follow a marked off road course against a stringent time schedule. The course varies in length each day but is normally between 6 and 7 hours riding and is broken down into a number of time checks which the riders have to hit on their assigned minute; penalties are awarded for early or late arrival. Furthermore a number of special tests are ridden as fast as possible with points awarded at a rate of 1 per second. The winner of the event is quite simply the rider with the lowest score.

           Disaster struck during the first day of testing when Cpl Kevin Murray’s engine locked up. The bike was quickly put in a pick up truck and rushed back to the hotel and the engine was stripped down in the kitchen, unfortunately a valve had broken in half and destroyed the piston and cylinder head, this was the worst possible news and things weren’t looking promising for the Army team!  There were three options, repair, hire another bike or simply quit, and after finding out that the spares were not available we had little option; we had to hire – the cost ….. US$3000 in cash! Where do you find that kind of money in a foreign land – ask Dave May-Miller – he had it in his wallet! Cheers Dave.

Day one – 230 kms 7 hours riding. 

         The day started cool enough, but within a few hours the coastal mist had vanished and the riders were subjected to temperatures in the high 20’s. The dust was impenetrable and blocked air filters were soon starting to cause problems for many riders; good bike maintenance on the going would be key. Cpl Daz Hughes took a major tumble at speed whilst overtaking a slower rider in a dust cloud and badly grazed and bruised his right forearm and Kev Murray managed to clip a Cactus and a spine punctured his armour and ended up imbedded in his shoulder. The third Army rider WO2 (QMSI) Daz Wilcock (APTC) suffered some minor problems but they all finished. Major Mike Tizard and Cfn Mike Bailey spent the day on the Fuel checks supporting the whole of the British contingent and supplying fuel, drinks food and tools as required. 

Day two – 258 kms 7:28 hours riding.

         The riders followed the same route as the first day but the route was severely cut up and some parts had to be re-routed. The temperature rose quickly and it was clear from the off that it was going to be another really tough day. Daz Hughes was suffering with his arm, Kev Murray booked in 3 minutes late at a check, and Daz Wilcock took a tumble and damaged his starter switch. With another day over, the riders retired to bed early exhausted and with the thought of only another 4 days to go. 

Day three – 268 kms 7:19 hours riding. 

         A new route today with the riders heading into the mountainous hills of the lower Andes. The going was the worst yet with long stony river beds and extreme climbs that could only be tackled flat out, but when at the top the riders were rewarded with spectacular views. The special tests were very demanding with one being ridden on a boulder strewn river bed. All three of the riders dropped their bikes on this test and were lucky not to damage the bike or themselves. The GB team were not so fortunate and two of their riders suffered injuries on the test; a broken thumb and a cut in the forearm which when later examined went down to the bone. Both rode on and eventually finished the week! 

Day four – 268 kms. 7:19 hours riding. 

         The riders followed the same route as day three and came back with mixed reports. Some of the checks had been easier as the boulders had been knocked out of the way by the passage of countless bikes, and others had cut up making the going much tougher. Riders were encouraged by the local school children who had all come out to watch and were mobbed for autographs. Many riders had fallen by the wayside and were out of the competition and the order of the day was definitely bike and self preservation.   

Day five – 258 kms 6:17 hours riding. 

         The organisers had put a sting in the tail as this was certainly the toughest day to date. Heading north over the sandy foothills the going was treacherous and many a rider went out on the first 1 hour 10 min check. The course took the riders high into the mountains along fast trails before dropping down to sea level for sandy and punishing tests. Dazl Hughes was still suffering with his forearm and it was clear at this point that infection had set in; he was in pain all of the time. The harsh conditions caused the silencer mounting brackets on both Daz’s bikes to fail and both had to be repaired on the going and in the allotted check time. Lock wire and cable ties held them together and got them home. 

Day six – Motocross. 

         The final day saw the field split into classes to ride a nine lap motocross. The race was electrifying to watch with Kev Murray and Daz Wilcock swapping positions on several occasions. Dazl Hughes was not far behind and was it not for his forearm would have been much closer. At the end Kev edged out Daz Wilcock on the final straight to take 8^th place.

With the riding over, there was no time to rest as work loading the container could start. All the bikes had to be stripped, drained and packed into crates, support crew equipment and tools and a small consignment of fabulous Chilean wine filled the 40ft ISO. Hopefully we will see it in the not too distant future. 

          Although this article has concentrated mainly on the riders, the support crew should not go without mention. Cpl John Nelson and Mr Eddie Mason once again did a Stirling job in creating the right conditions for the riders to succeed. Passing tools, tyres rags etc and directing their every move during the 15 minute working time at the start and finish of each working day is not easy. Major Mike Tizard  (OIC and head of finances) and Cfn Mike Bailey found themselves on time checks all week refuelling both man and machine, and SSgtJack Johns (RLC) the team manager was ran ragged each day meeting the riders at the tests and offering mobile support. Special mention should also go to Nessy Johns (team physiotherapist) whose soothing massages sorted the riders out at the end of each day and made the pain just about bearable. 

On the long journey home we reflected on our results and we all agreed we had achieved fantastic results well above what we could have hoped for. In a class that started with 107 riders and finished with 68 we placed individually; Kev Murray 11^th, Daz Hughes 14^th and Daz Wilcock 17^th. As a team we finished 8^th out of 67 club teams and were the best placed UK team. Kev Murray was the top UK club team rider.

For those contemplating a trip to Chile it is a country of staggering beauty. We arrived during the spring and the heat of the sun was complemented by a cold wind from the sea. The people are oh so friendly and the price of a beer – 68p for a 1 litre bottle! Say no more.  

CONGRATULATIONS FOR BEING THE 8TH PLACED CLUB TEAM IN THE WORLD.