The Handlebar Festival is go!
By TMX Archives on 6th Apr 09
The Easter weekend's three-day Handlebar Festival, which kicks off on Friday 10th April at Hawkstone Park, Shropshire, is set to be a scorcher with plenty of handlebar-related, high-adrenaline action and lots to see for all of the family.
Motocross Madness
The all-new event surrounds the opening round of the 2009 MX3 WorldChampionship and the European MX2 series, both of which feature Britishriders who travel to Hawkstone Park determined to show their potentialon the world stage.
Current leader of the British MX1 Championship, Brad Anderson, willcontest the MX3 races aboard his PAR Honda CRF450R. Anderson will bethe main man flying the flag for Great Britain this weekend, and he'sgunning for a place on the top step of the podium.
The EMX2 Championship is where European young-guns cut their teethbefore progressing to world championship level. The fact that MX1frontrunners, Kevin Strijbos and Sébastien Pourcel are both former EMX2champions illustrates just what an effective proving ground this seriesis. So keep your eyes peeled for the fast guys, as they are likely tobe making a big impact on the world championship series in the verynear future.
Motocross aside, the concept of the event is to introduce new peopleto each sport, and event organiser, RHL Activities, has put on a hostof handlebar related activities throughout the three days. With freetickets for children under 14 years old, it's a bargain weekend out inthese credit crunch times, with something to entertain all of thefamily.
Mountain Bike Mayhem
The Clan who are Scotland's premier Mountain Bike, BMX and Trialscycling display team and famous throughout the UK for their daringtricks and stunts on all three types of pushbike, will be performingdemonstrations throughout the weekend. This expert team is expected towow the crowds with its exciting displays of trials cycle riding overjumps and objects.
The Clan, who are passionate about bikes and stunt cycles, will alsobe hosting a family orientated area, where spectators can have a go atperforming tricks and riding special bikes under the direction of theteam's trained staff. This specially devised 'Bike Games Zone' willprove challenging and exciting for those who fancy giving it a go, andthere will certainly be some interesting bikes to try.
Frenetic Freestyle
If you're a fan of big tricks, and even bigger air, then don't missthe Monster Energy Freestyle Motocross crew, who will be performing onall three days of the Handlebar Festival.
The four-rider Monster Energy FMX crew will be keeping the crowdawed and entertained with a wide repertoire of tricks; all performed 20metres above the mini bike racing circuit!
And if you're worried that you don't know your nac-nac from yoursuperman, then don't be, as the team will have someone on hand toexplain what's going on, and how each trick is performed, throughoutthe display.
British team rider, Chris Brock, has been away in Spain over thewinter perfecting his technique, including the infamous backflip.Although we can't promise he'll be able to pull off a backflip thisweekend, we're sure the aggressive style of the UK's best FMX riderwill leave you impressed.
Don't, as they say, try this at home!
Mini Bike Melee
The Handlebar Festival will also host mini bike races during thecourse of the weekend. Some ultra-competitive adults from the mini bikeworld will race these miniature dirt bikes around a purpose-builtcourse. This kind of racing is a growing sport with its own BritishChampionship, and experts will be on hand with information should yoube interested in getting involved.
Quad Quest
Four-wheels will also feature at the Handlebar Festival with the quadtryout zone. Anyone who wants tips and advice on quad riding andracing, as well as having a go at riding a in a safe, controlled area,should head down to this section, where industry experts will be onhand to supply you with all the information you need. Quad racing isalso a growing sport in the UK with a range of different disciplines,so if you've ever fancied a go at this high-adrenaline sport, thennow's your chance to find out more.
Trials Technique
One of the Handlebar Festival highlights is expected to be thedemonstrations from Trials expert, Graham Jarvis. The 33-year-oldreigning British Trials Champion will be displaying his exceptionalskills over various different obstacles. Jarvis will be riding hisSherco trials bike and offering lots of advice about this super-skilledsport during the three-day event.
The world renowned rider, who regularly holds training schools, iswell respected throughout the sport, having finished in fourth positionoverall in the World series on three separate occasions.
And if this isn't enough to whet your appetite then there will be arange of trade stands to see whether you're a handlebar enthusiast orjust fancy a browse. RHL Activities is well known for it's massivevariety in entertainment and The Handlebar Festival, which is a newaddition to the event organiser's major event roster, will certainly beno exception.
Battle Of The Bands
For campers, and for those who are around on Saturday night, RHLActivities has arranged an evening of live entertainment from groups,Shanty Town and The Newport Allstars.
Shanty Town is a high-energy band from Salford, who will perform anexciting set of original material and has entertained crowds throughoutthe UK. The Newport Allstars will be especially entertaining as therap-group will be laying down some beats and playing its set of streetmusic.
The Handlebar Festival will definitely be an extravaganza with themasses of racing, shopping, displays and fun, so why not bring down thefamily for this super-cheap weekend out. Tickets are available on thegate priced at £10 for adults on Friday and Saturday and £25.00 forSunday. Children under 14 years go free for the weekend.
The Hawkstone Park circuit is located just off the A49 betweenShrewsbury and Whitchurch, near to the village of Hopton. The exit offthe A49 can be found between the B5065 and the B5063, and is signposted Booley Stanton.
Event Timetable
Friday 10th April 2009
14.00: FMX Free Test Time
14:00: Mountain Bike Demonstration
14.00-17.00: Honda My First Licence Try Outs
14.00-17.00: Quad Demonstration & Try Outs
15.00: Trials Demonstration
16.00: Press/Invited Guests 4X Race
17.00: Mountain Bike Demonstration
Saturday 11th April 2009
10.00-10.30: EMX2 Free Practice (Group A)
10.15: Mini Bike Practice
10.40-11.10: EMX2 Free Practice (Group B)
11.10: Trials Demonstration
11.20-11.40: MX3 Free Practice 1 (Group A)
11.40: Mountain Bike Demonstration
11.50-12.10: MX3 Free Practice 1 (Group B)
12.00: Mini Bike Racing
12.40-13.05: EMX2 Pre-Qualifying Practice (Group A)
13.05: Mountain Bike Demonstration
13.05: EMX2 Start Test Session
13.20: FMX Display
13.20-13.45: EMX2 Pre-Qualifying Practice (Group B)
13.45: Trials Demonstration
13.45: EMX2 Start Test Session
14.00-14.20: MX3 Free Practice 2 (Group A)
14.20: Trials Demonstration
14.30-14.50: MX3 Free Practice 2 (Group B)
14.50: Mountain Bike Demonstration
15.15: EMX2 Qualifying Race 1
16.10: EMX2 Qualifying Race 2
16.30: FMX Display
16.50-17.20: MX3 Qualifying Practice (Group A)
17.30-18.00: MX3 Qualifying Practice (Group B)
18.10-18.30: EMX2 Last Chance Qualifying Race
18.30: Mini Bike Finals
19.00 FMX Display
Sunday 12th April 2009
09.00-09.20: Warm Up For Non-Qualifiers
09.45-10.05: EMX2 Warm Up
10.00: Mini Bike Practice
10.30-10.35: MX3 Start Test Session (Group 1)
10.40-10.45: MX3 Start Test Session (Group 2)
10.40: FMX Display
10.45-11.05: MX3 Warm Up
12.00: FMX Display
12.25: EMX2 European Championship Race 1
13.00: Trials/Mountain Bike Demonstration
13.30: MX3 World Championship Race 1
14.00: Mini Bike Racing
15.25: EMX2 European Championship Race 2
EMX2 European Championship Podium Ceremony
16.30: MX3 World Championship Race 2
MX3 World Championship Podium Ceremony
17.15: FMX Display
17.30: Non-Qualifiers Race