RIDER BRIEFING
An absolute highlight on the Rocky Trail racing calendar – the JetBlack 12 Hour on 11 July at James Estate! We’ll put together an awesome racing circuit on the custom-built bush single track and link it all up with pretty vineyard trails – right through the heart of the winery! Winter racing at its best for you.
Here are some bits and pieces of information for all those who have already signed up and also some teasers to twist the arms of those tempted to – you know you want to!!!
- Get a taste of the beautiful scenery that awaits you – drone flight across James Estate from our SHIMANO MTB GP race there in March.
>> Click here to register now
>> RACE INFORMATION
How to get to James Estate
Go to our website for details and a map – the new Hunter Express Way will take out a bit of travel time if you’re coming from Sydney or North of Newcastle. Turn off towards Muswellbrook/Singleton onto the new, more direct express way at the M1 at Newcastle.
Camping and accommodation
Camping on-site at James Estate is for free. Well, we’ve sort of “negotiated” it under the condition that we support the winery by buying wine. So, visit Graeme and Christine and their team at the James Estate stand and taste their delicious wines and grab a bottle or two or a dozen to enjoy when you get home.
We’ll have our crew assisting you with the set up, but as we expect close to 400 riders we ask, that you snuggle up and don’t waste too much space around your camp site. You will be able to camp next to your car and we’ll route the race track so that access to it will be easy. A specific solo transition area will be set up in the JetBlack event centre.
Coming and going during the race is not a problem – the race track won’t cross the road in/out.
Race track – mapping brought to you by Magellan
Check out the 2014 race track online – we will confirm the final track in the days before the race. We like to mix it up, plus the crew at James Estate is constantly building and improving the trails, so we’ll be sure to include all the new bits and the favourites also! You’ll get a good idea though from last year’s map: the squiggly bits in the bush will make your MTB heart skip a beat and the fast fire road straights will give you a chance to eat, breathe and push hard – don’t forget to look up and enjoy the magnificent views of the vineyards and Upper Hunter Valley!
Track conditions
We’ve had word from the James Estate trail crew that the race track is in perfect condition – it’s bone dry as it hasn’t rained “up there” for weeks now. So, if you want to escape the Winter wetness on the coast – treat yourself to a weekend at James Estate and the JetBlack 12 Hour race!
Timing & free bottle of James Estate wine
Every rider will be issued with a race number plate and when you come to pick it up you’ll get a FREE bottle of James Estate wine from us!
Please make sure that you attach the race number FLAT onto your handle bars, so that the photographers and our timing crew can see the number properly.
Event schedule
The race will finish quite late, but we’ll hold the ceremony at night right after the race finish. However, we invite you to hang around and camp with us overnight for a nice brunch together on the Sunday and then everyone will still have plenty of time to explore the winery and the surrounding Upper Hunter Valley.
Results
Results will be published online asap after the race. During the event, due to limited phone reception, we will have a few laptops and screens in the event centre, where you can check your lap times as well as a rolling screen with category results. Have a chat to our friendly crew if you want any specific details.
Entertainment
DJ Nigel will pump out the signature Rocky Trail chooooonz for us – the fun starts on Friday! We’ll have a sub-warm-up session from 6-9 pm on Friday night. If you want to set up camp away from the music for the weekend, please chat to the event crew when you arrive, we’ll point out the spots for you. Most speakers will be directed towards the track – racers will be able to hear the music and announcements throughout a lot of sections of the race track. The morning wake-up and evening lullaby songs will be picked by Martin, look forward to an Austrian-Aussie surprise.
Food – by the Daily Espresso crew
Mona, Anthony and their crew will look after us – Friday evening with hearty winter dinner options and all the way through race day and Sunday’s bacon & egg breakfast. They have yummy pasta and snacks and hot and cold drinks and will also bring back the popular PIZZA OVEN! Let’s wrap up the race day under the stars!
Water
Available on-site.
Power and lights out on track
We kindly ask you to bring pre-charged lights for the night laps and to take lights with you out onto the race track from 4pm. We will have a re-charging set up in the event centre from mid afternoon.
Phone reception
Limited at event centre. Works well at the Cellar Door up on the hill (about 1 km away).
Weather forecast
Looks great at the moment – we do expect a chilly night, so bring plenty of warm clothes. We will provide drums for fires and a bonfire in the middle of the event centre and you can also set up your own fires at your camp, if you wish to do so. Please bring your own fire wood for that.
Tech support by Blackman Bicycles
If you have any bike related dramas see the guys from Blackman’s and they will do their best to get you back onto your bike.
First Aid by Pink First Aid
The Pink First Aid crew will be on-site looking after you.
Kids Club
Kate will be our Kids Club entertainer for the event – fingers crossed, maybe she will even bring her little dog Sparkles along. There will be games and colouring-in activities and of course the legendary Pedal4Pierce kids race (parents read: free kids race, time-trial style, about 50-100m around a parcour in the event centre.)
Pedal4Pierce Charity raffle
Chris and his Pedal4Pierce racing team will be joining us – they’re “Riding for Kids who Can’t” to raise money for research projects to cure Congenital Muscular Dystrophy. Buy some raffle tickets off Chris to go in the draw for prizes including a JetBlack 24 Hour team entry, 3x SHIMANO MTB GP Solo entries as well as goodies from our prize bazaar!
Race photographers OuterImage.com.au
The crew with Gil and Richard from OuterImage.com.au will capture the race action for you – they’ve been travelling with the Rocky Trail crew for more than two years now to our events and we love their photos. They show not only our riders but really capture them in the beautiful surrounds that they’re in. Very unique photos, worth checking out afterwards – you’ll get a direct link through our event service package. Give them a like on Facebook, they regularly post directly from out on track too!
>> Did you know?
The JetBlack 24 Hour is coming to James Estate in January 2016!
Every few years it’s time for something new and we will bring you the “2015” edition of the JetBlack 24 Hour in early 2016 at the wonderful James Estate Winery. Come for a long weekend of endurance racing at its best at one of the major 24-hour events in Australia on 23+24 January 2016!
Originally scheduled for November 2015, the reason for the move to a later date is a very personal one: the Rocky Trail team is growing and we’re expecting a baby just a couple of days before that original date. Having a baby for the first time and running a 24 hour are two standalone events we think – so we hope you understand that we opted for a later date. By then our little one will be ready to join us out on the trails we reckon!
With the James Estate we have a venue partner that can offer all the things necessary for a wonderful race: great trails, great camping grounds and a very friendly team of wine makers and trail builders. Race solo or in teams and we will offer the popular 6+6 Hour option as well! We can’t wait to kick off the 2016 Rocky Trail season with one of our major events – come and join us for an epic race!
Thanks to our fantastic sponsors –
you bring this event to life with us
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