What a Harrowing experience!  Of the 4 events I've been to, this was the least enjoyable (from a riding perspective).

I left Melbourne at around 11:00, for the 4 and a half hour drive to the quaint little town of Harrow.  I called Pete, and he advised that he had left at around 8:00 and that Dazza would be a DNS  (due to man-flu), so the weekend was off to a poor start.  It started to rain around Ballarat and was on and off all the way to Harrow (another omen), with some particularly heavy falls along the way.  I arrived at camp around 4:00, to find everyone sloshing around, ankle-deep in mud!  So, I set up camp AMTRA with Pete and we settled into the usual Friday afternoon activities.  Pat arrived sometime later (with his newly registered XR250) and we headed to the pub for dinner and a few (more) beers.  before long, we weren't making much sense!

It rained most of the night, and needless to say, it was cold and dreary on Saturday morning.  We had breakfast, then prepped our bikes for entry into the Park Ferme and hung around for riders briefing.  All bikes liked sparkly clean and primed for action.  Here's a shot of my bike (and Mark's) before we pushed in.

I lined up with Pete (Darren's spot was empty) and we did the usual 'cold start' thing (with no probs) and we were away.  Pete had said we'd stick together and take the loop at a cruizy pace .................WRONG!  As soon as we took off, he was gone.  The circuit was slippery.  The first section involved about a 2 k run through grass-track.  I put the PE down within 500 meters of the start! (another omen) and passed several others who had done the same thing.  We cleared the grass as we headed toward the bridge, then up onto the road for a short tarmac run to the next section.  From here, the ride opened up a bit more and we settled into the Harrow we know (and love).

There were several familiar sections throughout the loop, including the nasty off-camber tracks that run along the edges of the hills, the steep slick down-hill runs and the river/creek crossings.  Endless creek crossings!  Most of them consisted of a short, steep drop into the creek, then a short, steep exit that invariably became boggy and rutted and very difficult to climb out of.  We also revisited the sandy creek bed from last year, although this time we did miles of it!  That was fun.  As a veteran of a few desert campaigns, I coped OK, but many struggled in the deep sand and there were bikes lying on their side everywhere.

Although I didn't see Pete or Pat throughout the loop, we later discussed that we had all gotten severely bogged at some stage or another during the day.  Fortunately, the camaraderie of the group is such that everyone will help out if needed, so we all helped, or were helped along the way.  Two fuel dumps were  arranged on the course to ensure that everyone got through, although there were plenty who ran out (including one Mr Brit, who conked out in sight of his jerry can!). And poor Pat, who's newly acquired 250 gave up the ghost and had to be towed back to camp.  Fortunately, Pat bought his 200 as a spare and was soon back out on the track.

Some stage (around mid-loop), my PE developed a nasty vibration, something it hadn't experienced before.  My thoughts went to bottom-end bearings and how I should tackle the rest of the loop.  I decided to err on the side of caution and take the rest of the ride a bit easier (still).  Pat had caught up to me by this stage and was behind me when I forded an innocuous crossing that swallowed my back wheel whole! It took a lot of pulling and pushing to get the PE out, and in the process, Pat managed to snap my front guard clean off!  "This is gonna be special"  I thought, and I was right.  The remaining 30ks was completed, with all the sh!t that should have been under my guard ending up on my face!  To add to that, my drums were now filled with grinding paste and the carbie had sucked in some water (via the breather hoses), so my little Suzi struggled all the way home.

Back at camp, we did the post-loop assessment and Pete and I both decided that we wouldn't ride on Sunday.  I had bike issues I didn't want to asses there, while Pete had physical issues.

The format of the event had changed (again) from last year.  This year, there was one only, 100k loop, so once you left the gate, you were committed to do the whole ride.  Last year, there were 2 x 50k loops (which came back through the camp) to make the 100k circuit.  I prefer this model, it give you the opportunity to do maintenance/service/repairs during the run, and these old girls often need that.  Un-like our modern bikes, there isn't a glut of spares available, so you have to think seriously about how far you want to push them sometimes and for me, that was one 100k loop on Saturday only.  I happily took a bronze medal to add to my collection.

We went to the dinner on Saturday night, listened to the VERi AGM and watched/listened as the rain hammered down again.  The Police made an appearance to advise of a severe weather alert coming through the area and for campers to be aware.  Back at AMTRA central, Pete and I were pleased with our decision about Sunday's ride.

Sunday morning was, as expected, wet.  Only about 50 bikes lined up for the start, including Pat who was carrying the hopes and dreams of Team AMTRA.  Another ride briefing to explain some course changes and they were off.

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After Pat had gone through, we started to break camp.  Not long after, my friends Mark and Heath had returned with broken bikes (more casualties).  When we were packed, we said our goodbyes and headed home.  I got a call from Pat around 4:00 to say he was just leaving (I was home by now), and that he'd done 2 laps.....which means 200ks on the lil XR200, to secure a GOLD medal.  Well done, Pat!

So all in all it was a fun weekend, as they always are.  The riding wasn't the best I've had and it's the first time I've returned from a vinduro with some potentially major bike issues, but we'll wait and see the outcome.  I'll go back again next year, but hopefully it won't be quite as wet.  In the mean time, I've got 4 weeks to get a bike ready for Blackwood!

Great report Serge - thanks!
Sounds like it was a challenging ride this year - I hope the issues with the PE turn out to just be something simple like loose engine mounts.
Well done to all, and especially Pat getting 3 loops done in what sounds like very 'testing' conditions.

Great Report Sergio
GOLD for Young Patrick, great Effort !!
I'm Fukked !!!!

Great ride report and pics Serge, sorry to hear you had bike and weather issues.  Harrow is a tough ride  on aging bikes and bodies even when its dry.  Well done to the golden boy

Ok muddaphukkas, heres my take on harrow this year. It all started a few weeks back. I had decided the poor little XR200 needed a break  from being valve bounced around harrow. The YZ250 was too precious to use. So i purchased a Japanese import XR250. But needing to be shipped from Sydney it turned up late. So i had a few days to sort it out. New oil, replace the goofy road trail tyres, new air filter and new handlebars. I ran out of time to sort out rec rego, so i booked it in at Ballarat Vic roads. I wisely took the 200 along just in case as a spare.

So on Friday lunchtime i hooked up the caravan (purchased after freezing in the camper trailer last year at Harrow) and headed up to the Rat for the 2pm Vic Roads appointment. Got the rego sorted and continued to Horsham. Some nice rain on the way up there too. As usual the Navman took me the long way round as it does every time. It was dark when i rolled into harrow. I found team AMTRA camp, unloaded the van and went to the pub for a team building session. Soon it was time for bed and i got to sample the luxury of the vans inner spring mattress  and heating system.

Overnight there was a bit of rain, not unusual for this event. Lined up and off we go. The riverbank run is always slippery as hell, but soon it got even worse on the other side of the river. Some swamps, road sections were quickly negotiated and then the XR gave up. No spark it seems, but i was lucky it happened 50 meters from the first fuel dump. A tow from a quad, then a lift back to camp in a ute. Grabbed the XR200, rode back to the last control and i was back in the game.

Like the last 2 events the XR200 was thrashed, larger bikes needed to be overtaken, hills demolished, crazy off camber hillside tracks balanced, sandy river beds destroyed, fast sandy fence line tracks raced along and road transport sections were dismissed with 6 gear head down maneuvers. Those crazy creek crossings were there as always. Helping Serge get his stuck bike i broke his front guard, ohps.

After 110km we were back in camp. I decided to have an early night. During the night the weather went crazy and i spent a bit of time debating weather to ride the next day. Bronze was not good enough and besides someone had to uphold club pride. Next morning i was on the starting line, facing a 220km day. even the Britts had pulled the pin. Off we went, and yes it was slippery, worse than yesterday. Keeping the bike up right was a challenge, and i don't mind slippery conditions. Riding smart i tried to bypass the worst bits, looking for fresh grass to get some traction. Racing some other riders on an old IT250 and PE250 i had a nice getoff on one of those famous  off camber tracks. No damage and on i went. Plenty of broken bikes littered the course but the XR kept redlining along. Passed plenty of other riders. Then i got to the section of creek crossings where Serge got stuck yesterday. With more rain and traffic i knew they would be a problem. From last year i knew of a secret bypass that cut out both by crossing the creek 100 meters before the first crossing. Sure enough someone else had gone through as well. The exit was steep, but i managed to get through. Eventually i got back to camp. The others were gone and so was 50% of everyone else as well. I was on silver but going for gold.

The final lap was lonely, riding by myself most of the way. Another gumby crash down the side of a hill and a bit of rain. More busted bikes everywhere . The creek crossings were even worse too. Soon i was at the final refuel where i caught up with a few lapped riders. Some time later i was nearly home but that last creek crossing still needed to be dealt with. I tried my private bypass, but found it not so private. Heaps of other bikes has used it and sure enough i got stuck. After wrestling the bike out i attempted to climb out but the bank was cut up and there was no way i was going that way. Scrambling out i headed the usual way only to find the sweeps had altered the course to a new crossing. It looked dodgy, but i had no choice. In i went and the bike sank down. After a few minutes of struggling i was exhausted. There was no way i could get it out. Sloshing around in the creek i found the line i should have taken. These creeks have a sandy bottom and steep soil exits and entries. I worked out if you use a fresh line you could get through ok, but after several bikes  went through the same line it would become impossible. I waited 15 minutes for another bike to come along. A bloke on a twin shock Husky rocked up. I showed him the good line and helped push him up the bank, hoping like hell he would help get my bike out. Several minutes of rocking the bike side to side to free it, it finally came out. I was totalled by this stage. The Husky rider and i raced all the way back to the finish. At this stage i had no rear brake at all. lucky the 200 has a front disk brake.

Back at camp, time was getting on so i packed up and headed back home. 2 days, 330km and gold. The XR200 did it as usual, its mellow power and good handling helping out on this event. But hopefully the 250 will take over next year and give the 200 a break. This event is a great ride, a decent challenge and 100% fun. 

Well done, Lippis.

Both great ride reports guys. Wow! 330ks on an XR200 (on anything actually)  in slippery conditions is a BIG weekend, bloody top effort Pat.

Report from Scooter News.  Note that Pete gets a mention!

onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=1EE6AD...key=!AFgEFHYPH4lifVo

Half an hour of footage from the Saturday loop.

He's a Gun Rider !!!!