8 replies to this topic

[YoYo]

Hi,

I am in the process of looking into the feasibility of sorting out a 'trials arena'. I can't give too much detail away at present but bear with me.....

I am in talks with a good friend who is the owner of a very successful motorsports facility here in the Central South of England. Between the two of us we have identified quite a large area of land which has the potential to be turned into a 'Trials Arena'. The area concerned is approximately 1 acre in size and is backed onto by a 30mtr high sloped earth bank. There is scope for other areas which can be used for expansion should this prove viable.

We are looking to put together an area for trials riders of mixed abilities from junior and novice up to intermediate to start with. Discussions would take place with leading figures in the sport to help us come up with something suitable.

Now what I'm after is a bit of a straw poll given that any riders wishing to come along and have a go will find themselves having to pay to ride (yes there's a catch!). However for their monies they will have a safe area to ride and practice in, there will be NO noise issues as there is existing planning in place for motorsports. There would be a marshal during busy times and also most w/e's and odd days when it's busy there are trained medical staff on site.

The facility is served by major trunk routes and is easy to get to from all points of the compass.

Opening times would be any time of the week apart from Mondays from 1st Nov through to 31st Mar and then Tues-Fri and one w/e a month during the summer (this is due to existing planning restraints )

Would you attend such a facilty if we go ahead and build something useful?
How much would you expect to pay to ride there? All riders would be covered by the operators insurance (roughly costing £5 or £6 per rider - as per other events that take place at this facility).
How many of you can legally ride where you practice now?

Do you have any other points that you'd like to make regarding this?

This is all in the initial planning for us at present however both of us have moved over to trials bikes and if nobody is interested then we're going to build something for ourselves anyhow! lol


Thanks for your time in reading this


regds


Shaun.

Edited by YoYo, 12 November 2007 - 12:48 PM.

[Pete]

That sounds like a great idea! One question though - do you have a rough idea of where in Central South England it would be? If it was within about 2 hours of Berkshire (Reading) then would certainly consider making a visit on a trial-less weekend.
As for costs, I should think the average trial being about £15 that most riders would pay up to that for a day's riding. I guess if enough people came it would be enough to cover expenses of Marshalls etc.
Sounds like a fantastic idea! Good luck!

[micm]

Hi Shaun,

Count me in, and a couple of my friends as well if its reasonably near to South Hampshire.

I guess £12 - 15 a day depending on what its like. Maybe a 'season' ticket deal. If its good we would come regularly.

Mid week would be a good time for access.

Natural land that is used heavily in the south gets pretty smooth and less useful for practise, so you would have to consider
natural obstacles you could use or adapt - trees logs rocks etc. maybe a degree of 'maintenance' so to speak.

Good luck with it.

[YoYo]

Pete, on Nov 12 2007, 11:39 AM, said:

do you have a rough idea of where in Central South England it would be? If it was within about 2 hours of Berkshire (Reading) then would certainly consider making a visit on a trial-less weekend.

It's well within your radius!

micm, on Nov 12 2007, 11:58 AM, said:

Hi Shaun,

Count me in, and a couple of my friends as well if its reasonably near to South Hampshire.

Ditto for you too!

micm, on Nov 12 2007, 11:58 AM, said:

Natural land that is used heavily in the south gets pretty smooth and less useful for practise, so you would have to consider
natural obstacles you could use or adapt - trees logs rocks etc. maybe a degree of 'maintenance' so to speak.

Good luck with it.

The land at present is flatish apart from the huge earth bank behind it as previously stated.
The idea would be to build up an 'obstacle arena' using materials lying around such as logs and rocks, even old lorry and tractor tyres. Just lumps and bumps to get over and wind our way inbetween.

I've got a good contact who is supposed to be coming up to the site to take a peek and offer advice.

There is plenty of infastructure in place for this due to the other activities so moving heavy objects and soil wouldn't be a problem.
We're not envisaging building something that the likes of Mr Raga or Lampkin could only attempt - just something for all with varying degress of difficulty.

Thanks for the responses so far - it's appreciated.


Shaun.

[Pete]

YoYo, on Nov 12 2007, 12:46 PM, said:

It's well within your radius!

Great! Sounds brilliant to me! I know I need more practise at man made stuff - natural hills are alright but there arne't many places down here with man-made stuff around.
I've always wanted to find a small step, or rock or log or something which has a flat top to it. If I can get up it then I don't have to worry about getting down straight after!
Will watch and listen out with great interest on progress!
Pete.

[micm]

You have to be a bit careful of what materials you import to the site.
Any natural material if it is unpolluted is I think fine. That is natural rock and logs basically.
Semi man made things like telegraph poles and railway sleepers are probably ok as well.
Man made materials can cause a planning hassle. A load of dumped concrete blocks may
be heaven to a trials rider but could look like waste dumping to a planning officer - likewise old tyres!

[YoYo]

micm, on Nov 12 2007, 01:51 PM, said:

A load of dumped concrete blocks may
be heaven to a trials rider but could look like waste dumping to a planning officer!

Aha - If that fella can get away with dumping a load of bricks in the Tate Modern and call it "ART" then a few strategically placed blocks should be no problem!

Progress is still being made with this idea - it will happen I'm sure.

[stixnstonesbrokemybones]

YoYo, on Nov 12 2007, 08:05 AM, said:

Do you have any other points that you'd like to make regarding this?

South Oxfordshire can't be too far away either - I'd love to go to a dedicated site for a bit of practice. I think the MX practice tracks insist on an annual membership fee and then a smaller track fee. That way you'd have better cashflow to assist with maintenance and improvements. A few imported fallen trees, a few rocks and the odd trench and bank would be a great start without a major initial investment. Good luck - there must be a market for such an arena..... but beware .... parking etc. will soon shrink the usable space in one acre, you may need to consider the additional land sooner than later.

Edited by stixnstonesbrokemybones, 20 November 2007 - 07:26 PM.

[YoYo]

stixnstonesbrokemybones, on Nov 20 2007, 07:25 PM, said:

South Oxfordshire can't be too far away either - I'd love to go to a dedicated site for a bit of practice. I think the MX practice tracks insist on an annual membership fee and then a smaller track fee. That way you'd have better cashflow to assist with maintenance and improvements. A few imported fallen trees, a few rocks and the odd trench and bank would be a great start without a major initial investment. Good luck - there must be a market for such an arena..... but beware .... parking etc. will soon shrink the usable space in one acre, you may need to consider the additional land sooner than later.

Most MX tracks that I know of don't insist on an annual membership fee.
Cashflow isn't an issue (well it's not percieved as being an issue at present)
The proposed venue has plenty of scope for providing the infrastructure for an arena, there are plenty of materials available to build obstacles, such as earth and machines to move it, logs, rocks etc.
Parking isn't an issue as the proposed arena may only be an acre or two in size, but there is plenty of good parking adjacent to it. (Try 100 cars plus! lol) - Remember - this will be in an area which is currently in use for other motorsports at present.



Shaun.