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As Promised, I'm gonna tell you all about my first ever 4x experience.

Started off in the car park at PORC in the absolute pissing rain! sludge everywhere, people falling over trying to stand up!!

Lots of laughs and happy muddy faces as people were loading their bikes out of their cars.

First thing that struck me, is that everyone there was super friendly and the atmosphere was really cool, absolutely no bike snobbery, everyone was just happy to be there, and equally happy to just run what they brung.

We went and signed in and i got given my number board

Then the P.A. kicks in and blasts music around the entire site as the announcer comes on and tells everyone that the track is open for practice runs.

Me and Matt started to roll around the sodden track to find our lines, narrowly avoiding people rolling around on the floor in hysterics!

Then the announcer comes on tells you that the moto lists are up, so we all huddle around the board to find out what we have.

Next you go over to the starting area to get a few gate practices in!!

Then the motos start.. everyone is super chilled out. You quickly become pally with all the riders in your group and just sit around having a laugh waiting for your name to be called.

Then they call you up.. and that's when your heart starts going.!!

You line up in the gate as the announcer says all the riders names over the PA! (you feel very professional )

Then the gate drops and you and 3 of your newly found friends battle in a mad sprint for the finish! They call it 'The fight cross' and believe me.. 'Only Big Boys Need Apply' There's no room for pussies, egos or tempers in this sport!!

You can pretty mush guarantee there's gonna be some sort of collision, most of which are minor, but don't get bent out of shape if someone forces you out of your line, that's the idea of the game!!

When you get to the bottom everyone's laughing and shouting!.. absolutely no agro from anyone! everyone's just as happy as when you set out.

You do 2 more moto's, then if you qualify, you get quarters, semis, and finals.

I made it to the group B finals (which is the finals for the losers of the semis) but if you win the group B final to finish 5th overall, you still get yourself on that podium..

Which I did!! I got to stand up there, in the same place as the likes of Scott Beaumont (who was there racing that day) and get my picture taken by all the same photographers, get cheered by all the same crowd and get a trophy, just like the pro elites!!

We were there from 10:30 to 19:30. There's music, stalls, team tents, campsites, photographers, medics on site and hundreds of happy friendly people all up for a laugh..

I scratched the lens on my goggles and didn't have a replacement with me. Some guy i didn't even know offered to give me a set of oakley crowbars for the day!! Just goes to show the calibre of people you get at 4x!

All in all, I'd have to say I'm hooked. I had an awesome day.. made some great friends, spent 95% of the time laughing and i got to ride my bike.

The standard of rider was quite high, you are racing at a national level, even in the novice category 'the big fun', people still showed up in all the gear, on dedicated 4x bikes, with the intent on winning.

I turned up on my single speed, steel jump bike, with only one brake, and still managed to send a lot of them home early!

You get all of this for £25

Tearing down a track with a commentator screaming as you muscle your way from last to 1st (which I did in the group B finals) has got to be the best feeling I've had on my bike.

I thoroughly suggest you give it a go.. No matter what your bike, as long as it's got bar ends and 1 good brake, you can race it!

Try it out, it's 4x!! you never know what's gonna happen!!

Cool write up! sounds brilliant fun.

Come along to one and have a little race dude!! it's a properly good laugh.. ride whatever bike

^ What he said

What number were you Ben? I know I got a bit of video of you in the B final, I'll see if I or you anywhere else too. I bumped into Matt a few times and I'd have come and introduced myself afterwards but had to run off due to a minor fuel-related panic attack (had to scour Kent for an open petrol station at 7pm on a Sunday night...)

Video of the day will be coming later in the week!

Chris

Really? Cool I was 350 mate. Great day wasn't it! Considering the conditions!! haha!!

I'm definitely going to get myself down to the next one, once i've got my jumping sorted and it's dried out a bit!

Was there on Wednesday and the 4X was suicidal lol :p

Sounds like you had a great day dude, keep tempting me to try it out, would never do as well as you though.

You going to do another?

Absolutely! Looking at hotel room prices for the next one at redhill!!

It's a real buzz.. As soon as you just get over the whole 'should I shan't I' and just go, you'll have th time of your life!

It's so easy to get into! It's easily the best thing you can do with £25

Little edit from the race

Pretty sure gonna be at round 3, and with the bike not camera this time

Haha, that crash at the end was hilarious, definitely one of the slowest (both to go down and get back up) I've ever seen

Did I say hi to you at any point? I'm the dodgy-looking hoody character filming on the right at 0:17 and 0:23, and from the looks of it we must have been pretty close quite a few times?

Chris

And how did you edit it that quickly?! I'm still sifting through my footage and trying to choose a song

Even more hilarious when its your mate in the crash

don't suppose you got a video of him (the rider in grey) going into a bush near the table / triple ? i missed it as was following 2 other riders

i didn't get speak to any1 else with a camera, was 2 busy trying to control the annoyingly loud people we had with us, if id of known it was some1 off here id of came said hi

already had the song planned for when i eventually got to shoot a race and as for editing there isnt really any, i just imported all the footage, cut all the good clips down, chucked them in a random order and ended up with that

video

What was the standard of riding in your class Ben?