Xtra, Xtra ...
Rob / 22.09.2004
The finale of the ACE Races and British Championship series will be combined into the ACE Race Xtra, which takes place over the weekend of October 2/3rd in Southern Scotland.With both series being decided It’s going to be one of the best team competitions of the year, and the Xtra is a great opportunity for teams used to the familiar ACE Races format to try something a bit different. They could simply complete the regular 5 stages of the ACE Race, but the Xtra is an opportunity to add high adrenalin ropes sections and the challenge of night time mountain biking. And to find out how their team performs during a longer race through the night …
Any team wanting a BARC ranking has to complete the Xtra, and there is no doubt the favourites are defending champions Saab Salomon, who have maximum points and an unbeaten record. But for the teams behind them on the BARC Leaderboard it’s all to play for. Only 3 points separate High Five/Sealskinz and The North Face for the podium positions, and with double points on this final race a strong performance by any of the teams just behind them could make a big difference.
The bonus points for keeping a consistent team could make a significant difference too, and Anabasis are in a strong position as the only team who could still claim 10 bonus points. In the ACE Races series Team Traverse and Team SleepMonsters are only separated by 58 points, so they too will have a close contest, which could be over the Xtra course as well.
And while the teams are out in the night and tackling the ropes stages, all those entered in the pairs and solo classes will be racing the regular ACE Races course, and those series titles will also be decided for 2004. It could be a long prize giving after the race!
Full details of the ACE Race Xtra are here, and you can see the current position on the British Championships here.
(Any teams taking part who want to query the current BARC positions/bonuses on the leaderboard must do so before Sept. 30th by emailing rob@SleepMonsters.com.
