The 2006 Raid Series
Rob Howard / 03.01.2006
There’s no Scandinavian stage as there was last year, which will be a blow for the strong Scandinavian teams and those strong on snow sports, but the other venues are similar to last year – Australasia, USA and Europe – the 3 strongest AR regions in the world. With the travelling distances involved it’s likely team racing just one event could qualify from their region for the Raid World Championships, and for those teams who do plan on racing the circuit it will require less of financial and travel commitment.
The series begins in March when, for the third year running, raiders will find themselves in the state of Western Australia, to contest the opening stage in Margaret River Region. There is more detail in a news item on www.SleepMonsters.com.au, and we’ll once again have live reports from John Flynn, who did such a great job last year. (The Raid staff said they’d never seen such a determined newshound at any of their races before!) There will be heightened interest in this first stage with the number of qualifying places in zone VIII (Oceania and Asia) increased from 3 to 6.
Three months later the setting is in Idaho, in the area around Tamarack, an untamed land that gave birth to enthralling Native American legends. Rugged mountains, splendid lakes, deep forests, and the most challenging rivers in the United States await the competitors. There are some very strong U.S. teams in that region and the US stage is always an enthralling contest between home based and visiting teams.
SleepMonsters
