Thanks to all of you who came out last year and competed in the Spring Fat Tyre Festival.  It was crazy hot, but we hope you have all recovered and are ready to do it all again this year.  Although, we hope with much better weather... Well here we are again for our fourth year with loads of prizes and a few new sponsors.  Were hard at work on this years event and look forward to seeing everyone out at the track for a great day of racing. 

This year race number two of The North vs South Series is the 4th Annual Spring Fat Tyre Festival presented by JP Morgan and Kona. An exciting one day mountain bike race with loads of fun, prizes and a great new venue.  For 2010 we are moving a bit further up the F3 to Awaba Mountain Bike Park, approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes north from the heart of the Sydney CBD.

Awaba has been around for awhile now, but not in its new and improved form.  The locals boys from HMBA have been hard at work over the last couple of years adding track and putting together an awesome venue to race at.  Fast, smooth, flowing singletrack and a proper parking lot for everyone to set up...just perfect for our event.

The festival will be held on Sunday November 28th, with the main event being the 8 ¼ Hours Of Power (we wanted to make it just that little bit better than all the other eight hour events).

It will be an eight hour and 15 minute race, based on the standard XC race format.

There’s over $30,000 of cash and prizes to be won or given away, with solo riders going for over $2000 cash in prize money!

Categories:

We will have all of the usual rider categories, and have decided to keep the same format as last year with the solo riders.  Male and female solo riders placing 1st / 2nd / 3rd will get cash prizes, and all other podium getters in each category will get really cool prizes.

There will also again be the "JP Morgan Corporate Teams Challenge" to encourage grudge matches between the corporate high flyers to be settled on the track. Last year the team from SGA Environmental took out the win and went home with the very impressive "Fat Tyre Festival Cup".  So come on all you desk jockies...train up and have a go!  The team from Macq Attacq took the win at Race 1 at Appin, so theyll be the team to beat at Awaba for the huge Fat Tyre Cup.

There will again be a Singlespeed solo category as well as a $100 cash prize for fastest lap. There will again be a $200 cash prize for the "Start Line Hole Shot". Basically the first rider through the timing tent after the first lap gets the cash!  Plus we will be giving out the coveted Hard Man trophy.  This one is reserved for the hardest effort of the day...who will take it home this year? So far weve had a hairy mountain man, a one armed bandit, and a very determined old mate take home the very cool (yet very daggy) trophy.

Prizes:

Cash prizes and trophies will be on offer for men and women solo riders.  The solo cash prizes are a carry over from event number one, the BHP Appin 400, so if podiumed at that race you got a shot a loads more cash.  All other podium winners will be given prizes and trophies accordingly for their category.
 
There will also be heaps of giveaways generously provided by our great sponsors as well as the big grand prize of a Kona Big Kahuna 29er mountain bike to be drawn at the awards ceremony.  We wanted to keep with the current trend in mountain biking, so this machine is the latest and greatest addition to Konas impressive list of bikes.  The last two years, the bike went to some very excited kids. This year the winner will be drawn from the winning side...the North or the South...who will it be?  So far the South is way out in front with 21 out of 28 podium spots at race one.  Race hard to have a shot at an amazing bike!  So another big, fun day on the track and as we always say "Good prizes for hard efforts..."