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© Bob Mullins   

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Months of preparation culminated in a successful outing for WOR Events supremo Steve Ireland last weekend.

Ireland had steadily been gaining sponsorship in aid of the Children's Adventure Farm Trust (CAFT) for his 24-hour marathon outing at the annual Dawn to Dusk event, although Irelands ride was Dusk to Dusk.

With two immaculately prepared Kawasaki KLX450's and a large crew of helpers, mechanics and general supporters, plus TV coverage from Blood, Sweat and Gears TV for the Extreme TV channel, the WOR entourage descended on the venue in South Wales midweek and final preparations began in earnest.

Over the past few months Ireland had steadily built up his stamina and bike fitness on the KLX450 but as 7.00pm approached on Saturday 29th August the time came for the hype to stop and the hard work to really start.

The only dark cloud looming on the horizon was a long-term back injury which Ireland has struggled with over the past few months, but a constant diet of pain-killers kept the injury in the back of the riders mind while the comfort of the KLX for long-range riding certainly helped considerably.

Both Kawasaki's were virtually identically trimmed with the exception of a superb lighting kit fitted to one of the bikes, which would carry Ireland through the night-time session of this gruelling race.

A Le Mans style start saw the WOR boss virtually last off the line but immediately he gained a few places only to tangle with another rider within 300 metres of the start, a crash which resulted in a bent front brake disc.

Undeterred, he rode out the first lap moving from dead last to first over the seven-mile section and pitted to change bikes as the disc was replaced. One more lap saw Ireland pit again to resume his challenge on the original (night) bike as darkness slowly crept over the venue.

With additional lights fitted to both helmet and bars Ireland charged on through the night but was plagued with lighting problems initially as connections came apart and batteries failed before their due date. The pit crew were quick to react and fixed every problem at each of the numerous stops planned throughout the hours of darkness as the rider topped up on pain-killers, food and drink supplements and words of encouragement from his team.

Heavy mist moved in to parts of the wooded sections and the riding experience was surreal in places as a small, brightly-lit area in front of the bike faded out into pitch black and the floodlit pit area offered a welcome oasis of civilisation amid the bleak landscape.

The 24-hour race hosted more than one class of rider. Ironman Expert for the solo riders plus multiple rider teams, all running at the same time. By midnight Ireland had established a considerable lead in the Ironman class and felt in excellent shape both physically and mentally as the KLX450's cruised on without complaint.

The next few hours were possibly the toughest for all riders but as dawn slowly broke the timing system revealed that Ireland had built up a two-lap lead over the next nearest competitor in class.

The scheduled rest stop at 7.00pm went to plan and a few minutes sleep, a shower and change of riding gear rejuvenated the Kawasaki rider and he returned to the race with fresh determination, still leading the Ironman class.

With the addition of a few hundred 12-hour riders at 7.00am and rain blowing horizontally across the whole of the 17-mile lap the race became considerably harder but Ireland continued to lead his class. By 1.00pm on Sunday the effects of 18-hours of riding took their toll and Ireland retired to his camper for another well deserved rest and continued to lead the race, from his camper bed, for the next three hours.

As time ticked away and 7.00pm approached, the timing system still showed him in fourth place in class, some three laps clear of fifth place, an outstanding achievement, having led the race for nearly 21 hours.

Both rider and machines performed beyond the call in the most appalling conditions and the WOR Events crew put in 110% effort to get their man to the finish. Never have so many charity donations been so hard earned.

Although the rider performed well, he could not have achieved so much without the constant support from a dedicated crew of friends, mechanics and dozens of supporters who turned out to cheer him on, throughout the night in most cases.

Well done to all.

A huge 'Thank You' to Kawasaki UK, especially Ross Burridge for his support and to the many other figures in the industry who made this possible.