town , but also the challenges which Dave had in store for them in the wilds outside of town .
Those challenges – oh , boy . Now , long before the advent of Hard Enduros , there were plenty of tough events where riders could test their mettle against severe terrain and challenging conditions . The Blackwater was far from the first off-road race to become notorious for being exceptionally difficult to simply complete , let alone score well in . And yet , in a region where off-road motorcycling is particularly popular , riders began to turn out in droves once stories of the toughness of The Blackwater began to circulate . Additionally , while the Blackwater 100 started out as just a stand-alone event , in 1986 it became part of the Grand National Cross-Country series , which in turn attracted off-road racing ’ s top riders .
While the Blackwater has been won by “ outsiders ”, such as
Here ’ s a good pic , indicating just how packed the start of the Blackwater 100 ’ s were .
VOL . 6 ISSUE 2 - FEBRUARY 2021 // PAGE 117