for absolute certainty , but it would appear the writing was on the wall even in the last years I competed in the event . In short , it was out of control . Not the racers , but rather the spectators . Blackwater had become a happening , and people by the thousands were turning out each year to attend what had become one , gigantic , basically unregulated , party . There was sheer pandemonium out in the woods where people were camping . Drunkenness , wild carrying-on , and certainly an unimaginable amount of trash were all undesirable sideeffects of the huge congregation of partiers which showed up every year . And it was all virtually without control of any kind . Heck , even in the first year I attended Blackwater , there were three deaths over the course of the weekend . Yep , one guy was stabbed during a fight , and two guys ( spectators ) on quads ran head-on into each other , which killed ‘ em both . And the partying spread out onto the course , during the race . In later events , at any given time you could be met by spectators on quads , running the wrong way on the course . Highly dangerous ! And then there were the booby-traps . Oh , yes . Virtually every spectator vantage-point became a particular danger-zone , as it was not enough to see riders challenged by rocks and mud – these people wanted to see crashes . And crashes they got . In my last year for example , I was doing really well – just railing along . Came around a corner and encountered a big mud hole . The hole was surrounded by spectators . Warning number one . Plus , there was a guy on the other side of the mud hole standing next to a stake with an arrow on it , and he was pointing at the line leading up to him . Warning number two . And yet , with momentum and adrenalin on my side , I pinned it . Got about halfway through the mud hole and the bike just stopped . I somersaulted over the bars while cheers from the crowd rang in my ears . Seems the friendly and helpful spectators had filled the mud hole with hidden rocks . Yayhaa . I burned the clutch up on my bike getting it out of there . Enough for me .
And , so it goes . All good things must come to an end . If you attended and / or rode the Blackwater , certainly you have many , many stories of your own , unforgettable experiences there . If you missed out on The Blackwater , that ’ s unfortunate , as at one time it was well and truly an amazing adventure – one which has definitely gone down in motorcycling lore as a for sure , legendary event .
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 178