One of the most common questions Mitch and the ADB team get asked is how do you become a tester for ADB Magazine? It really is the dream job and as Marco Cavallro kept saying to Mitch on our first VIP Experience for 2022, “I want your job!” Yep, Marco, we’d all love Mitch’s job. Testing bikes for a living, sign me up!
I am one of the privileged few who have been fortunate enough to have that opportunity. Even while I was racing full-time for factory teams I was often invited along on ADB’s many shootouts and standalone bike tests. After I finished racing full-time I spent some time managing factory teams and actually working for other manufacturers. According to Mitch, this experience put me in good stead to take on a more permanent role as an ADB tester, especially as I had become a free agent when I started my very own Grabbo’s Trail & Track coaching and bike setup business.
Mitch approached me years ago with an idea to give the average punter an opportunity to experience the full factory treatment or bike launch junket. Imagine, flying or driving to a hotel where a full range of bikes are waiting to be tested an evaluated with all the food and booze you can handle. On top of that, you get to utilise my experience in bike setup and coaching to make sure the machines are operating perfectly and you understand fully what all the different functions on the bikes do. Sound like fun?
In order to bring this dream to life, we needed to find the right manufacturer for the job. We wanted a brand that was new to the market and that promoted their products largely at trailriders. With this in mind there really was only one choice: GASGAS. GASGAS jumped at the opportunity to have their bikes scrutinised by 60 punters a year in a real world test that could potentially expose the brand’s faults and failures. They didn’t care, they backed their product and said they believe that what they are offering is the best trail package on the market.
Sure, GASGAS are owned by the Pierer Mobility Group, the same mob that own KTM and Husqvarna, but that doesn’t mean they are the same and it does make them a new model compared with the previous offering. In fact our first group of testers thought they were nothing like their siblings when it comes to performance and final specification. You can read all about what our testers thought of the bikes and which were their favourites later in this feature.
It wasn’t good enough to simply supply a bike with old tyres that wasn’t freshly serviced and absolutely no accessories, that’s no fun! We want our VIP Experience testers to feel like factory racers too so we grabbed a bunch of Maxxis Tyres, seeing as how they are the go-to tyre for their main race teams, to slip on for every ride. We wanted to make sure they were in good condition for every ride so we hooked up with Motorex to keep them running as we figured this will be a good test of their oils. We then grabbed some handguards from Acerbis that really make the bikes stand out while protecting those precious levers seeing as the GASGAS machines don’t come with handguards. Also we decked them out with factory sticker kits so riders look like a pro for their factory poster shot, courtesy of Kustom MX.
Having read all that, tell me you don’t want to taste the sweet nectar of journo junkets or factory stardom. For most trail diehards it’s a dream come true!
Journo Junket
The last couple of months have been very wet for the eastern side of Australia. It’s not just the coast that has copped all the rain, central and western parts of NSW and Queensland have been battered by H2O as well but somehow, the pocket of the Blue Mountains where we base ourselves only received the perfect amount. It didn’t flood and in the lead up to the first ride for 2022 we got the perfect amount of rain. There was no dust to speak of and the soil was like chocolate cake. In fact, I’ll quote Mitch: “This is probably the best conditions I have ever ridden the Blue Mountains in!”
Before we even got to the soily stuff let me tell you about the journo treatment at our hotel. With all 10 bikes on display under the factory GASGAS pit tents, riders began arriving and signing in. They were greeted with a goodie bag full of t-shirts, beanies and other awesome merch, a few cold frothies and nibbles and a chance to inspect the bikes.
Of course everyone did the customary grab of the clutch lever, rub of the seat and some were game enough to hop on and have a feel of the cockpit. We take this opportunity to discuss any questions the riders have and I like to do a little presentation on what is new or different about the GASGAS range. Don’t forget this is launch spec, so it seemed appropriate to give our riders the full launch treatment, they even get a GASGAS notepad and pen in their goodie bag to take notes like a real journo!
After everyone got acquainted we headed inside for a two-course meal, where the scotch fillet steak was the favourite, and a few more drinks and a yarn. I love this opportunity to chat with the riders about some of my experiences racing on factory teams and have a laugh about inside gossip they may have never heard.
It’s an early start for a VIP Experience because we want our riders to experience as much time as possible on the bikes and as much of the Blue Mountains as we can so we are up at 7am for a feed. I like to then spend the next 30 minutes customising each rider’s bike they choose to start on so it feels perfect from the moment they leave the hotel. All riders must ride each bike so these setup changes continue throughout the day.
The Ride
A VIP Experience is like no ordinary trail ride. I don’t like to just lead from the front with no input, setting up cornermen so the group only catches up once a day for lunch. We start with a test loop that’s 8km from the hotel and this is a chance for the riders to go back-to-back on each bike so they have a fair and even comparison of each capacity.
It also gives my photographer a good opportunity to shoot each rider for their poster shot and boy did we get some crackers! Even the more camera shy riders eventually got into it and were sending it off logs and railing corners for the camera.
I also take this opportunity to offer any riding advice people might want. I like to try and gauge the group and what they’re after when it comes to coaching. Some riders don’t want any advice and just want to ride and others want to be taught new techniques. I leave it up to each rider to decide what they want from me and let them ask the questions.
I’m not the kind of coach to make everyone hit the same corner 100 times while we focus on their technique. I can do that if a rider wants but most people just want to ride and take in small morsels of advice as they go.
After all the riders had a chance to test each capacity they picked their favourite and we hit the real trails. I like to start slow and easy on day one and end with a bang in the last couple of hours of day two. So we started with some typical Blue Mountains singletrail, loads of loamy tight track with a sandy base. There were cliffs above us and below us and the scrub was so thick in some sections it was like riding through one of those hedge mazes!
I could feel the heat coming from Jayden Page and Graham Cheney. They were bouncing off trees and revving the tits off their bikes in an attempt to race me to the very end! I was impressed at how well they kept up so I figured I’d turn the pace up a little and see if they wanted to play cat and mouse. Turns out they did…
Many of our VIP Experience customers come from interstate, in fact one rider, Joel Shadbolt, had driven all the way over from Western Australia! When Joel arrived at our base, which is encircled by epic hills, he admitted to getting a little nervous. When I enquired about why, he said “Mate, the closest thing I have to a mountain back home is the dam wall and it’s only 10 metres high!”
Well, you can imagine his face when on day one we skirted along a ridge line with a cliff face that dropped over 100m to the bottom and views that went as far as the eye could see. The group stopped for photos of that typical Blue Mountains view with massive rock faces and sandstone everywhere you looked. Speaking of sandstone, the second half of day one takes us through some pretty wild country as we dip into the many Blue Mountains valleys. With so many cliffs, riders must be aware of where they are riding.
We drop into a valley that the group said felt like a scene out of Jurassic Park with rich green ferns in the valley floor and large caves above us, big enough to hide a bus. The drop down is tricky with steep rock faces to catch you off guard and off camber, tight single track but everyone got down in one piece. Except Mitch who managed to snag his rear brake and snap it off. He made me ride the bike with only a front brake until we could get a new one.
It’s always interesting to get a feel for a group on the first day. You think you’ve got everyone figured out then they all of a sudden someone surprises you. Take for example the trio of Ryan Senior, Brett Armstrong and Matt McIntosh, all mates from Echuca, Victoria.
These three blokes had their own style, some liked to sit down like Brett and Matt while Ryan would charge through the bush on the ‘pegs all day. All three were fast but all three liked different terrain. Brett could hit singletrail all day while Ryan and Matt preferred the more open stuff or at least an even mix.
Nevertheless they showed no signs of slowing down and despite trying my best to flog them out, every time I’d turn around they were right there. I was impressed with just how well they could hang on and also how much banter they liked to throw at their mates. Brett and Jayden had a competition to see who could fall off the least. I think by the end of day two, Brett had a comfortable win.
Party Time!
We want our riders to feel like they can’t ride anymore after a VIP Experience. This means bulk kilometres. On day one we managed nearly 80km of singletrack and found ourselves back at our base by 5pm.
A fresh, cold beer awaits and some more snacks. Typically, I like to run some games during this time before we sit down for dinner at the restaurant. But I like to gauge the group and see where their energy levels are at and our group seemed content with drinking beer so that’s what we did.
Stories of the day began coming in thick and fast. Tales of bar-banging action and mates roosting mates were told while some were just reflecting on how awesome the Blue Mountains are from the stunning views to epic riding. It’s also another opportunity to share a few stories from my time racing Dakar, Finke and Safari. It’s also interesting to see how many riders want to know the inner workings of different team and bike setups.
We headed in for another two-course feed at dinner and then when the riders were a little more jolly, we played a game. It’s an activity that gives one rider the opportunity to win a set of Maxxis tyres and our winner was supermotard legend Graham Cheney. We had a few more activities lined up but it seemed the group was cooked so we made our way to bed. No, I’m not going to tell you what our games are because that way no one can practice before they get here, you’ll just have to come along to find out.
The Crescendo
Day two we saddle up at 7am again and head off for more secret singletrail. Our aim for day two is to get through at least 80km of singletrail before 4pm. We start out on more flowing, fast trails before we dip into Portland for lunch. A parmi or a burger fills the whole left by 50km of epic trails and we’re back on the bikes for more and we like to remind the group we’ve left the best to last.
We head into the hills one last time and take on the real hard stuff. I’m talking snotty, off-camber cliff climbs with tree roots strewn across the surface and handlebar width rock tunnels. I’m blown away by how much the group has improved. As we get to the last technical section I worn riders of what’s to come.
I ride to the top and get ready to run back down and coach riders through the section but before I know it their confidence has grown and their attempting it themselves. Marco has managed to hop his way up some tough rock ledges and his mate Trent Webb has crawled one of the two-strokes up a near vertical climb just after coming through a gap in the rocks no wider than the Acerbis handguards. Wow, impressive!
When we got back to the hotel riders were sore and bruised but full to the brim of singletrail. We have a prize for the most improved rider which went to our West Australian, Joel. When he started the ride he was nervous at even the slightest incline but by the end of day two he was charging up hills I’ve seen other riders take years to conquer.
As the sun set on the Blue Mountains, the riders showered and said their goodbyes. In two days everyone had become mates and had experienced something not many in this country have the opportunity to do, from riding in the Blue Mountains to testing an entire range of bikes with a mechanic on hand. But I think the best part about it was being able to pack their bags and leave the cleaning and servicing to someone else. Now that’s factory living.
What you get
- Test ride the entire GASGAS two-stroke and four-stroke enduro range over two days.
- Grabbo will be there to adjust any component of the bike to suit you.
- Two days of trailriding and coaching with hop-on, hop-off testing of the Gassers.
- Hundreds of kilometres of epic singletrack. You will be led by Grabbo who will coach you as you go. You will go home a better rider.
- Bike setup tips by Grabbo
- Full meal plan and exercise routine to hang onto for future multi-day rides.
- Two nights’ accommodation
- All food and drink (including most alcohol)
- All fuel from Saturday to Sunday
- Riding insurance
- Lead and sweep riders
- Professional images of you, just like a GASGAS factory team press shoot!
It is an all-inclusive package so you don’t need to bring your bike or credit card. You will be riding the entire GASGAS Enduro range, which includes the EC 250F, EC 350F, EC 250 and EC 300, for the duration. Just lob up at our base in Wallerawang, NSW, on the Friday afternoon and the rest is taken care of until the VIP Experience finishes on Sunday arvo.
What our Punters Thought
Trent Webb – Sackville, NSW
“I jumped on the EC 250F on day 2 and it’s an easier bike to ride, especially in the slippery hill climbs. It’s been great to get on something different. I ride a 300 two-stroke at home so it’s good to try the different bikes. My favourite though is the EC 350F but the EC 250F is still a fun, light bike. I really liked riding Grabbo’s EC 350F with all the bells and whistles on it.”
Ryan Senior – Moama, NSW
“I’m pretty happy on the EC 250 at the moment. It’s going good, has plenty of power and its unreal up the hills. You can lug it up in first or second gear, you can point it and shoot it and it’s nice and light. The 300 is too aggressive for me, a bit on and off although the bigger blokes are handling it alright. I normally ride a 500 and do more open stuff so these smaller bikes are perfect for what we’ve ridden.”
Brett Armstrong – Echuca, Victoria
“The EC 300 definitely is the pick for me for all the grippy singletrail and the EC 250 was my next choice. Straight out of the box they are good bikes. I loved the singletrail, especially the first day on the other side, as it was the grippiest singletrail I’ve ever ridden. The wet stuff isn’t too bad, a bit Victorian in style.”
Joel Shadbolt – Mukinbudin, West Australia
“I really like the EC 250F so far. I had a hard slog yesterday riding the EC 250 two-stroke so I’m glad to be back on a four-stroke that’s for sure, something a bit more familiar. I’ve been riding the EC 350F this morning and I’ve really liked it too.”
Marco Cavallaro – Glenmore Park, NSW
“I don’t mind the EC 300, I normally ride a 350F. Grabbo lowered the EC 300 for me so I can touch the ground so I feel a bit more confident. There’s no point riding something that you ride every other day so I have been swinging off the two-strokes all weekend.”
Graham Cheney – Bathurst, NSW
“I’m back on the EC 250 two-stroke. I feel right at home on that bike. I always just like to have the power over the bike not let the bike have the power over me. I like to ride the bike not let it ride me which is why I prefer the EC 250.”
Matt McIntosh – Echuca, Victoria
“The EC 250F in the tight stuff has been good but the EC 350F in the more open stuff is best. Four-strokes for me. When it comes to two-strokes I find them a bit on or off, and they’re a bit harder to rail corners on and just cruise through. There’s a bit of everything here, nice and wet at the bottom and sandy in other spots and plenty of singletrail.”
Jayden Page – Echuca Victoria
“I like the EC 250F, it seems pretty mellow but still has lots of useable power and feels nice and light and nimble. It’s good for jumping off stuff on the trails and mucking around. It can take everything you throw at it. We ride a little bit of this tight stuff at home but this is very good.”
Visit vipexperience.com.au to find out more.
WORDS & PHOTOS // BEN GRABHAM
