Terrain de Bourthes

First things first, because it decides whether the trip is worth making: the track directory lists the Bourthes ground as closed until further notice. If you want to go, confirm the status with the club beforehand - anything else is a shot in the dark. The operator is Moto-Club de l'AA, based at the town hall on the Rue de l'Eglise; the track lies on the Rue du Moulin off the D131 in the Pas-de-Calais and covers roughly 42,500 square metres of natural ground. For normal operation, 5 euros a day and 40 euros a year are documented, riding requires an FFM or UFOLEP licence, and bikes plus dirt and pit bikes are permitted. The venue came into service between 1995 and 2004. A closed track is not a reason for frustration, it is a reason to make a phone call. Small club grounds often reopen once conditions are met or work is finished - and that information travels through the club, not through directories. Once riding resumes, this is the first issue in the ruts: the front knifes and oversteers. Top of our cause list is a fork that is too soft and rides too low - add compression.