While the race itself starts on Sunday 31st, things really start happening 2 days beforehand when we begin our registrations and inspections. There is a huge amount of preparation involved in an event like this. More than most people might imagine. At registration all racers and crew must present themselves at their allocated time and with them they must have all their paperwork, equipment and vehicles ready to be processed and inspected. We have a 50 page rulebook which covers every aspect of the Race. Why is the rulebook so big? Well, the rules exist for three main reasons: Safety, Fairness and the Integrity of the Race. While fairness and integrity are two factors which mainly manifest themselves out on the road, a major factor in safety is preparedness and this is where the inspections come in. There is no doubt an event of this nature can be dangerous, so we do everything we can to ensure that once the race starts, any risks are kept to a minimum. Not just for the racers and crew but for all road users. We need to ensure that all vehicles and bikes are properly prepared for being on the road day and night. We inspect equipment, reflective material, clothing and helmets. It always surprises us how many people present to inspection with cracked helmets and are therefore regularly riding with cracked helmets. Of course cracked helmets are refused. All the preparation may seem like an unnecessary pain for some people but we’re sure that when the race gets underway the motives are fully appreciated by everybody involved.