Multi Rack Best Friends Rail Jam from KitepowerQLD on Vimeo.
A 12-hour drive, long days, knee-deep mud, 300kg obstacles, post-cyclone debris, crocodiles, killer jellyfish and some seedy characters from the backpackers were just some of the challenges faced by the KPQ team riders last week in Mackay – all for the sake of a few photos at 2am in the morning. Lol – it was EPIC!
The event was the Multi Rack Best Friends Rail Jam (what a mouthful!), organised by the Jedi master of rail riding, Chris Wardell. The event was a huge success, it was basically three days of hauling heavy wooden obstacles out onto the mud and then running over them a few times when the tide came in. At the end of the day it was worth it – everyone had a ball. No-one went home without a bruise, scrape or cut, and most people landed on their face at least once, but it was sweet and we got photos!
The KPQ boys got there a day early so we could lend a helping hand to move the three truckloads of obstacles from the build house to the event site. Note to everyone else – get there a day early and help us out next time! No joke, these things weighed like 300kg and even with 10 people, it was no easy feat getting them up onto the truck then out through the mud. We got free beer and pizza though, so it was ok 
Day 1: We woke up to 17 knots blowing from the SE. I’m sure you can imagine the mad rush to the beach. We were pretty disappointed to see that during the night all our stuff got washed down the beach, what a bummer. We dragged it all back and got to work. I can tell you now what ISN’T easy – trying to put a 2.5m-long sticker on a sandy bit of wood in too much wind Lucky the boys from Sign Cellar in Rothwell made us some sweet logos – they looked great! After a quick briefing from Chris, the carnage began. Learning to hit all these new things took some time and effort, but by the late afternoon we were all getting some solid runs and having a ball.
Day 2: 17 knots SE at 6am in the morning, but no water this time… So we got to the beach, fixed all the broken bits and waited. Luckily, the wind kicked in a bit stronger just as the obstacles started floating. We raced to get out there before the rain came, but before long there was only one kite left in the sky – the MIGHTY KITEPOWER ZEPHYR 17m!!! Thanks to this, we could ride all day!
That night we saw something amazing: the tiny Jacob Goodwin (the kid who usually rides a 7m kite when you’re struggling on your 12m) downed THREE KILOs of steak, veggies and potato wedges in under 30 minutes, earning an XXXXL sized T-shirt for his efforts. Then to top it off he was caught snooping in the fridge when we got home!
However the most exciting part was after the food… Fuelled by a few beers and the fact it was still blowing outside and the tide was back in, the KPQ team and friends decided that a midnight photo shoot was in order.
Imagine a dark beach, 20 knots, six kiters and a bunch of wood and nails stuck in the sand… It was mayhem! Thanks to Rob Webb the photographer from Sydney (and his remote flashes), we scored some amazing photos. You’ll be sure to see them in the next KBM magazine. Standing chest deep in the water at 2am while holding a flash for Rob was scary, especially when they started shouting about the crocodiles! Those who’d gone out on the town were super jealous when we told them what we’d been up to, especially the Surfconnect team who came home and passed out at 3am in the hallway with their pants around their ankles…
Day 3: 17 knots SE – what a surprise! By the last day we kinda knew what we were doing. The obstacles were set up perfectly and the official competition was on for young and… young. JP and Jacob went nuts (just check out the photos) and slid their way to victory. Meanwhile the rest of us continued to learn as much as we could from Chris… Luckily the wind died off early so we could get the obstacles in before the presentation. Aided by a chainsaw-wielding Joe from ARSA, everything was cut to pieces and carried back to the grass. It was sad to see such an end to the obstacles we’d been sliding over all weekend! The presentation involved thank-yous, congratulations and sausages, and saw JP walking away with a cool $300 cash for taking out the Open Mens, and Jacob walking out with a new kiteboard for winning the Juniors.
It wasn’t really until the long drive home that we all realised what an amazing weekend it had been. Despite the hard work, it was such a good event. It was well run, well backed by sponsors and everybody rode exceptionally. The aim was to learn a bit about park style riding, and everyone did! So we’d like to say a big thank you to Chris Wardell and all the event sponsors for making it happen.
Tags: chris wardell, Kitesurfing, mackay, rails, team riders