can somebody please give me some info as i need it
Don't expect answers within 15 minutes mate, this is an internet forum not a phone call.
What you need:
- A safe bike. This means it must have good working brakes and bar end plugs for starters.
- A full-face helmet. Also highly recommended are goggles, gloves, shinnies, and if you've got the money, proper riding shorts (Fox, Troy Lee etc - they're heavy nylon that helps protect your thighs when you crash) and upper body armour (elbow pads, or a full upper-body jacket a la 661 Pressure Suit). Don't skimp on protective gear - a new stem or something like that for your bike won't be anywhere near as much use to you as the same money put towards protecting yourself.
- Ambulance cover (and private health cover too preferably). If you don't have this, get it, otherwise you could be looking at thousands of dollars worth of ambulance rides if you injure yourself.
Race entry usually costs between $70-100 per race, and you must have a valid MTBA licence (these cost about $100 for a year typically, check
http://www.ftf.com.au/membership/?IntCatId=2 for example). If you don't have a yearly licence, you can buy a day licence at each event, which costs you $15 but is only valid for that event. Obviously if you're doing more than 6 events in a year (races or official ride days) it's worth getting a yearly licence (these are valid for races anywhere in Aus including national rounds).
The next Vic state series will probably start about October, but details aren't finalised yet as far as I know. There will be some races and probably also ride days held somewhere in the meantime however (King of Ballarat series for starters). Usually you pay about $10-20 for your numberplate/registration for the state series itself, which you do at the first race of the series that you turn up to, then pay the race entry fee at each race. With the possible exception of the national championships, you can do everything by turning up on the day of the race - you don't need to pre-register or anything like that, though it can be cheaper to do so (particularly for nationals).
