We arrived in Taupo on Saturday afternoon and it was wet and grey. It got wetter and wetter through the evening and in the middle of the night Dad remembered our trailer has a leak and went and rescued my gear bag before all my stuff got soggy. When we got to the track on Sunday the wind had started to pick up and the rain was coming in sideways. Practice was hairy, there were some deep puddles and even the 450s were swimming in some areas. I stayed upright from start to finish and was glad we brought every set of gear I own because I was muddy! Race 1 was a disaster. The track was terrible to ride after a hundred or so riders had smashed over it. I slid off my seat going up a jump, the the bike slid backwards down the jump and then I was stuck underneath it at the base of the jump in porridge like mud. It was slippery and sticky. Mum and another lady helped me out of it but mum couldn’t get my bike started again in time for me to finish the race so I DNF-ed. The day was cancelled at race 2 as the conditions weren’t going to get any better. I was really disappointed to not finish and not get any points for today but I probably would have ended up with a blown up bike if I had kept going. Not the best way to start a series but at least I got out there and gave it a go.
Soren Staudinger 