Category: 2017

This weekend BOPMCC put an another awesome Summer Cross event at Awakaponga, near Whakatane. We went out and did early sign on on Thursday afternoon and walked the track and checked things out before taking on my first attempt at a championship event in Pro65. I was feeling really good about the track, my bike and my ability and slept really well. I was nervous before the practice and qualifying and for the most part of the ride I was picking good lines and keeping up with the older, more experienced pack. This was until I came off and ate sand. Then I couldn’t find my rhythm or speed again and struggled in the sandy uphills and sawdust section. Instead of bouncing back after a bad race like I usually do I started to overthink things and took a massive drop in confidence. Race 1 was ok, I rode technically quite well but without trusting myself I didn’t have enough speed to carry me through a lot of the track. I came off and I stalled and so many people came up to Mum and Dad asking if I was ok as they had never seen me ride like this. Race 2 was even worse. I was so deep in my funk that it was the longest 15 minutes I have ever not enjoyed riding. Before Race 3 I was asked if I wanted to quit and go home but I don’t do that. I came to ride SummerX and experience something new. I rode Race 3 and was happy that I at least finished the day. My overall placing was 13th out of 17 or 18 that started the event. My mood improved heaps once I got my gear off and while it was a terrible day there were lots of positives and it has given me heaps to work on.  This is now it for 2017. In the last 12 months I have gone from a Nipper to Div 2, moved from Aussie to NZ, gone from Mini MX 50cc to Mini MX 65cc to  Junior MX Pro65. I have a collection of cool trophies and despite the ups and downs and harsh lessons I still have the passion to give 2018 all I have got.

This weekend is my first round of riding Pro65. The track at Harrisville was in great condition as always and it was so exciting to line up against other 65cc and 85cc riders.  I came off my bike in practice and got my bars stuck in the dirt, I dropped the clutch at the start of Race 1 and my bike left the gates without me but in Race 2 it all came together and I flew around the track and even gave the 85s a good run. Race 3 was going really well until I winded myself coming off a jump just as the white flag came out. It hurt heaps and really slowed me down but I still finished the race. I’d rather give away a couple of spots than have a DNF. I’m really happy with my decision to move up to big track 65cc racing. I love the challenge and having so much more room to use. We finished the day with the Winter Series prize-giving even though it finished in October, the timing had issues so it was postponed until today. I finished 2nd overall for my first competitive 65cc series and riding mini track was a good way of getting comfortable with my bike.

Today was a funny day. It was such a nice morning and then a quick downpour turned the track into a slick mess. The big bikes removed some of the muck but the practice was more like something that should have had Benny Hill music playing to it. The decision was made for a temporary layout change for Race 1 to avoid the deepest mud and we were faced with new challenges like trying to get back on to the track from our detour. The rest of the day went well and the ground dried out enough for us to ride the normal track.  I finished the day 2nd overall and had fun even with the crashes and showers.

The sun was shining down on Tauranga MX’s TECT Park today for Round 3.  I rode fast and consistent for races 1 & 2 finishing 2nd each time, and in race 3 half the field was involved in a pile up because one rider forgot to take the corner off the start straight. I’m not sure where I finished as I had a lot of places to make up. I put some of what I learned at Mossy’s coaching into practice and could feel the different aggressive braking and smooth throttle control.

This weekend I took part in a Moss Institute Coaching session in Taupo. Friday was basic skills and we spent the day on the mini track. All the parents got sunburnt while listening to Greg explain all the drills we need to practice on and off the track. Saturday was more focused on race skills and we spent the day on the big track working on line selection, hard braking and jumps. I really enjoyed this weekend. It was good to know that what I have been working on at home was the right stuff. Dad got a lot of information from Greg on what I need to refine and how to do it so I have can create good riding habits. Vision. Position. Lines. Control.

 

This weekend I took part in my first championship in the 7-8 year old 65cc class. The weather was perfect, the track was mint and there were some really good riders ready to race. I rode really well in the first two races taking both checkered flags but had an off in race 3 on the whoops which slowed me down. I got up and got back on and managed to get back to fourth position. I was a bit disappointed with my last ride but I still finished 2nd overall for the day which I am stoked about. Pukekohe MC put on a fantastic event and the rain stayed away until just after prize giving. I am really looking forward to coming back here and riding the summer series with the Pro 65s.

 

Today at Patetonga I became a better rider. Something clicked and I was able to put all the little things I have learnt and am perfecting into practice and the results were massive.  I rode this track for the first time on Wednesday after school and it looked like it was really scary before I gave it a go. The guys riding there were really supportive and one gave me a guided tour of the track so I could see what it was like.  I was gutted to be leaving after an hour and a half but couldn’t wait for Sunday to come. I haven’t ridden big track since leaving Australia, over there all the minis ride big track but they have cut offs and ride about half of it. Today it was just like riding in Canberra again – big red dirt/clay track with big jumps, big ruts and big whoops. I had so much fun, I went so fast, and it’s made me suddenly grow in my riding ability. I don’t know what I was so worried about with moving off the mini tracks… I can’t wait to ride Pro 65 from now on.

Next week is the Auckland Champs at Harrisville so today we made the most of the fine weather and went to the Puke MX practice day. I am riding in the 7-8 year old 65cc class so I will be riding the mini track. I did two sessions on the small track and then asked the organisers if they’d mind me riding the big track to see if I am ready to ride Pro 65 in the upcoming summer series. After riding at Patetonga’s practice day on Wednesday I am feeling much more confident about riding bigger tracks where I can challenge myself.  I had such a good time riding with the Junior B riders and have now decided that I want to ride 8-11 Pro 65 for the next few seasons until I move up to an 85cc bike.

Today we spontaneously decided to head to Rotorua for some different track time. Because of the amount of rain that fell yesterday most other clubs have cancelled their events but the rain went around Horohoro and the tracks were in pretty good condition. It was muddy and slippery, and some kids had some spectacular crashes but I was able to avoid them. I was going to try out the big track today but after looking at the track layout and how much of it was uphill I decided to play it safe and just fang around the mini track. I hadn’t ridden here since taking out the Interschools Challenge earlier this year and it was fun to be back.

Today Supercross returned to Tokoroa – the home of Supercross in NZ. Years ago it used to be hosted every labour weekend and this year they brought it back. I watched the track get built up and was riding the big track at Toke the day it was being test ridden and fine tuned. Ben Townley designed it to AMA spec and it was looking so good. I entered in the Pro 65 Demo class so not championship points or anything – just a fun experience. There was so much rain this morning. The big bikes did their 2 practice sessions and the officials were still undecided if we’d be able to get out for a ride. They decided to give us a go and if it wasn’t too slippery and dangerous we could keep riding in the main races. It was such cool fun, it was hard because we were told we weren’t allowed to jump and I had to work out how to have enough power to make it up the steep jumps without getting both wheels off the ground. I had a crash in practice and broken my throttle so did the races on my practice bike. I fell off a few times and got stuck in the mud but I kept getting up and trying harder. So many riders, seniors and juniors, called it quits early as the rain didn’t look like it was going to ease up but at the last race the sun came out and the track got so sticky. I had a really great time riding this today and fingers crossed next year it will be a drier Spring so we can get out there and do it again.