Category: 2017

After having to cancel rounds 2 & 3 due to the weather the Cambridge MX club decided to run this weekend. It hadn’t rained since Friday and the tracks were looking fine when we arrived. The main track held up really well with the days riding but the mini track got muddier and harder to ride with each race. The sticky grittiness of the mud caused my chain and sprockets to clog up and I didn’t finish race 1 or 2. Race 3 I rode my heart out and picked clearer lines than in the first 2 races and finished in second. Today was hard on so many mini riders and their bikes with half the entrants pulling out before the day was done. Next month if it’s this manky I will know how to ride the track and finish all three races.

Today was Round 2 of the Winter Series at Mercer. There have been massive layout changes on both the main and mini tracks and the pits have all been moved as well. I think it’s a really good set up as the mini pits are right on the edge of the mini track now and from where we were parked I could see when I needed to get ready to move. Dad was helping another dad who was trying to get his sons bike going so I tried organising myself to make things a little easier. I had a cracking practise and Race 1, had a few wobbles on race 2 and came off on 2 corners, and then fought hard in race 3 to gain back some points to finish in the top 5 for the day. I’m really proud of how I’ve been riding on the bigger bike and by the time I go up a class at the end of the year I’ll be really comfortable on it.

Tokoroa is an awesome track to be a mini motocross rider. The mini track is the old supercross track with some decent berms, tabletops and a neat dragon back (like a jump on top of a jump). It was pretty muddy after all the rain everywhere has gotten over the last few weeks but my practice at home in the wet and working on staying upright in the mud is definitely paying off with a second overall placing for today.

 

A couple of weeks ago I was invited by the Cambridge MX Club to join their mini team and take part in the NZ Battle of the Clubs in Taupo. This weekend we competed against 24 other teams and came out 11th overall. This was a freaking awesome effort considering the adventures our team had… our 50cc trial rider got run over twice, our 70-110cc trial rider got caught in the gates on one start, our 65cc rider broke a chain and I got some serious air off one jump and landed sideways doing a quick cartwheel on my bike. There were some really fast riders in my class and it was great to have some really strong competition to ride against. I was sitting pretty comfortably in 4th until race 3 where my flying trick bumped me down to 7th overall. I am still really happy with how I did. I haven’t had the best ride days on the Taupo track but the more I get on it, the better I am getting.  Thanks Cambridge MX for this opportunity and hopefully we can do this again next year.

 

This weekend was the start of the winter series at Pukekohe. This was my second time riding the Mercer track and it was very different than last month, some kids had moved up classes and it was a huge turnout. My starts have definitely improved with practicing at home and in Race 3 I even managed to keep my bike under control while leaving the gates on one wheel. I finished 3rd overall for the day which I’m pretty stoked about.

Since South Waikato Club had cancelled their Minicross event we decided to go up to South Head this weekend. The track was really well groomed but the sand was deep in some spots, especially on the uphill corners, which made all our little bikes have to work really hard. It was a fun day, and it wasn’t easy riding but it feels good to be challenged. I’m looking forward to the winter series starting at some of the other clubs I am a member at – while I enjoy these natural terrain style tracks I really miss whoops and tabletops!

Pukekohe had a change of track because of the rain earlier this week and set up at Mercer today instead of Harrisville. Since Puke MX isn’t starting it’s winter series until next month I used today as a practice run on my KTM65. Apart from a few slow starts I rode quite well, after a few laps I understood changing gears into and out of corners and by race 2 I was comfortable enough to attack corners and choose different lines to get around my competition. Since I’ve only ridden this bike on the beach and around our yard I’m looking forward to doing a series this year on it instead of my 50s, and in the meantime I have to practice my gate starts.

This weekend the rain forced the North Harbour Mini MX Club Day to be moved to South Head and it was awesome! We raced on a well groomed sand track, my bike was on point, I found my style and went as fast as I could. It was the most fun I have had riding since we arrived in NZ.

Some days are better than others and today was not my best day. It was wet and windy but the track looked awesome. It’s a really long track and I was looking forward to riding it. I had bike issues during the practice and they continued into Race 1. Race 2 I was not focused on my riding and came off on a corner. And Race 3 I was involved in a collision in the air off a jump. I know I didn’t ride how I usually do, the jumps were steeper than what I’m used to and my confidence got a bit knocked around so I rode slower and watched where others were riding instead of holding it on, getting up the front of the pack and forcing others to watch out for my ride lines. But I finished my races, my bikes are running good again and next time I’ll be on form and make up the points from today.

Yesterday was Round 1 of Cambridge MX’s Winter Series and it was nice to not have to get up in the dark to leave for a race for a change. The team at Cambridge MX spent summer completely remodeling the mini track and they’ve made a great track. There are tabletops, whoops, berms, a hill climb, tight corners, straights and a tricky little kicker that definitely gets you on the first lap. There was another kid in my class (#105) who put up a good fight and I came out with 1st, 2nd and 1st.