Category: 2018

This weekend was a busy one in Taupo for their annual Battle of the Clubs fundraiser to send the NZ team to MXON. I was asked to ride the 65cc class by four clubs and decided to represent my local Patetonga MX Club. We got shirts made up and I was so excited to finally have my name on a jersey. It felt really weird riding mini track again, it’s been almost a year since I last rode the mini track at Digger McEwen Park and it was a lot narrower than I remembered but it was fun and that was what the point of today was. I finished 9th, 6th and 20th for 13th overall out of 25 riders. My bike stopped as the gates dropped in Race 3 and once we finally got it started I was already 2 laps down. I rode aggressively to catch up and make up some places and while it could have gone better it was still a really good practice day for tomorrow when I’m back on the big track for Round 3.

Today was awesome. Today was probably better than awesome. It was foggy and cold and a little drizzly at the track early this morning but after practice the clouds lifted and we had a nice sunny day.  As Cambridge’s club day had been cancelled due to weather there was a huge turn out of 85s so there were about 60 of us on the track for combined Pro65/85 practice and qualifying.  It was so cool being on such a busy track, I had to really think about what lines to take and had to commit to them so I wasn’t pushed around. I had three great starts out of the metal gates for two holeshots and a win.  After a couple of laps I had figured out what needed to be done to make it through the sawdust section upright and without giving away positions and being quite a close field we had some really good battles going on. Second overall today with 3-1-2 and making up some ground in the points after Round 1. It feels so good to be out of my funk and riding hard again.

 

The last round of Pukekohe MXs summer series was held at Mercer and it was good to finally have a crack at the big sand track. As this was a late decision due to Harrisville being too wet to ride no-one had been able to have a go here before practice started.  This track is so different to the smooth, dry clay track we have been riding for the rest of the series… grass start gates, deep sandy straights and gritty ruts, wet corners that blow out through the day and some unexpected bit pot holes by the time we headed out for race 3. It was a challenging day of riding and the skills I have been working on at training definitely helped my position. I had a couple of offs, a tangle at the start of race 1 and stalled in the deep sand on the last lap of race 3 but held it together for 3rd overall for the day. Prize giving followed racing and after a very inconsistent first Pro65 season of learning, top speeds, new tricks, crashes and a loss of focus I finished 4th overall. It’s a good result considering I did one series of 7-8 year old 65cc at TECT and one at Mercer before jumping into 8 – 11 year old Pro65 and bypassing 9 – 11 year old 65cc on the mini track. While it has been hard work I have really enjoyed the challenges.

We drove into the rain at Tirau this morning and it felt like it was going to be a repeat of the Taupo mudwash last weekend. Luckily it wasn’t very heavy and the track looked like it was holding up really well once we had set up and done a look lap. It was still drizzly through practice but the sun and blue sky came out of nowhere for race 1 and it felt so good to be out in it. I rode technically well through the deep sand patches and the big sweeping corners but wasn’t holding enough speed to make the most of Toke’s big jumps. Holeshot in race one and 3 seconds today which is okay because I know I have more in me. Because of the water pooling through the rollers out the back of the track the 65s were riding a cut off which crossed a deep rutted area to get to our detour, I took my eyes of where I wanted to go and ended up on my  butt in the rut which lost me my lead in race 2. It was the first round of the South Waikato season so I am off to a good start. I know that once I have my technique on point the speed will come back. Slowing down and working on my smooth throttle control, strong breaking and body position are going to make me a stronger, safer, faster rider in the long run and it doesn’t matter what size bike I will get on I know the foundations I am working on today will benefit me tomorrow.

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.

 

With not much on lately because of the storms we went to Cambridge for Round 1 of their winter series. The club made some changes to the layout and it rides well. There was a good turn out for Pro65 with some of the Taranaki kids up this way for the school holidays and it was good to ride against some different people. During race 2 I came over a jump and ended up off the track in the bushes. It happened really fast and whatever I did broke my helmet visor and smashed my left hand. The medic checked my arms and collarbone to be sure I hadn’t done anything serious but it was just my squashed thumb causing the pain. I rode a bit more cautiously in race 3 because my thumb throbbed the whole time, it is really hard to ride with sore hands and I was happy to finish the day and go home for an afternoon of supercross.

After a few track rides here over the last couple of weeks I have been able to get my personal best lap times down and get my confidence back after a pretty decent crash during practice on the big step up. Today I felt really good about myself and got the holeshot and checkered flags in Races 1 and 3. Race 2 started great with the holeshot but with 1 lap left to run I hit some loose rock on the whoops and hit the ground hard on my butt and DNF-ed. I spent some time in with the medic and was given the all clear to continue the day with a limp. One of my mates’ bikes seized during Race 2 and after the moto-dad squad couldn’t get it running Dad ran home and picked up my training bike. It looked pretty cool with two 608s battling it out for the win on the track. The club prizegiving was held after todays racing and I finished 2nd overall. Even with skipping a full round to ride big track with the 85s and not finishing Race 2 today I was only a few points off first. Definitely learned the importance of finishing every race instead of having a DNF. And I have also been selected to ride for the club in the 65cc class at Battle of the Clubs in Taupo in May.

Today was the first Tauranga Boys College Interschools MX Challenge at TECT Park. Over 300 students from schools all over the North Island entered in primary, Intermediate and College levels. I was entered in the 8-10 year Pro 65 class which rode with the 8-10 year 85s. My class had 11 kids in it and most of them I have ridden with before at different events between Auckland and Palmerston North. The track was really nice and I rode well getting better with each race. My lap times were the most consistent they have been with only 2 seconds between race 1 and race 3. I finished the day 4th overall with 5-4-3. I was really proud of how I did especially when this track is well known for being harder to ride by the end of the day with all the big bikes tearing it up. I go to a little country school and our school shirts are lime green so I dyed my hair green to match and rode to stand out. Was pretty stoked to get a write up in the school newsletter too.

I have been working really hard over the last month on my basic skills and drills at home, getting better at making sure I’m doing the right things slowly so when I hit the track I can ride fast and safe and smart. At Harrisville today I improved with each race finishing 6-4-2 for 3rd overall. The track was on point and as I got more comfortable with my point to point accelerations and my strong braking my times improved dramatically. It feels good when you get good results after putting in a lot of work in away from the track which other people don’t see. Now I’m even more motivated to keep working hard to reach my goals.

Today was an interesting day at Patetonga’s second to last club round. Not many of the usual 65 riders came out today so I decided to try out the full track with the Under 12 and Under 17 85cc’s. My starts were good and I kept up with the bigger bikes, finishing 6th overall in the Under 12 class. Unfortunately because you can’t double class here I gave away my championship points lead but it’s ok because I learnt a lot today about holding my line, not worrying about the bigger bikes coming up behind me and point to point riding which will help me a lot in the long run. There’s one more club day to go and if I ride my best and have a little luck on my side I hope to come out near the top.