Category: 2019

SummerCross 2019 was my third attempt at this event and my most successful by far. Every other time I have ridden here I have had wacky crashes and broken bits that we didn’t have spares of. I have bent bars, lost visors, bent brake levers, broken my gear shifter, snapped plastics, smooshed a radiator, eaten a good selection of sand, dirt and sawdust, and tried to take on a tractor tyre barrier and ended up in the drain. Fun times. It had become my “evil enemy” track and I knew that each time I rode here I just set my goal to be a better finish than the time before. Over the last couple of race days I have had massive gains in bike settings and confidence so I felt good going into today and setting my goal for a Top 10 finish. There were 31 kids in my class today and I knew I was going to have to keep my head on an push hard to be able to compete with the front runners. Practice was good, the saw dust section was taken out and a huge wall jump put in and I qualified 8th fastest which I was happy with. Race 1 was awesome. The gate dropped and I got the holeshot! I don’t know how but I went around turn 1 clear of anyone else and was battling the 1NZ 8-11 85 champ for the lead until half way through the lap when I stalled my bike. I lost so many places but didn’t give up and fought my way back up to 12th. Races 2 and 3 were good too. I had great starts, getting around the holeshot in the first 3 or 4 riders, and stayed on my bike for all rides. The track had some gnarly braking bumps, ruts and soft sections so I changed lines, pushed hard and didn’t lose focus of my goal for the day. It’s a good feeling to come out of this event knowing that I’ve done my best and can no longer call this my nemesis track. I finished 8th overall and with no damage to myself or my bike. This was the best end to 2019 I could have asked for and I’m now ready for a full on 2020.

We were back at Harrisville today for the last club day of the year. I told Dad on the drive up this morning I was going to go hard and give today 100% and that’s exactly what I did. Practice was a bit mucky and even riding safe in the sloppy clay I had a good qualifying time. Race 1 was great. Holeshot and the win after getting a huge lead and maintaining it. I held more speed into the corners, was braking later, was smoother on the throttle and clearing all the jumps I had on my hit list. Race 2 was another good start and holeshot. I’m getting much better with my gears and can now get into 6th up Champion Straight. On the last lap I slid out on the doubles and smashed my clutch lever off. It was so difficult trying to get started again but because I had a good lead before my crash I only fell back to second. Dad had a spare lever in the trailer so I was back on the gates for race 3 which was another solid start and holeshot. I rode smart for the whole race and it felt good to nail the jumps I have been wanting to since I started riding here on my 65. My lap times were super consistent for the whole day which is good because it shows that my fitness is at a level where I can throw around this bigger bike without running out of energy.

It was hot and humid at Waikato Champs today in North King Country with a few showers making the clay nice and sticky and helped it form up some good ruts. My starts were pretty good except in race 3 which I started on one wheel. I felt really comfortable on the bike today, my suspension set up was great and I had some really good battles with the other riders. I tried new things like standing through the deep corner ruts and different lines as the day went on and the track conditions changed. I went 2-3-5 for third overall in 8-10 year old 85s today. I had a small off on the last lap of race 3 which lost me a bit of time because I couldn’t get my bike started again. It felt really good to be back on the podium again and hopefully I can keep this riding up for the summer events coming up.

Since Tauranga MX Club is holding the 2020 Junior Nationals we are trying to get down to as many race days as possible to learn about the funky sandy clay track they run. I doubled classed today in the 8-11 85 and Junior Open because I have been putting in heaps of work in my off track physical and mental health and doing 5+ motos in a day is a good test. My starts were good and my jumps and line choices had improved since Round 2 but my corner speed let me down. I was in the wrong gear a lot and didn’t carry enough speed in to lean the bike over and power through. I went 5-5-5 for 4th overall in the 8-11 85 class and 11-13 in the junior Open with riders of all ages under 16 on 85s to 250s. I had a fun day and feel good about the progress I am starting to make. There’s a few one day events coming up over the next couple of months so I am going to be out there doing my thing, working towards my goals again and enjoying another summer of moto.

With Waikato Champs coming up soon we headed to North King Country to see the new track layout since I last rode here. After such a great ride at Harrisville I had trouble today with finding my rhythm and made some terrible gear/line/braking choices and got pretty frustrated at myself. I had bits that were really good but it wasn’t my best day. At least I got to check out the track and figure out some bike settings for race day. Once racing was done we headed to Tokoroa to watch the last round of the NZ supercross series. I rode in the 65 demo class a couple of years ago in the torrential rain and it was such a good experience. It looked like it would have been way more fun tonight, dry and under lights. I stopped and had a talk with a few of the senior riders and got some tips to help improve my fitness and riding technique. It was a long day but worth it as I also got some new limited edition gear from Crown Kiwi Enterprises delivered trackside, got to ride and then got to chill out of hanging out with mates eating junk food watching more moto. I love my life.

I have been looking forward to being at Harrisville again. It was one of my favourite tracks on my 65s and I had a blast today on my 85. It was a combined Pro 65/8-10 85 gate and from the moment it dropped I was on the pipe. I holeshotted and held lead for all of race 1 which felt really good, I made some mistake but was able to recognise them and improve with each lap. I fumbled my clutch at the start of Race 2 and launched in slow motion but got up front after putting in some work and had some great battles along the way finishing 2nd. Race 3 was epic from beginning to end. Luke #133 and I were pushing each other so hard. We had to take new lines, try different things and get around lappers. It was some awesome battling and some really fast smart riding. He got me fair and square so I went 1-2-2 for 2nd overall for the day. My fitness and strength are improving, I’m learning more about my gears and clutch and I’m really having fun. I’m looking forward to a slid summer of racing now.

Patetonga is the best track for pushing your boundaries. It’s hard and fast when it’s dry. It’s slippery and unpredictable when it’s wet. And this weekend it was all these things. We arrived early so mum could help with sign on and I went and walked the track and it was looking really good. It always looks like it’s too soaked but once the wet has been pushed out of the way in practice the ruts form up and the fun really starts. When I first started riding I hated ruts… probably not the bet things to not want to do with this place as your home track. Practice was sloppy as expected but I still managed third fastest qualifying time. We cleaned all the clay off my bike and got ready for race 1 where I took the inside line in the supercross section and got caught up and finished 4th. Race 2 I told mum at the gates that I was going to holeshot and I did. My start felt so good and I was battling with the top 2 riders for most of the race when I didn’t change down into a corner and lost my speed. I still finished 3rd and knew where I had to sort myself out. Race 3 I had epic battles with my mates. Gonk, Patetonga MX celebrity, was having a great time commentating and although I couldn’t hear him in my helmet there was a lot of cheering for all of us out there. The track was dry and dusty and so different to how the day started and I finished 4th. Today was so much fun. I got to see heaps of people we haven’t seen in ages, I got the holeshot money for Race 2 and I got 4th overall for the day. So excited to be almost back on the podium after some inconsistency while we got me and the bike settled in. I know I ride better when I am having fun and I know I have set myself some huge goals to meet so after this weekend I am going to make sure I have the most fun I can ticking them off my list.

We always knew coming back for Taupo’s MX Fest was going to be a big challenge and especially going into a class of 35+ riders, heaps of who are strong competitors with less than three weeks of ride time on a new bike. I said this was going to be my first ride back when I was on the gas at the hospital in July and I made that goal. My starts were really good and it was much easier getting to, and around holeshot corner, on bigger wheels. I was a bit unsure of myself in the sand so I wasn’t pushing as hard as I could have and I was dragging the brake around the sweeping corners worrying about being hit in Race 1. 5 laps in though I was feeling good and was clearing the step up and throwing the bike around a lot more. I had a bike issue in Race 2 and DNFed but after Dad fixing things up I was back on for Race 3. I finished 16-DNF-17 which I was so disappointed in as I was expecting heaps more from myself but after a good talk with my crew I am ok. Not happy with the result but ok with it. Even with not meeting my goal of a Top 10 finish I had a good weekend away. I took part of the Bell Dirt Sprints on Friday night which was great fun… drop the clutch and fly down a dirt drag strip, hairpin turn and then fly back. I got knocked out early but really want to dirt drags again. Then on Saturday night after racing we watched the SpeedCross which is a supercross on a speedway track and on Sunday we went back to the track to watch the seniors day. There were a couple of riders in MX2 I paid a lot of attention to as they didn’t use their brakes to corner in the sand, just gears and smooth power and corner speed in soft dirt is where I really need to improve. On clay I am fine as I know the ruts won’t crumble underneath me. Now to keep on working on my fitness and my technique.

Apart from a bit of fun riding last weekend at Mercer for Kawasaki Demo Day this was my first time back on the track since mid July. It was a long 103 days of no moto and I had some cool adventures. Because mum had already booked flights and accommodation for Aussie Juniors we still went over and had a holiday and watched a couple of days of racing. When we came back my move to 85s was made official with selling my KTMs and going green. I’m now on a KX85 after doing some test riding of different brands before I busted myself up and I liked the Kawasaki the best. I feel really comfortable and stable on it and trusting my bike has really helped get me back into racing.
I was excited and a bit nervous to be back at Awakaponga… every SummerCross here so far I have had spectacular crashes and done damage to my bikes so coming here today was like a new beginning on a new bike. After practice the nerves were gone and with each lap I started getting faster and jumping again. Having so much time off my bike and not being able to do much PT my strength and endurance are a lot less than what it used to be. I know it will take a lot of work to get back to my pre-crash levels of fitness and confidence but I am really motivated to do what it takes. I was riding in the 85 A class today which we found out after is the older 85 group so I had some solid competition for my first race day back and it felt really good.

About three weeks ago I had a pretty spectacular crash at Tokoroa while training. I was working on a section of the track and once I was happy with my line choices I decided to hit it faster and went bounce, bounce, bounce, splat. Unfortunately I cross rutted on landing and high sided and was sent flying into the ground where I broke my humerus. This is the bone that goes from your elbow to your shoulder and I broke it right at the top where it goes into the shoulder joint.  I picked myself up off the ground and walked back to the ute where Dad checked me over and then decided to take me to Tokoroa Hospital. I thought I had dislocated my shoulder because it made a big pop on impact but x-rays showed a break and due to where the break is I didn’t have to have surgery. I have six weeks in a special sling, and fortnightly x-rays, while my bones mend and then I will be able to get back on the bike and work myself back up to track riding strength as long as I don’t bash my shoulder during my healing time – if I don’t rest it and take it easy I will be out for longer. Even after a few weeks I can see the loss of muscle and strength in my arm and because I have had to be careful not to bump my shoulder I haven’t been able to do anything physical. We have had to cancel my plans to ride in Adelaide at the Junior Nationals as 3 weeks after doctors clearance is not enough time to get back to the level of fitness I was while I was training so even though this does suck I have decided to change my big goal from AJMX 2019 to AJMX 2020 which will be in Rockhampton, Qld. They are in July next year so I have 12 months to recover and get myself prepared.  Just having a bit of an unexpected break now until I get back to smashing all my goals I have set in the near future and way down the track. Onwards and upwards.