Category: 2019

It was an interesting morning in Taupo with heavy fog at the track which delayed the start of racing. Once it cleared a little we went out for practice and it was the first time I have ridden in fog like this before. I thought it would be really hard to ride in because you couldn’t see much of anything from the sidelines but when you were on the track you were able to see where you were going and what was coming up in front of you. I rode ok in the first 65 race but couldn’t find my groove in with the 85s, came together with another rider and ended up on my butt in the dirt. I had a gear change, had a good talk with dad and went out with a better plan of attack and races 2 and 3 in both classes were heaps better. I was almost clearing the massive ‘centerpoint’ jump by the end of the day and I’m starting to feel much more comfortable on the bike we are taking to Aussie. I went 3-3-2 out of 25 riders for third overall in Pro65 and 28-12-8 out of 42 riders in the 8-11 85s. Because my main focus this season is to be competitive in Adelaide I am riding at random club days, learning to turn up ready to ride not knowing what the track layout or conditions may be and making the best of it so I won’t have a very large club series trophy haul this year but will hopefully have a result I can be proud of from AJMX. My fitness is really good and I’m able to do 7 motos on a Sunday after riding two tracks on Saturday without running out of energy. My mental strength and resilience is improving too as I’m not letting a bad ride ruin my whole day, my communication with my team (Mum and Dad) is getting better and even my teachers are saying this is having a positive effect on my schoolwork too. There’s now less than 90 days to go until we are on a plane and I’m starting to get excited for the next school holidays.

 

Since we skipped Mercer last weekend in favour of family time away from motocross we headed to Cambridge this morning for something different. I haven’t ridden here for a while and the track looked great, it’s been made wider in some areas and the super soggy parts that didn’t drain well look like they have been fixed up. We got through practice and half of race 1 before the rain came and with each ride the track got deeper and so slippery. Even though this was a really hard day – physically and mentally – I completed every race in Pro65 and 8-12 85s, I even won one of the Pro65 races which felt really good. 2-1-3 for second overall in the 65s and 9-5-3 for fifth overall in the 85s. I got stuck in the mud, rode into the drain (which was full of water), and had goggle issues but I pushed myself and my little wheels to the limit knowing that the 10 minute race would be over soon and while I love riding I was so glad when today was over. I’m glad I have people around me who have taught me how to see the silver lining in these not very positive days because it keeps me level and gives me new things to focus on at training to become a better well rounded rider. Today I learnt that if this is what Europe is like I need to get a goggle guy!!

South Waikato MCC used to hold an annual Queens Birthday one day event in time gone by and this year they decided to bring it back to see how support it’d have. It was a good day. Only 3 degrees as we set up which was a bit hard on the fingers and because there had been so much rain leading up to today there were some big cold puddles around the track. Tokoroa’s track team had done a great job of prep and layout. The 65s were riding the standard track with the whoops and the 85s to 450s were riding s lightly different track with a new step up instead of the whoops. I was riding in 65 and 85 classes again today so got to try out both tracks, I preferred the whoops because the step up was a little bit big to clear on my little wheels so I kept bouncing over it. I went 1-1-2 for first overall in the 9-11 65s and 5-7-5 for fifth overall in the 8-11 85s. I was pretty happy getting up on the top step of the podium today, I have been putting so much effort into my training that it felt good to get this reward.

Last year we stayed the night in Taupo before race day so we didn’t have such an early start but this weekend we decided to road trip from home at 4am and this was probably not Mum and Dad’s best idea. We encountered thick fog at the end of the driveway which didn’t lift until we got to the turn off to the track. I was double classing again today for more track time and started with the second fastest qualifying time in the Pro65 and went 3-1 in my races. The 85 class had some tough competition and my starts were off so I was getting on to the track near the back. The gates I chose didn’t have the best line to the corner and with full gates I was backing off before holeshot corner as I wasn’t confident that I wouldn’t get run over. I finished 10th and 13th out of 25+ so there is room for improvement in a lot of places. Taupo always has huge numbers because so many riders like it here. It’s central for north and south families, we catch up with friends from far away and there’s at least 4 different tracks they run here so each club day is different. I only did 2 of 3 races in each class today as Dad was needed elsewhere this afternoon but it was still 6 rides in a competitive track environment and it gives me a good gauge of how I am progressing. I still have my sights set on Aussie Junior Nationals in September and I’m working every day on and off the bike to meet this goal.

We decided to hang out in the Bay of Plenty this weekend, had a sleep over at a mates house and headed out to Awakaponga to shake out any bad ju-ju this track still has for me. I’ve done two SummerCross’ here and a schools event and each time I have had spectacular crashes and walked away from the place determined to come back and get it right. It also doesn’t run the 65s and 85s as combined classes on the big track so it was a good test to see how I’ll go with double classing. I have been putting in a lot of work in my endurance so it doesn’t matter how long my days are or how many races I have I can be consistent from start to finish. My starts have definitely improved and I got a couple of holeshots in the 8-11 65cc class. I was having a good time in the 8-11 85cc class on my 65 too, battling for the good lines and pushing around corners when in race 2 I washed out and slammed into a tractor tyre barrier. Luckily I was able to get my body out of the way and my bike took the full impact – my plastics got bent up and my left radiator is twisted but nothing was hissing or leaking so I finished the race. I completed 5 of the 6 races I intended to do and going 1-1-1 in Pro65 (and around 12th in the 85 with only 2 completed races) so even though I have a damaged bike I still had a successful day. My starts were good, my suspension set up was good, I didn’t run out of energy or focus during the races and kept myself in a positive head space even though yet again this track decided to test me. I’ll be back again to tame this track one day…

I got out of bed really positive this morning and was ready to race before we even left the house for Tokoroa. I rode in with the 85s again this round and I am getting much better at holding my lines and not making it easy on the bigger riders to get around me.
Practice and Race 1 were good and I was working hard to try clear the 100 footer before the finish line. I was a lot more confident in my corner speed and was enjoying sweeping around them as fast as I could. It rained before Race 2 and the sandy track firmed up so I started doubling through the whoops. Race 3 started a lot better with a different gate pick and I made it through holeshot corner near the front of the pack. Unfortunately I slid out half way through lap 1 and went from 4th to last in seconds and fought my way back up to 6th. 5-5-6 for 5th overall today. I’m pretty happy with my results considering I have little wheels and a little less power.

This weekend was my first Nationals event and I went into it very excited. We have been doing training at Karapiro to get my bike set up for sand and to get a feel for using a sand tyre. We did the early sign on on Thursday and set up our pits so on Friday morning we had no need to rush and after riders brief we were the second class on the line. We rode practice and three races on Friday, two races on Saturday and two races on Sunday. The track was nicely groomed, deep soft sand on Friday; it wasn’t prepped for Saturday so started to get some gnarly braking bumps and ruts forming on the jumps, and then had some work done on Sunday after some overnight rain. I managed my nerves really well, not letting the track or pressure get to me and rode each 15 minute race with a clear head, not letting anything that happened in the last affect me. I had a few crashes but it wasn’t from lack of trying. I pushed myself and my bike as much as I could and sometimes my jumps and railing corners worked and other times the sand crumbled under my bike. I went 5-9-5-12-3-3-8 over the three days for 6th overall. I am so proud of myself for not giving up at any point and to walk away as 6NZ in the first Pro65 championship at Junior Nationals. I was aiming for a Top 5 finish and only just missed my goal, battling with some really amazing riders on a foreign track. I’m now going to take a little break – long enough for Dad to be able to rebuild my bikes – and then go back to hunting down my next goal. Watch this space… I’m going to be doing some pretty cool stuff.

Today was an unexpected ride day. My bike’s were set up ready for sand track but after having friend’s staying over last night I was excited to go to Harrisville this morning. Dad was able to do a quick suspension and tyre swap so I could go ride the clay and continue my points lead at Pukekohe Club.  It wasn’t as busy as usual today with it being Easter and Junior Nationals coming up next weekend but it was a really nice day at the track, the clay was a little bit tacky and I battled hard with the 85s sending it over the big jumps and getting a new personal best lap time. After a good 1-1-1 for the day we headed home to relax and enjoy a few Easter eggs. I’m feeling pretty good leading into Nationals and even though it’s on sand which is not my strength I know all the training and race prep we have been doing will help me towards reaching my goal.

 

Today was the last round of Patetonga’s summer series and I had one of my best days here yet. The track was tacky and hard and fast. For Race 1 and 2 we rode the full track but in Race 3 because there was a vet stuck out the back so we rode the cut off Twilight track so the day didn’t get held up. I picked really good lines and held my speed through the corners and in Race 2 achieved a new personal best lap time.  1- 1-1 for today and end of season prize giving was held at Tahuna Tavern. I took out first for Pro65 and also was the highest points scorer in the Juniors having only not one 3 or 4 races this season. I was pretty proud of myself when my name got called out again for “Most Promising Junior”. I am so honoured to be awarded this, the trophy is huge and there are some names on there of people who have gone on to do some awesome things. I really appreciate all the support I get from my sponsors and from Patetonga Club and I am looking forward to having a great year and taking some big steps towards my goals.

It was good to be back at Tokoroa. The track has had a couple of off season changes and was in fine sandy form for Round 1 of South Waikato MXs winter series. With Junior Nationals coming up at the end of the month I rode in with the 85s for some more aggressive racing and I had a great time. I really had to hold my lines and commit to the first few corners or I was pushed out of the way into the super soft sand. I had a couple of wash outs in Race 2 but I kept picking myself up and kept pushing to the end. I finished today at 7th overall which I am happy with. All 65s ride big track now here since the new mini track has been built and I was the only one riding up a class which I am glad I did because it was a hard day and lots was gained.