Trengrouse Takes the Gold Coast Cup
Story by: Drmsby Middleton
Photo by: Yoursportsshots

Dylan Trengrouse took a huge victory in the Gold Coast Cup on Sunday 4th of May, in a very confident and conclusive performance.  The Cup was the final race in a jam packed weekend of dirt track action at the Mike Hatcher Junior Motorcycle Club's track on the Gold Coast, and Trengrouse certainly made sure it was worth sticking round for the Grand Finale. 

A good start saw Trengrouse into the lead early in the race, and he started pulling a commanding gap on the field almost immediately.  On lap four a crash on the exit of turn one brought out the red flag, much to the dismay of Trengrouse who was already starting to get tired.  He was not looking forward to starting the race all over again; and with parts of the track becoming more rutted with each passing lap, he had a lot of work ahead of him to keep victory in sight.

The restart was not so good for Trengrouse, and he had five or six bikes in front of him going into the first corner.  But he was on a charge, and a great move on the outside brought him up to third.  By the second lap he had reclaimed the lead, and immediately set about building an unassailable gap.  As the laps wound down, Trengrouse settled into a rhythm and maintained his lead, whilst behind him a great battle for second place developed between Luke Richards and Damien Koppe.  Koppe had been gradually reeling Richards in lap after lap, and was upon him with only a few laps to go.

On the last lap Koppe put the pass on Richards that gave him his well earned second place, but it was the win by Trengrouse that brought the crowd to their feet. 

"That was the best I have ever performed" said the elated Trengrouse.  "After the restart I just got to the front as quick as I could.  I was pushing really hard in the early laps, and I felt confident I could win it once I was comfortably in front.  I was sure feeling tired at the end though, the rough parts of the track were very hard on my arms". 

He added that he expects to go well next time he competes, as "the pressure is off now".  Damien Koppe was also happy with his performance, saying that he had a poor start from the inside gate, but enjoyed a great battle with Richards.

The Junior Challenge was won by Tyson Nelson, who put on a terrific display of talent.  He led the race from early on, with a great race pace.  Second placed Darcy Ward appeared to be closing the gap in the later stages of the race, but Nelson was never under any real pressure at the front. 

"I have had an awesome day today, my starts have been good and I have been out in front most of the time" said the youngster, who celebrated his 15th birthday on the day. 

"The exhaust broke on the bike earlier in the day, but other than that the bike ran fine.  I have had some great battles with Darcy [Ward] today" he added.  This race was Ward's last as a junior, and although he has not had much time on his new race bike he did say it was the best he has ever ridden, so look out for him in the senior ranks.

The Sidecar Challenge saw a start to finish win by Shaun Fein and his "second passenger of the day, after the first one broke a collar bone earlier in the event"!  Fein said the track was heavy and rutty, but still good to race on.  This was his 4th race back after a four year break, so the win has helped build his confidence, and he looks forward to his next outing now that he has a good setup. 

The Senior All Powers class was won by Jace Castles. Castles was quick to point out that the competition over the weekend was very strong, with most of the best riders in the state competing, adding "I liked the track better today, the ruts seemed to be worse yesterday. The bike went great with the new pipe we have on it, and I was able to get a lot of holeshots which helped me hit the front early.  I really hope to continue the good form I have had lately, I aim to be on the podium every time out." 

Queensland Yamaha Girls Team member Tamara Gray put the City Yamaha machine on top in the Senior Women's class. This achievement is made all the more impressive when Gray's experience is taken into account. This was her second ever dirt track race meeting!  The motocrosser is trying to build up a strong women’s competition in dirt track, and encourages others to join.

"I hope to get a really good scene going for women competitors in south east Queensland.  It would be good to get more classes of racing started." 

When asked about her own performance, Gray said "I had no idea how I would go to tell the truth.  I really did not expect to win here, as I am still learning how to start on concrete and how to ride dirt track.  It has been a massive improvement over my first outing at the State Titles. Brooke [Pollock] and Beck [Rebecca Bateman] both went well, I had trouble passing Brooke in some races."  Gray is fond of the Mike Hatcher track, saying she likes the cambered corners and elevation, and due to her motocross background actually prefers it when the track is rough.

Many younger competitors also had wins at the event, including 12 year old Robbie Menzies-Sargent in the 65cc 9 - under 13 class. 

"I had some good starts and some that weren't so good" he explained.  "I was out in front a lot, but I could sometimes hear other bikes going into the back corner, and that really kept me going." 

Another (even younger) winner was 8 year old Bailey Jung, who grabbed the 80cc four stroke win for 8 to under 11 year olds.  "I had to come from behind a lot, so I did a lot of passing.  I even passed two guys at the same time once, and I only lost one race" said Jung. 

With plenty more winners over the weekend, the Gold Coast Cup was an event that brought smiles to a lot of junior and senior faces, and promises to be even bigger in 2009.

Full results from The Gold Coast Cup available from the MQ website www.mqld.org.au

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ASC Round 2: The One Jamie Didn't Win!
Story by: Tom Williams

Mallala, 20th April 2008. Superbike race one, 3 laps from the flag and the pace is getting frantic at the front. Lap records have fallen then suddenly in turn 3 so does Jamie Stauffer. Unhurt, he picks the bike up, from on the apex of the corner but the handlebar is gone and so are his hopes of a finish. Collective minds wonder when the last time was that he dropped a Superbike – it was 2004.

It was Glen Allerton’s weekend as he debuted the new Teknic Honda with pole position and a pair of close fought wins, (world firsts for the new 08 model) in the first race ahead of Suzuki’s Sean Giles. Jamie redeemed himself in race 2 with second from Robbie Bugden, Queensland’s factory assisted Suzuki privateer who had an excellent weekend.

Robbie was fast from the first practice session, running second fastest in practice until he crashed in turn 2. “I was getting a bit impatient and trying some heroics, getting past a slower rider and lost the front end” confessed Bugden. He earned 3rd on the grid and backed that up with 3rd in each race, each time about 3 seconds from the front, giving him 2nd overall for the round. Robbie now sits 4th in the championship chase and only 10 points down from the leader Allerton.

Jon Cartwright on the privateer Anchor Yamaha was impressive in qualifying, showing huge progress from the previous round. He took up 7th place on the grid, ahead of 4 of the factory riders. The races were less kind to him though with a fall in race one and 12th in race 2.

In Supersport Jamie Stauffer and Jeremy Crowe of the factory Yamaha effort took a win each after some spirited competition from factory Suzuki pilot Josh Waters. Jamie won the first race in typical style, stalking his opponents until a couple of laps from the end then inauspiciously slipping by.

In race 2 however both Crowe and Waters broke away leaving Stauffer to keep the rest of the field at bay. Judd Greedy, of Maroochydore’s Sunstate Motorcycles typically assumed the position of best privateer heading off several factory riders for a pair of 5th places, but this time was challenged by Ben Attard.

After the racing was over a brief chat with Ben revealed a bit about Ipswich’s recently returned international rider.

On his time in America: “I was over there for 4 years, the first year with Corona Suzuki, then with Kawasaki for 3 years. I raced in the Supersport and Formula Extreme classes in the AMA championship.”

Results there: “I had 8 podiums in my time there. The highlight was 2nd  in the Daytona 200.  I finished 4th in the Formula Extreme championship in 2005, 4th in Supersport in 2006, and 5th in Formula Extreme in 2007.”

His program for this season: “I’m just doing the Australian Supersport championship this year.”

His team: “Vern Graham Yamaha of Melbourne is supporting me this year. Yamaha have given me bikes but I’m not getting any technical help from the factory.”

Pre season preparation: “To be honest it’s been a bit of a struggle. I’d never ridden a Yamaha before. In practice at the first round was the first time. When we arrived at Eastern Creek at the start of the season I hadn’t done any testing or even sat on the bike. The total preparation was riding around the car park out the back of the track to adjust the handlebars and such.”

The rest of the year: “Once we get a bit of testing done we should start to go better.”

The Mallala track: “I like the place. I’ve had some good results here before. I rode here in 2001 and 2000 when I took the Proddie bike lap record.”

Results this weekend: “Fifth in qualifying then two sixths – it’s not too bad but that’s not what I’m aiming to do. I didn’t enter this series just to come sixth.”

When pointed out that’s a respectable result: “But I used to do better than that in USA and there was some pretty stiff competition over there.”

Privateers don’t win this class these days: “Yeah, well I plan to put an end to that.”
Fellow competitors: “The privateers here are more professional than in USA, in their approach. The quality of their garage setup, for example is great.”

Qualifying in Supersport revealed some unusual tactics, disappointing for spectators, with most riders going out for only a few laps or not at all in the second session,
electing to conserve their tyres for the races. (They may only use 2 sets, for all qualifying and races.)

In the 1000cc Formula Xtreme class the best of Queensland’s riders was a much improved Josh Houwen with 6th in each race on a Yamaha R1, and 4th overall for the round. Charles Hern of Victoria won every race. As always Josh is confident he can do better.

The Superstock races were hectic with Queenslanders Timothy Durie and Des Darby in the mix at the front. Race one saw Durie in 3rd, Darby’s position for race 2, in which Durie was one of the many crashers. This elevated Jake Dolan to 10th, an excellent result for Queensland’s youngster. Darby continued the good form with 4th in the last race.

Craig Trinder of the Gold Coast was a non starter in the combined Naked Bike/Pro Twins races after sustaining some fairly severe injuries in qualifying. His bike was smoking and officials showed him the black flag, as his own crew were on the pit wall frantically signaling to him to stop, but he still went down in turn 3 in his own oil.

Craig McMartin ran his own races well ahead of the field, but in race 2 Daniel Wheeler got the jump on the start, and re-passed McMartin into turn 5 relinquishing his lead a lap later. He is the only other rider this year to even get a look from the front. Wheeler was second each time, always with a gap of 7 or more seconds ahead of 3rd. The Gold Coaster was actually scraping his elbow in the left hand turn 2!

Beau McKenzie is back to near where he left off last season in the Yamaha FZ6 cup, with 3rd in race one. The only Queensland rider in the class, he bettered that with 2nd in race 2. “I’m pretty happy with that, I’d much rather be at that end of the field!” exclaimed Beau. “My start was just a fraction off otherwise I could have maybe got to the front. But it’s all about points and that’s one out of the way.” He finished 4th in the last race.

 The 125GP field again consisted of more Queensland riders than those from any other state, and our best again dominating. Blake Leigh-Smith did the customary clean sweep with an ever improving Brad Gross making him earn it. Brad suffered a few setup dramas, but managed to ride around these. He may not be winning the races but is certainly getting noticed with race craft and maturity to more than compensate for any mechanical problems.

Jackson Leigh-Smith and Dylan Mavin weren’t present, both in Europe currently. Jackson is contesting the European 125GP championship and Dylan is doing the MotoGP support series, the Red Bull Rookie’s Cup.

Andy Lawson Jnr., the youngest competitor at the event finished 4th for the round, a great result for the always enthusiastic youngster. Jake Horne fell in race one, and returned to the track to recover his own bike and debris, earning applause from all those at the next rider’s briefing as his actions prevented another red flag.

Mallala was host to an unusually high number of red flag incidents, the Racesafe team proving their worth yet again, as in many cases the outcome would have been far more traumatic, had it not been for the quick response.  The first sidecar race was abandoned due to a high speed crash on lap one, after which Mark Knight had to be airlifted to Royal Adelaide hospital. He miraculously recovered and was home less than 2 days later. Shane Soutar and Jeff Rowe easily won the remaining sidecar races.

Next round is at Winton in Victoria on 30th May to 1st June. More details in Australian Motorcycle News or on www.formula-xtreme.com.au. You can catch the highlights on the box a week or so later, on SBS “Speedweek.”

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Queenslanders Storm 30th A4DE
Story by: Leigh Hutton
Photo by: Leigh Hutton

TWO of the top five off-road motorcycle riders in Australia are now from the Sunshine State.

Anthony ‘AJ’ Roberts and ‘King’ Kirk Hutton both put in exceptional performances at this year’s Hog’s Breath Café Australian Four Day Enduro, which was held at Warragul, Victoria, on April 17 to 20.

Both riders even did well enough to get selected to represent Australia at the International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) to be held in Greece in September.

GHR Honda Racing’s Roberts, from Bribie Island, finished a commendable third outright and second fastest Aussie behind outright winner Chris Hollis. Flying Frenchman Antoine Meo came second outright.

Yamaha Queensland Off-Road team racer Hutton, from Brisbane’s northside, won his third Australian title (by winning his class), came seventh outright and fifth fastest of the kangaroos.

Roberts also showed impressive form in the final motocross, holding off five-time Motocross World Champion, BMW’s Joel Smets, who was pushing hard to get in front.

Roberts said the only thing going through his mind before the gate dropped was “don’t crash, don’t crash.”

“I wasn’t trying to aim for Hollis, I wasn’t paying too much attention to catching him because for him to lose would have been his mistake because he had about a minute lead going in to it,” Roberts said.

“I also had the Meo issue on my mind, I knew he was only a few seconds behind me in the outright standings coming into the final moto. He had raced before me and had got the holeshot and checked out, so I knew I had to do the same.

“It was also so good having Smetsy pushing me the whole time, he just pushed and pushed and pushed... I felt good and had gotten pumped up before the race, it was really good.”

Roberts said it was “cool racing Smets” (Smets finished the Motorex Championship Class 4 final moto in second and the event in sixth outright) because he “is such a nice guy”.

“I know he isn’t near being in prime shape, he retired from full-time racing a few years ago, if he was I know I wouldn’t have had a chance,” Roberts said. “He is the one that should get the most credit for even wanting to race against us.”

Hutton, of the Yamaha Queensland Off-Road Team, was nearly fast enough to land him in sixth outright, ahead of Smets.

“I actually went into the final moto ahead of Smets, but he gained about six seconds on me which was enough for him to slide in front,” Hutton said.

“I was really happy with how I rode in the final moto, my time was fast and I was a fair way ahead of the rest of my class... Joel didn’t win five world motocross championships for nothing.”

Hutton, 34, said he was “over the moon” to have won the Camelbak Championship Class 2 (Over 220cc 2T) title by more than two-minutes on his much-loved YZ250.

“I have won the 125cc class twice on YZ125s and I have always wanted to win the 250cc class because I have raced YZ250s for several years, but I always seemed to come second or third,” he said.

“It means a lot to me to have won this and also done so well in the outright standings, it’s a real testament to the Yamaha machines - I have never had any problems with any of my YZ125s or YZ250s at any of the four days or the ISDE [International Six Day Enduros].

“And that’s saying a lot considering this was my 14th four day and I have ridden six ISDEs, five of which on Yamahas.”

Hutton’s teammate Jemma Wilson nearly made it two national titles for the team, after putting in test times comparable to reigning women’s champion Alison Parker on her 2008 WR250F and beating Parker in the final motocross.

Another up-and-coming Queenslander who raised a few eyebrows at the event was Yamaha-backed Nick Beattie, who finished 19th outright and was last week selected by Motorcycling Australia to attend the ISDE in Greece.

More than 350 riders competed in the grueling event, which included about 30 hours of riding and more than 1000kms on their motorcycles.

The Queensland camp had a huge number of riders – Team Manager Rick Madden and his assistant Sandy Seibenhausen as well as all of the other volunteers did a fantastic job to make sure the riders were able to get through the event.

Next year’s A4DE will be held at Orange.

For information on AJ and Kirk’s next race, the third and fourth rounds of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championships that are being held at Conondale on May 17 and 18, please visit www.dirtbikepromotions.com.au (this site will also feature exclusive news from this year’s ISDE).

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Cini Takes State Double
Story by: Scott Bishop
Photo courtesy: Team Husqvarna Racing

Husqvarna’s Adam Cini has won both the Pro Lites and Pro Open divisions in the Yamaha Queensland Motocross Championships, which wrapped up at Glenfern Park, Kilcoy recently.

Cini entered the final round with a few points to spare over his rivals and all he needed was to ride maturely and keep the bike on two wheels to take a remarkable double achievement. And that’s exactly what he did, claiming second on the day in the Pro Lites and equal third, fifth on a count back on the Pro Opens and then preceded to celebrate by doing burnouts on his Huskies.

“Winning this has been a long time coming for me. I have been in good positions before only to crash or injure myself and not get it done. I can’t thank the Husqvarna team enough and I hope this goes a long way to proving these bikes are good enough,” Cini said in the days after his wins.

Right behind Cini in the Pro Lites, were the three shooting stars of Australian Motocross, Honda’s Dean Ferris, KTM’s Todd Waters and Yamaha’s Nick Geck. Ferris put it all together in the final round to take the round win, but some crashes at round two hurt him in the points chase. Waters also took plenty of race wins, but a date clash with a sponsor commitment meant Todd wasn’t able to attend round two. Geck was consistent throughout all nine races and that effort might be even more remarkable now as he was admitted to hospital the Sunday night after Kilcoy with lightheadedness and dizzy spells.

The Open class had the usual suspects as well as Honda’s Nathan Crawford in the mix. The Open podium was the same as the Lites with Cini, Ferris and Waters taking the top three spots, with Crawford in fourth, Geck fifth and Simon Thompson in sixth. It was a tough weekend for Thompson who crashed in moto two at Kilcoy, dislocating his shoulder.

JUNIORS

The Junior classes also provided plenty of action with Dylan Peterson easily accounting for the 15 years Lites while Shaun Redhead did likewise in the 13 to 14 years Lites. The pair were locked in serious battle in the 13 to 15 years 125cc and only seven points separated them as they hit the final round. Unfortunately for Peterson, a crash in moto two and the sixth place finish gave Redhead the points buffer he needed to take the championship and in the process the number 1 junior plate for 2009.

It was also a thriller in the 14 to 15 years Mini Lites with Wade Hunter taking the win in the championship by two points over Jake Gook. Jackson Richardson was the man to beat in the 12 to 13years Mini Lites and he came through with the goods. Joel Dinsdale also did the business in the 9 to 11 years Mini Lites with plenty of competition from Nick Scott and Jesse Dobson.

Wilson Todd dominated the 7 to 9 years 65cc and didn’t lose a race the entire series, while Blake Colleton took the glory in the 10 to 12 years 65cc. Declan Dwyer was the man in the Division Two 50cc, while Tamara Gray returned to her best and won the Women’s Championship for 2008.

GRAY TAKES 5th STATE TITLE CROWN
Story by: Tamara Gray
Photo courtesy: Queensland Yamaha Girls Team

The 2008 Queensland Women’s Motocross Championships are done and dusted.  Tamara Gray (Qld Yamaha Girls Team) claimed her fifth F1 plate Championship ahead of Stacey Griffiths (Boyd Yung Suzuki) and Kiera Smith (Burdekin Yamaha).

A total of 22 girls entered throughout the 3 round series, with strong support at the Townsville, Gladstone and Kilcoy rounds.  The depth of competition this season was incredible with the addition of a handful of newly turned senior girls who showed that they could run at the pointy end of the class. 

Brisbane’s Tamara Gray rode to an impressive unbeaten score of eight wins from eight starts.  It was sweet victory for Gray after suffering a severe spinal injury after her last victory in 2006.  After an 18 month rehabilitation a joyful tear was shed.

Stacey Griffiths from Goondiwindi, in her first full year as a senior, definitely turned heads this year with her fast consistent lap times.  Griffiths rode a strong second in all but two of her races throughout the series.  Stacey is definitely one to watch in the years to come.

Ayr’s Kiera Smith (newly crowned Queensland Women’s Dirt Track Champion) was the hole shot queen at her home track at Townsville, where she had her best results with two second placings. Smith also rode a consistent series, never finishing out of the top five.

Brooke Thiemann who hails from the Sunshine Coast really came in to her own at the final round at Kilcoy.  She came in to that round in 7th place, but finished the series in 4th.  After a hole shot and leading for two laps and 3 fantastic 4th place finishes at Kilcoy, Thiemann proudly leapt up the points ladder.

Another newly turned Senior Renae Evans from Kingaroy won “Highest Placed C Grader” this year after grabbing a couple of commendable third place finishes along the way.

Another young star from out of nowhere was senior Prue Maeyke from Gladstone. Her best finishes included two 5th placings at Townsville.  Otherwise Prue rode a consistent series never finishing out of the top 10.

Janella Vecchio continues to bust out with raw speed and should never be under estimated.  Vecchio from Cairns had a disastrous opening round with two crashes and two DNF’s.  Vecchio clearly did not let it faze her as she came out to the next round at Gladstone swinging.  Vecchio stole both hole shots and led both motos for the opening couple of laps.  Her best finish for the series came at the final moto of the series, where she earned a well deserved 3rd place. 

Kirstie Brooks from Clermont finished all but one of her motos in the top ten.  Her strong rides won her the “Highest placed B Grade Rider” for her efforts.  A very commendable effort.

Veteran of the field Tania Millard from Townsville had her strongest round in her home town, and raced to a commendable 6th place in her final moto at that event.  Millard rode consistently despite a DNF at the round at Kilcoy.

Last but not least, likeable Kelly Mauger from Mundubbera managed to stay in the top ten this year after a little bad luck.  Each year Kel goes from strength to strength with her riding, and it’s always a pleasant sight to see this lady smiling along beside you.

The 2009 “F Plate” numbers:

F1        Tamara Gray               
F2        Stacey Griffiths         
F3        Kiera Smith                 
F4        Brooke Thiemann       
F5        Renae Evans                
F6        Prue Maeyke               
F7        Janella Vecchio
F8        Kirstie Brooks             
F9        Tania Millard               
F10      Kelly Mauger              

Full hampionship results can be found at www.orion-timing.com

With the Senior Women’s Championships run, the next major motocross event on the calendar for the girls will be the 5 round Honda ThunderX Natural Terrain Motocross Series. This year the best 3 rounds out of 5 will count towards the Championship due to an unavoidable clash with the remaining two rounds of the Australian Women’s Motocross Championships. 

Supp Regs for the Honda ThunderX Series are available from the MQ website – www.mqld.org.au

The Queensland Junior Girls' Motocross Championships will be contested over 3 rounds later in the year, as follows –

Round 1 – 28th September, Gladstone
Round 2 – 12th October, Goondiwindi
Round 3 – 26th October, Tivoli Raceway

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Cartwright sensational at Morgan Park debut
Story by: Drmsby Middleton
Photos by: Drmsby Middleton

The lap record tumbled at Morgan Park Raceway in Warwick for round one of the Southern Downs Challenge, and it was Australian Superbike privateer Jon Cartwright bringing it down.  

Cameron Barnes’ existing record of 1:04.3 was broken consecutively in each of the three Formula Unlimited races by Cartwright, eventually being reset to an amazing 1:02.8. The ex Australian Naked Bike Champion was unbeatable throughout the event, visibly pushing the Anchor Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 to its limit around the tight Morgan Park circuit.  

Each race was a similar theme, with Cartwright taking control of the race early on and pulling further in front of the field with each lap.  

“I have always been able to learn a new track quickly.  I have only been road racing since 2003, and racing nationally means that I have to get used to a new track as quick as possible to be competitive” said Cartwright when asked about his dominating performance.  

“Morgan Park has a really interesting layout with all of its altitude changes.  It is a fantastic track for bike setup, and I really love the fact that you cannot see the exit of some of the corners; I always like that in a track”.  

Cartwright pointed out that when racing in the Australian Superbike Championship he is very competitive and is nearly always battling with someone, so he expects to repeat his great performance at round two of the Southern Downs Challenge.

“I want to go even quicker next time out, and I will be bringing the new bike.  The old one was pretty standard, so I am aiming to knock another second or so off the lap record”.  
Cartwright wants to win the Privateers Cup in this year’s Australian Superbike Championship, in preparation for his upcoming ride in the Suzuka 8 Hour Endurance Race in Japan later in the year.  The 38 year old is out to prove a point:  His winning days are far from over.

With Cartwright well out in front, the battle for the remaining podium positions was a fierce one between defending Formula Unlimited Champion Cameron Barnes and Roger Heyes.  

Barnes did manage to finish in front of Heyes in the first two races and grab a thoroughly deserved second overall, but 57 year old (not a misprint!) Heyes put in a terrific performance to beat Barnes home in the last race and take a close third overall.  

Heyes was very impressed with the competition, saying racing against former Australian and Queensland State Champions is always hard work, but that he aims to finish on the podium again in this year’s Championship.  

The 600cc Superstock / Supersport class was combined on track with the 250GP machines, which are making a real comeback at Morgan Park.  Paul Roe took a perfect victory overall with three wins on his 250GP bike, and was clearly in a class of his own in the GP field.  Liam Daniels finished behind him in each race to take out the 600 class on his Superstock YZF-R6.  

“I got the holeshot every time, and had some good battles with Gerod [Bloomfield].   I very nearly high-sided in the last race on the opening lap, but I managed to gather it back up, and come back through to second place behind Paul Roe.  I hope to get the setup a bit better next time out at Morgan Park” said the 17 year old.  

Aaron Roberts took a clean sweep of the Formula 400 class, and keeping him honest was Richard Alberthsen in second place. Alberthsen is hungry for the win which has so far eluded him, but Roberts is going to be very tough to beat in this highly competitive class.  These two were the stars of the field, leaving the rest of the pack far behind.  

The Formula 6 category, comprised mainly of the rapidly growing New Era class, was a Joel Reed Whitewash.  On a borrowed ZXR750, Reed annihilated the competition and reeled off some very impressive times to take out the class.  2nd placed Scott Rinaldis is getting faster all the time however, so Reed may soon be under pressure from the Ducati rider.

With the new Moriwaki 250 racing with the 125GP bikes, things are changing fast in the class, and Daniel Youl made sure of that posting a trio of race wins on the new 250 four stroke single machine.  Time will tell if the 125 two strokes can bounce back at Morgan Park Raceway.  

The Supermono class was more of a Supermoto class than anything else, as Morgan Park is rapidly becoming more popular with the Motard riders.  It was again John Newton on the JN’s Race Products Aprilia SXV550 who was out in front, taking all the race wins on offer.  Behind him Steve Mann and Gordon Milne battled away, with Mann finishing the day one point ahead of Milne to take second overall. 

The melting pot of classes that was the Clubsport Lites/250 Production/Lites/Post Classic 500 category saw some great battles characteristic of the class, with top honors going to Peter Chapman on his Clubsport Lites 250cc four stroke machine. 

The Junior class was at its best, with a great battle up front between ‘Mad’ Mike Jones and Ryan Dymond.  Although the pair were technically in different classes, they battled hard for the lead throughout the four Junior races.  It was the final race however, that carried the biggest surprise:  Corey Schaffer joined the battle, and with an awesome outside pass under brakes he took the battling duo of Jones and Dymond in one move on the last lap and held on to take the race win.  Things are really heating up in the Junior class, and with Schaffer stepping it up the intensity will only grow stronger.

The Southern Downs Challenge returns to Morgan Park Raceway for round 2 on the 17th & 18th of May.

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Aprilia Racing star Josh McFarlane was unstoppable in Townsville at round one of the Queensland Supermoto Championship, defeating local hero Ross Taylor with a truly dominating performance.  The Factory mounted rider leaves Townsville with a perfect score – and the championship lead – in the unlimited capacity S1 class. 

With its fast, flowing characteristics and long front straight, the Sun City Raceway Kart Track was well suited to the powerful Aprilias, and McFarlane was on the pace right from first practice. 

As this was the first time the Queensland Championship has come to Townsville, many competitors were experiencing the track for the first time, and McFarlane simply went faster and faster as the event progressed.  In race one – held in the hot North Queensland daytime – a defiant Ross Taylor held McFarlane at bay for a number of laps in a superb exhibition of fast, controlled riding under pressure.   McFarlane finally found a way past Taylor in a very close but clean move, and then poured on the pace as he slid around the smooth sweeping corners of Sun City Raceway, eventually winning the race with a comfortable margin over the Rising Sun Honda CRF of Taylor.

Races two and three were more of the same, with Taylor getting terrific starts and leading the race, only to inevitably fall prey to the hard charging McFarlane, who would then pull away for the win.  With all the finals being held during the evening under lights, McFarlane took full advantage of the cooler conditions in the last S1 race.  A great start saw him put a late pass on Taylor into turn two, and from there the Aprilia rider pulled a huge gap to take his most emphatic victory of the event, and with it the S1 round win. 

“I definitely went better at night, but I need to get more consistent starts” conceded McFarlane.  “The track is great and really suits the Aprilia; I hope we can come back here.  The bike went well right from the start and Ben [Mechanic] did a top job with it.  The State Championship is good preparation for the National series, but it will be harder for us at round two, Cini and Reekie will be very strong.” 

Second placed Ross Taylor was also happy with his performance, saying he pushed hard to stay in front of McFarlane early in the races, but that “it is tough trying to compete with the factory riders.”  Taylor is looking forward to round 2, where he hopes to take advantage of the tighter track at Ipswich.

A dramatic series of crashes from Factory Kawasaki rider Linden Magee saw him come off the bike in every S2 race, despite being the hot favorite to take victory in the 450cc class. 

It was the heroic performance by dirt track legend Jarrod Koppe (Future Sport RMZ 450) that defined the class at round one, with the Townsville local taking victory in all four of the S2 races, despite being hounded from start to finish by both Magee and then the Aprilia mounted Steve Anderson.  Anderson and Magee both looked faster and ever-ready to pounce, but with Magee crashing out (often when trying to overtake Koppe) and Anderson unable to affect a successful pass, it was Koppe’s terrific race craft and track knowledge that gave him the incredible victory. 

When asked how he did it he said “I had great starts each time out, and rode as smooth as I could.  The home track advantage helped as the competition was very strong and there was always someone on my tail.  The last race was the best.  I was very tired but managed to make it home in 1st place.” 

Luke Whitaker was sublime in the 250cc S3 class, and took huge victories in each race on the Shred-X CRF.  With a lower number of competitors than many of the other classes, it is going to take something special to knock Whitaker off the top step of the podium this year.  “I had a perfect weekend this time around, I was on the pace early and had no problems at all.  I want to really step it up for the National series, and look forward to round two of the State Championship.” 

The C grade unlimited class was host to some great battles, and each of the four races was won by a different competitor.  Jesse Wacker took the first race, Adam Cox – in his first ever Supermoto meeting – grabbed the victory in race 2, Josh Watson claimed the win in race 3, and Adrian Cash took the final.  It was the consistency of Watson that gave him the overall win, as he was on the podium in each race. 

“I had a great time here in Townsville, and I am really happy with how things are going with the Morgan and Wacker team.  The new Yamaha feels good backing in, and the track had really good grip” he said.

The Veterans class was one of the most competitive of the event, with an epic battle between good friends Michael Ricketts and Peter Cox. With one of the best starts in the business, it was Cox who had the early lead in each race, with Ricketts doing the chasing.  Cox took the win in race three, but Ricketts found a way past in the other events and finished the round on top, all on a borrowed bike after his broke down in practice. 

The Junior category was won by Jack Miller, who pulled a massive gap early in each race and made his run of straight victories look easy.  He was pushing very hard however, and looked comfortable and in control of the bike. 

Supporting the Supermoto classes were two road racing categories; Production 250s (four stroke) and the Junior Corporate Challenge.  The latter was won by 15 year old Kyle Neven, who said that he hopes to win the Club Championship on the Weldsure machine.  The 250 Production race came down to a battle between Dave Penna and C. Lawson, with Penna ultimately achieving victory in each race to take the round win.

To the delight of the enthralled spectators, Josh McFarlane saved his best for the last event of the night:  The all-in Supermoto Challenge.  Having already dominated the S1 class, the 32 year old showed just how good he is by starting from the rear of the 17 bike grid and coming all the way through the field to take the win.  It was an unbelievable performance, and even McFarlane himself was “shocked to go so well”. 

He said part of his win came down to the battle between Magee and Anderson, who were holding each other up battling for what was then the lead of the race.  Magee did manage to stay upright and take a close second from Anderson in third.

Round Two of the Queensland Supermoto Championship is to be held at the familiar Ipswich Kart Club on the 5th of July.  This is one event not to be missed, as this round will play a pivotal role in the Championship standings, and the racing has so far proven to be better than ever in 2008.

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May Speedway Briefs
Story by: Gavin Elmes
Photo by: Gavin Elmes

*Former Queensland Solo Champion Dave Watt (pictured) has had an excellent start to the British season, knocking up impressive scores at home and away for Poole, and guesting for other clubs. He top scored with 12 in Poole's win over Lakeside in the Elite League.

Watt is now domiciled in the Poole area with partner Fiona and three year old daughter Madison, and their second child is expected in August. Family ties have restricted Watt's return to Australian racing over recent summers, and then it has been on borrowed machinery.

However Watt, whose season with Eastbourne last year was his most successful to date, is looking at climbing the next rung on the ladder of success - the World Championship Grand Prix Series.

To achieve this, he is now considering returning home at the end of this year to contest the multi-round Australian Championships.

"Everyone qualifies through the Australian Championship," he said, "and if I don't do the championship, I can't start the qualification process."

But 30 year old Watt would need to send equipment back from England, or race on borrowed machinery which, for a national title, is not ideal.

"I don't have any set-up in Australia at all, so to do the title rounds is a very hard process to prepare for. It is difficult to do," he added.

There has been talk of an Australian bike owner who is interested in having Watt ride his bikes in the next championship, so there is a strong possibility that Watt will be a contender. Poole promoter Matt Ford believes Watt will be the next "thirty-something" to reach world class level.

Watt represented Australia in last year's World Team Cup series. His last appearance in Australia was in the inaugural Dave Booth Memorial Shield in December 2006. He was dogged with mechanical problems on a borrowed bike and had only two races. It was his only appearance at home that summer.

*Two other former Queensland Champions who got off to a flying European start are Jason Crump and Troy Batchelor. As well as topping Belle Vue's scores at home, Crump scorched to a 15 point maximum away in the Aces' league draw with Coventry. He even managed to better that effort in his opening Polish fixture. But his 20 points haul for Wroclaw (half his team's total) couldn't stop them losing away to Gorzow.

Crump's next feat was to lower the Eastbourne track record by two-tenths of a second. That record, held by six times World Champion Tony Rickardsson, had stood for five years.

Batchelor's top tally came in Swindon's win over Lakeside, when he dropped only one point to an opponent from five rides. Said Swindon captain Leigh Adams, "Troy's a pretty hypo sort of fella - a real livewire. If I can channel his energy in the right direction, then he will come on in leaps and bounds."

Glasgow Tigers youngsters Mitchell Davey and Josh Grajczonek found themselves under the glare of TV cameras recently. The Townsville duo had a three minute slot on Scotland's popular "5.30 Show", doing some practice laps and explaining a little about the sport to the viewing millions.

*A New South Wales solo team will make its annual North Queensland tour this month. Three matches against a North Queensland Select team were proposed, but the Cairns date of 17 May has been cancelled due to a clash with the first round of the North Queensland Dirt Track Championships at Ayr on the same date. This involves some of the NQ speedway riders.

The two confirmed matches are at Brandon on 24 May and at Gladstone Showground a week later. NSW team manager and tour organiser Peter White said, "The idea of these tours is to give kids who are destined for international careers in England some experience away from home on interstate tracks, where it is always hard to win against clever home track riders. There is no better platform for a career in the U.K." And he's right. No less than two of last year's North Queensland team and two from the NSW squad are presently engaged in their first season in Britain.

*The annual gathering of the more mature end of the racing spectrum comes up at Mike Hatcher Park on Sunday, 8 June - Queen's Birthday weekend. The Classic Day and Sel Walton Memorial will again draw stars of yesteryear from around Australia, not only to race, but to reminisce trackside. Today's and tomorrow's stars are also catered for, with junior racing and modern solo and sidecar events depending on entries received. The program gets under way at 10am. Enquiries and nominations to Race Secretary, Mandy Wintle, on 0432 420540.

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Queensland Dirt Track Championships
Story by: Drmsby Middleton
Story by: Yoursportsshots

The 2008 Queensland Junior and Senior Dirt Track Titles were held on the weekend of the 5th and 6th of April, with many new State Champions emerging.  Racing was conducted at the North Brisbane Junior Motorcycle Club’s track in Brisbane. 

With storm clouds moving in on Sunday afternoon, officials were in a race against time to complete the proceedings before being washed out.  In the end however, the rain did come down and the meeting was declared just a few events short of schedule; but more than enough races were held for all titles to be decided. 

As is typical of major events like the State Titles, racing was often very close and competitive as Championship contenders pushed themselves and their machines to the limit in pursuit of victory. 

“There were always a lot of battles going on, the lead was swapping all the time” said Jarrod Koppe of the highly competitive 450cc class.  Koppe took the Championship win on the Futuresport / Rocket Exhausts 450. 

“I have been racing in this class for 5 years, and I am on a new bike for this year”.  The 23 year old hopes to win the Australian Long Track Title on the new bike, and is also aiming for a podium in the upcoming Queensland Supermoto Championship.

Shell Advance’s Tyson Nelson is another Australian Title hopeful. With two Queensland Junior State Titles to his credit on the weekend, the 14 year old is certainly looking more than capable of achieving his goal to win at the national level here and then race in England.  Winner of both the 13 – under 16 250cc 4 stroke and 125cc classes, Nelson said the track was quite slick but he really enjoyed it. 

“I had some great battles with Darcy Ward.  Everyone was riding really well” he added. 

Also winning two Junior State Titles was 10 year old Zaine Kennedy, taking the 9 – under 13 65cc and 7 – under 11 80cc wins for A1 Imports. 

“My starts were not so good” explained Kennedy, “so I had to do a lot of overtaking to get to the lead, but once I got to the front I pretty much stayed there”.  Kennedy also hopes to race in England, and has been racing bikes for three years.

Luke Burgess was another junior rider who had to play catch-up after poor starts, but catch up he did; taking the 13 – under 16 85cc Title in the process.  Riding for Mackay Kawasaki, Burgess fought hard for the lead with Corey Schaffer, and said the competition was very strong.  Burgess also aims to win an Australian Title later in the year.

Road Racer Josh McGrath won the 11 – under 16 80-160cc 4 stroke Title, and said the track was great on the first day but became quite rutty by Sunday.  Racing on track with that class was the 11 – under 13 years 80cc 4 stroke category, which was won by Tyson Snow – yet another competitor aiming for an Australian Title this season.  Taking that idea even further is Jake Allen – he hopes to win four Australian Titles this year!  He proved he may have what it takes by winning the 11 – under 13 85cc State Title on the weekend, dominating from start to finish.

Other Junior State Title winners included Dale Borlase (9 – under 11 85cc) who turned 11 the day after the Titles, Reece Yunker (7 – under 9 65cc) who had some great battles with Zach Cook, and young Brody Taggart who took out the 50cc Division 2 class after leading the field all day.

 It wasn’t just the boys winning State Titles however, as Kiera Smith grabbed a narrow victory over Megan Doyle in the Senior Women 450cc class.  Smith does not race often - and this showed as her starts left much to be desired – but the Burdekin Motorcycles / Yamaha rider more than made up for it with her terrific race pace. 

“I had to do a lot of overtaking, and even came very close to hitting the wall when I was battling with Megan [Doyle] for the lead in race two, but I managed to get past her in the end” she said.  Smith also races Motocross, and is looking for a win in the North Queensland series this season. 

Jace Castles took the Over 450cc Title after some great battles with Craig Andrews.  Castles was very impressed with the strength of the competition across all the senior divisions, and said the track was the best it had been all year until the rain fell.  The Senior 250cc Title went to Damien Koppe, brother of 450cc class winner Jarrod Koppe.  Damien stressed the importance of starts, saying - “My starts were really good this time out; a good start is half the race really”. 

17 year old Speedway rider Aaron Stewart dominated the 125cc Senior class, with a consistent performance seeing him lead the field in each race, whilst the 600cc Sidecar Title went to Adam and Graham Liebke, who battled all day with 2nd placed Darren Fien and Michael Jackson.

With the quality and depth of the competition evident in both the Junior and Senior fields at this year’s State Titles, Queensland is certain to be a very strong contender in the 2008 Australian Titles.

Results from 2008 Queensland Dirt Track State Championships available from the MQ website www.mqld.org.au

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The General
Story by: Lindsay Granger (Motorcycling Queensland General Manager)

Coroner Releases Black Duck Valley Report
The Queensland Coroner has released his report into two deaths which occurred at the Black Duck Valley 4WD and Trail Bike Park over the last two years. One of the fatalities occurred when a motorcycle rider crashed on a ‘World Long Distance Record’ jump.

The coroner found that the rider has just purchased the bike and was inexperienced at riding over jumps, and that his inexperience was the cause of his accident. The other death occurred when a four wheel drive rolled down a cliff.

The coroner’s findings mean that trail bike parks will be likely to have to adopt the MA standards for risk management, including track design, licensing and competency standards. The Queensland Government’s response to the inquest has not yet been released.

New Committees Elected at Annual General Meeting
Motorcycling Queensland held its Annual General Meeting last Wednesday night. The annual report showed that MQ ran very successfully throughout the 2007 year with record numbers of licence holders ensuring that our financial position remained strong.

The AGM also reported the election of the Executive and subcommittees for 2008-2009. This election is conducted by a postal ballot in which all clubs are invited to vote. Information regarding trhe make-up of all MQ subcommittees can be viewed at this link.

Queensland Government Releases Discussion Paper on Motorcycles and the Road Toll
Queensland Transport has released a discussion paper which covers a wide range of issues which may affect the number of motorcyclists involved in road accidents in Queensland.

The discussion paper is available online at www.transport.qld.gov.au/motorbike_safety. If you or your club is interested in issues relating to rider training, licensing, road design or any other issue you think is relevant, you can respond directly to the discussion paper. Please send me any feedback you think that MQ should include in its response. The closing date for responses is 30 May 2008.

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Round 2 Brisbane Motorcycle Club
Story by: Jackie McDonald
Photo by: Jackie McDonald

It was a small meeting for the Brisbane Motorcycle Club on the 13th April with only 47 riders signing on. Now you might expect that the day was going to be a bit ho hum, but it was not. Although rider numbers were down, they made up for it with a whole lot of bikes, and I promise you, there was nothing ho hum about the racing that took place on the track at Raubers Road, Nudgee.

Doug Sharples has become a lot more serious these days and it’s not just on the track. The Club has welcomed Doug as their new Vice President. Doug is a nice guy who over the years has put countless amount of hours work into getting this track to what it is today. I’m sure everyone would agree that Doug is definitely a great asset to the Club.

Out on the track however it got a bit to close for comfort at one stage for Doug as he rounded the second corner with fellow rider #789 Michael Vandenbroek. They were so close but somehow managed to keep it together without coming to grief. That corner did get a few in the end though.
 
Liked by all, Steve Cox from Lismore is often up here working with friend and fellow rider Sean Allanson, this time when they came together it was on that second corner. Hitting the back wheel of the bike in front, with the front wheel of his 1982 430 Husky, Steve found himself in the dirt. no problem after Sean picked his bike off him, Steve discovered that his bike although on its side was still going, so he just pulled the clutch in, picked the bike up and kept going. 

It was fantastic out here, great racing all day; it was fast, fast, fast. With no dust to compete with, riders had a good clear run at their competitors, and boy did they go. 

Number 58 Michael Chadwick and #7 Brian Fuller WOW! What can I say, they are two extremely fast riders, together explosive, they had everyone’s attention as they seem to literally fly around the track, as I watched them in awe all I could think was HOLY S*!T…As a matter of fact that word entered my head a lot that day.

Every time you come to one of these meetings you don’t know what’s going to happen but one thing's for sure, no matter how big or small the event you can be guaranteed  you‘ll see some absolutely brilliant riders and spectacular racing. 

The sidecars were on the track again but still only two though. Will persistence pay off, who knows? I had a quick chat with #85 Ryan Trubshaw, who was passenger for Nick Higgs.

Ryan told me he had never done this before, but he really enjoyed it. I asked him if it was scary, and although he felt safe with his driver, he did say that going down the straight was the worst because you had the sweeping corner to contend with right after it.

The Club now has a junior class 14 - 16 years old and up to Evo 125 2 stroke and 250 4 stroke, as yet there are no entries for this age group.

The Club will be holding a practice day on Saturday the 10th of May, and their next race is 1st June. Please remember the club can always do with extra hands on race days.

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Marmont and George claim Conondale
Story by: Scott Bishop

Round three of the 2008 Motocross Rockstar Nationals saw the rolling fields of Green Park at Conondale transformed into a motocross play ground with near perfect conditions and a good crowd on hand to watch all the action.

120 riders spread over the Pro Open, Pro Lites and Under 19 divisions showed up to what is the most picturesque track on the tour and the racing didn’t disappoint. Honda’s Craig Anderson rolled into town with the coveted red plate and the points lead in the Pro Opens, while Kawasaki’s Luke George was in a similar situation in the Pro Lites. But there were plenty of riders willing to make up some ground and leave the sunshine state with their share of glory.

Jay Marmont fought his way through the field and his usual dose of moto one arm pump, managed to get into second just after the halfway point, but Anderson was long gone. Moto one saw Ando, Marmont and Hurley take the top three spots.

Moto two was looking like a carbon copy, with the same three out in front of the pack. But this time Marmont was closer and edging up on Ando. After six laps, Marmont swooped and claimed the lead and rode off uncontested to a big win. Despite a small crash, Ando came in second and Hurley again in third.

The best of the Queenslanders was Nathan Crawford who finished up 9th for the day with 11-5 moto scores. With Troy Carroll and Simon Thompson both out with shoulder injuries, we were a little down on Queensland representation in the Pro Open class.

Pro Lites
There are a heap of riders that can win this race and it always provides the best racing of the day. Moto one had it all with the top 8 all on the same straight, but within one lap, the entire complexion of the race changed.

Todd Waters had a mechanical issue while leading, Adam Monea tipped over, as did Dean Ferris. Ryan Marmont withdrew and suddenly Kade Mosig and Luke George found themselves out front with former Queensland based pilot Takeshi Katsuya in third. Although reasonably close on the track, there was enough break between each rider that no passes took place and that is how they crossed the line.

The attrition rate in moto two was just as high. Dean Ferris charged from last to seventh only to have a bike problem on the final lap. Ryan Marmont pulled off while leading and the lead was left to Katsuya who promptly threw it on the ground near the pit board area. But it was Luke George who put it all together and fended off a late charge from Adam Monea to take the race and overall win. Kade Mosig finished third.

There were a host of Queenslanders in the Pro Lites with most putting up a great show. Brock Winston continued with his good form and finished ninth overall for the day. Robbie Marshall in a rare race appearance was 10th, Adam Cini was 13th despite a DNF in moto one, Scott Jackson was a solid 14th and Todd Waters was 15th, like Cini with a DNF in moto 1.

Under 19s
NSW Luke Styke did the business here and led both qualifying motos from start to finish. He was always in control and looked great as this event required riders to earn a top 13 spot to go directly to the championship start line at Raymond Terrace in two weeks time. Joey Ringwood was in second followed by local boy Brendan Duck. Other Queenslanders making the cut were Joel Rizzo, Jimmy Stewart and Andrew Reardon.

For a full list of results, go to www.ozmotox.com.au

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Queenslanders to fly the flag in Greece
Story by: Leigh Hutton
Photos by: Leigh Hutton

THREE Queenslanders have been selected to represent Australia at this year’s International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) to be held in Serres, Greece, from September 1 to 6.

Anthony Roberts, Kirk Hutton and Nick Beattie are now busy getting motorcycles, riding gear and tools ready to send in a shipping container to Greece after it was announced they would be included in the team.

The trio will drive their bikes down to Sydney for June 7 when the Australian Team, which consists of six Senior Trophy Team Riders, four Junior Trophy Team riders and three MA Development Team riders, will pack the container for its journey.

Roberts, of the GHR Honda Team, and Yamaha Queensland Off-Road Team’s Hutton will form part of the talent-packed senior team.

Neither is a stranger to the prestigious and grueling competition, both have raced for Australia several times and have gold medals (the highest accolade) to show for it. Hutton will be looking to win his seventh gold medal this year – he has amassed an impressive six gold medal for six ISDE’s tally.

This year’s Australian Senior Trophy Team, which also includes former world champion Stefan Merriman and 2008 A4DE winner Chris Hollis, is considered one of the strongest in recent years.

MA Enduro Commission Chairman Colin Jennings said Australia was sending a “very strong” junior and senior team to the event this year.

Hutton said he was “over the moon” to have been selected to represent his country again.“I was really happy when I was picked to ride for Australia at Chile last year, and in 2003 for Brazil, 2002 for Czechoslovakia and 2004 in Poland,” Hutton said.

“But this year is extra special for me, probably because there were lots of fast guys who wanted to go and it was really tough to get on to the senior team.

“I can’t wait for Greece. It’s always a thrill for me to put the Australia jersey on and ride my hardest for Australia.

“I think it’s a real honor to be selected and I take my job seriously… I will be training hard in the coming months to make sure I’m as fit as possible and making sure the new Yamaha I will be picking up to send over is race ready.”

This will be Beattie’s first ISDE, the up-and-coming Yamaha pilot rode well at the A4DE and will go to Greece as one of the three MA Development riders.

The full list of riders who have been selected are: AJ Roberts, Kirk Hutton, Nick Beattie, Jarrod Bewley, Geoff Braico, Mark Goggin, Chris Hollis, Blake Hore, Ben Kearney, Glen Kearney, Andrew Lloyd, Stefan Merriman and Josh Strang.

Make sure to keep an eye on www.dirtbikepromotions.com.au where Shooting Star Media will be posting breaking ISDE news, pics and video on location in Serres, Greece.

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QVMX Round 1 - Coles Creek
Story by: Jackie McDonald
Photo by: Jackie McDonald

The first round for QVMX held on the 30th of March - at Coles Creek, was, as you would have expected it to be …Brilliant. The weather was just perfect, and to put icing on the cake, three days prior to the meeting, the heavens opened, and the Mary Valley was blessed with a good downpour of rain. Coles Creek is a grass track so as you can imagine, the track was at its best, and riders did not have to contend with dust.

In practice, a few riders discovered how slippery the track was. I was speaking to one rider who told me he thought at one stage he was about to lose it.  ‘The uphill straight on the back section was long and fast, I was flat bickie and left braking a bit late, it certainly put the wind up me’.

From a spectator's point of view it is a bit hard to see the whole race, as this track has two sides. With such a good track layout it did not matter which side you watched from, you were not disappointed, th