Nokia Motocross Nationals Blitz Queensland
Story by: Scott Bishop
Photo courtesy: Kawasaki Motor Pty Ltd

The past two weekends have seen the best Australian motocross has to offer in the form of round six and seven of the National Motocross Championships hosted at the Echo Valley circuit in Toowoomba and Gum Valley near Mackay.

Queensland racers were again right in the thick of the action and the local boys are doing well against the riders from the rest of the country.

RUT CITY

A well-plowed track and constant over night rain left the hilly red clay track at Toowoomba soft and undeniably tough. The early morning practice and qualifying sessions were as much a matter of survival as they were about speed as riders had to contend with the soggy conditions and the massive ruts that were beginning to form.

It was also tough on the female competitors who were the first on the track. Everyone was set for a tough day at the office.

Jake Moss may have won the day and continued his exceptional form in 2007, but the big surprises were the Queensland Under 19 duo of Todd Waters and Dean Ferris. They are both in the middle of contesting the Under 19 championship, and along with Brenden Harrison and South Australia’s Kirk Gibbs were granted wild card entries and set about beating their more fancied rivals.

Waters won moto one with a text book victory. He showed great speed and maturity to outlast his competitors and the conditions to take a well earned win. He backed that up with another top 10 result in moto two that saw him land on the podium with 2nd overall for the day in a sensational pro debut. 

Ferris was also at the pointy end, running as high as third in moto one but by the mid way point he crashed and damaged his bike. Not to be deterred he bounced back in the second leg to take second pace and his combined tally of DNF-2 was good for eighth overall.

Harrison also sneaked into the top 10 despite some falls on the day and these three proved that they might be the future of Australian motocross in the short term.

Queensland continued the party in the Pro Open field with hometown boy Troy Carroll taking his first ever open class motocross race win. It was a great effort from a guy that every team passed over last year and Troy took some revenge at Echo Valley. His third in moto two, left him equal on points with CDR Yamaha’s Matt Moss, but because of the better finish in the last race, Moss got the nod on a count back.

Points leader Daniel Reardon had a tough day at the office and despite leading both motos, crashed himself out of serious contention and missed out on a podium finish. Echo Valley has been a tough track for Reardon, as last year he was a distant third behind Anderson and Hurley. He still led the championship however as the boys headed north to Gum Valley for round 7.

The girls did it tough on a nasty track, but World Champion Katherine Prumm did an exception job and recorded a clean sweep of both motos. She looked the goods all day and found the conditions less trying than the rest of her competitors. Ashley Bates, who often races in Queensland, placed second, with Stacey Griffiths in third.

GUM VALLEY

It’s been too long since a national round hit the beautiful cane fields of Gum Valley, 60kms south of Mackay. 1988 was the last time a national event was held at the track and many of the younger riders were looking forward to hitting the famous track. A bumper crowd and the nations top riders converged on the grass hillside and weren’t disappointed by the racing action.

Little known Victorian Lewis Stewart burst out of the blocks in the Pro Lites division and then simply rode to victory. Behind him there was plenty of action with Jake Moss, Todd Waters and Dean Ferris in the middle of it. Moss took second overall on the day and increased his points lead in the championship while Waters backed up his podium at Toowoomba with another at Mackay, claiming third. Ferris was only two places behind with 5th overall.

The open class proved to be the return of Daniel Reardon. He raced to two comfortable victories in both races and reasserted himself as the best open class rider in the country. Troy Carroll continued his good form with a fourth overall while Simon Thompson and Nathan Crawford were also in the top 10 with eighth and 10th overall, respectively.

The Motocross Nationals now takes a couple of weeks break before resuming at Wonthaggi in Victoria. The championship finale happens at Coolum on August 12 so be sure to catch some of the action.

Series results and info are available from www.ozmotox.com.au

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Queensland A4DE Team set to battle other States
Story by: Leigh LaLonde

More than 100 Enduro-mad Queenslanders have descended on the coastal New South Wales town of Coffs Harbour to take on the best in the nation at this year’s Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE).

The event, which starts on Thursday (5th July), has attracted international stars KTM’s David Knight and Aprilia’s Stefan Merriman, along with Aussie-turned American racing guns Suzuki’s Glenn Kearney and Josh Strang.

If all goes to plan, however, plenty of maroon will be seen at the front of the pack.

Bribie Island rider, Honda’s Anthony ‘AJ’ Roberts and seven-time Queensland Enduro champion Team Moto Yamaha’s Kirk Hutton have both had impressive finishes at A4DE's and will be hunting national titles during this year’s four days of competition.

The A4DE format is similar to a car rally, with marked loops for each day and special test sections where the riders are timed.

Roberts, aboard a CRF450, and Hutton, on a YZ125, are also among the leaders of the Queensland team effort.

“I’ve been here in Coffs for the past week or so preparing the bike and testing, and I’m 100% ready to go” said Roberts.

Queensland will be going up against the other states in both the junior and senior trophy team categories.

The Queensland Senior Trophy Team is Anthony Roberts, Kirk Hutton, Michael Oliver, Ryan Smart, Matt Dumigan, and Nick Beattie

The Queensland Junior Trophy Team is Kristian Sprenger, Chris Reading, Brent Carlson and Casey Treasure.

The 44 Queensland riders are ready to race after the majority benefited from a two-day training camp held at Green Park, Conondale at the start of June, which was sponsored by Motorcycling Queensland.

National motocross champion and training guru Glenn Bell took the riders through the paces to help prepare them for the grueling A4DE and focused on topics including mental and physical preparation, nutrition and riding techniques.

Queensland A4DE Team Manager Rick Madden said the camp was a great opportunity for riders and their support crew to see what the event is all about.

“We are the only state that does a camp like this and it really has proven advantageous over the years to making sure the riders are prepared,” Madden said.

“On Saturday, Glenn did a full coaching clinic and we had a mock Enduro to give new riders an introduction and seasoned riders a refresh on the Enduro format.

“Then, on Sunday, we covered tyre changes and some more technical aspects.
“The camps aren’t only great for the riders, it is good for us to see who is at what level and to get a feeling for everyone’s strengths and weaknesses.”

Roberts also came to lend a hand at the camp and impressed the group with big air and lightning fast corner speeds during demonstrations on the motocross track.

The A4DE runs from Thursday 5th - Sunday 8th July.

Motorcycling Australia have created an Enduro Microsite for the duration of the event, where you can keep up-to-date with all of the latest on this year's A4DE.

Check out the Motorcycling Queensland website for profiles on 2007 Queensland Team members - Nick Beattie (Senior Team), Casey Treasure (Junior Team), Kristian Sprenger (Junior Team) and Michael Hand (Junior Team) - profiles here.

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YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championships - Double Header
Story by: Tom Williams
Photo by: Tom Williams

Rounds 6 and 7, the Australian Superbike Championship’s second double header round for the year was held on Queensland Raceway’s fast but bumpy 3.14 kilometre circuit on the last weekend of June under a fine winter sky.

A record crowd for the series, reports suggest in excess of 5,000 people, witnessed some of the best racing of the year as the nation’s top road racers treated them to a show that could offer explanation to the question that is being asked worldwide lately – why do such good riders come from Australia? The Saturday crowd was as big as some rounds see on Sunday, and next day the spectators completely surrounded the circuit.

Despite the bumps the old Superbike lap record was bettered by 5 riders, with the new record now 1:09.145 by Jamie Stauffer on his Yamaha R1, almost 2 seconds quicker than the V8 Super Car record. Jamie won 2 races as did Craig Coxhell on his Suzuki, however Jamie’s two 2nd places gave him both round wins and secured the Championship with one round to go. Daniel Stauffer finished second to him twice and the Yamaha mounted brothers put on the race of the meeting on Sunday morning, swapping places for the lead several times and setting the new lap record in the process.

In race 2 misfortune struck Gareth Jones and Chris Seaton as both of the local Electroregenesis Yamahas ran out of fuel before the finish. Chris had been well placed for 5th at that point. Electrical gremlins forced his retirement from race 4 while running in 6th place. Robbie Bugden was first Queenslander home in all but the third race when Seaton beat him to 7th place.
A welcome addition to the Superbike paddock was the exotic and very Italian looking Queensland based MV Augusta team headed by Steve Trinder with Brendan Clarke riding the F4 in the Superbike races and Craig Trinder riding a Brutale in the naked bike class. They even had a convertible Ferrari for a pit car.

Craig Trinder’s return to the racetrack was impressive with a second place to Craig McMartin’s Ducati 1098 in his first outing ahead of the Yamahas of Scott Charlton and fellow local Jon Cartwright. These 4 again led races 2 and 3 with McMartin beating Cartwright from Charlton and Trinder, then Cartwright winning ahead of the Ducati, the MV and the second Yamaha. In race 4 Roland Kruck joined the action at the front of the pack for his best performance of the year with second to McMartin.

Jamie Stauffer now leads the Supersport Championship for the first time this season after bettering Yamaha team mate Jason O’Halloran with 3 wins. The other went to Russell Holland on his Honda. The big improver was Josh Waters who finished second 3 times and 3rd once to further his claim to third in the championship. The three Queensland riders racing Supersports, Judd Greedy (Honda), Gareth Jones and Chris Seaton all finished every race in the top 9 places.

For the first time this year Ipswich’s own Josh Houwen conceded a point in the Yamaha FZ6 Cup when team mate Jon Cartwright snatched pole position from him, however Jon fell in the first race after Josh passed him and despite making Houwen work harder for the wins than he has had to all year, never beat him to the checkered flag in the remaining races. This was enough for Houwen to secure the series win with a round to go and Josh treated the crowd to a massive burnout at turn 3 on his way back to the pits. See full story – Houwen clinches FZ6 Cup

Young riders Rick Olson (NSW) and Beau McKenzie (Qld.) were impressive with a display of racing that showed how much they’ve learnt from a season in this development class. The two engaged in 4 race long battles for a podium position with Olson, who was more notable for his falls earlier in the season, narrowly dominating each time.

Glenn Scott was dominant in 125’s winning the pole point and each race. Race 2 on Saturday afternoon was abandoned and half points awarded when on lap 3 Peter Galvin and Queenslander Brad Gross collided, and an already stretched medical team had their remaining resources utilised. By time it was safe to continue bad light forced the day’s end. Gross had previously taken 3rd ahead of Gold Coaster Jackson Leigh-Smith who went on to claim a 3rd then second placed finish on Sunday. He now sits 3rd in the championship with one round to be run.

The Superstock races have been perhaps the most closely fought class this year with wins being shared by several riders. Craig Nicholson of Victoria has been constantly improving lately and joined the list when he rode his Suzuki to his first ever race win on Saturday morning. Charles Hern (Yamaha) won the next two and Ben Henry of Perth won the final race on his Suzuki to stretch his lead in the series.

Greg Epis took 4 hard fought victories in the FX series while Michael McMillan of Queensland was back in as good form as ever finishing 2nd three times and 3rd once, never more than half a second behind the winner. Shane Whiteley still leads the series despite his best finish being one 2nd place.

For the final round we return to Eastern Creek on the weekend of 17th to 19th August and with 5 class champions including sidecars yet to be crowned, the generously proportioned lady has not sung her final song yet.

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Another unbeaten round has seen Queenslander Josh Houwen clinch the GYTR FZ6 Cup, with one round still remaining.

The GYTR FZ6 Cup, introduced for the first time this year allows riders the opportunity to race at a fraction of the normal cost. Parting with $7500 will secure a race ready 2007 model FZ6N, all entry fees and a fresh set of control tyres for each round of the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Series. The entry fees and tyre fees alone are over $4700 in costs that are all taken care of in the $7500 sign on fee for the whole 2007 ASC FZ6 Cup series

Houwen, a former Dirt Track and Supermoto competitor has made every post a winner in this Series, remaining undefeated after the first 6 (of 7) rounds.

Queenslanders were treated to a spectacular display of racing last weekend, with the GYTR FZ6 Cup proving to be one of the highlight classes of the Australian Superbike Championships double-header event at Ipswich’s Queensland Raceway.

Friday’s qualifying session proved to be incredibly close between the series standouts, with Jon Cartwright gaining the upper-hand over series points leader and teammate Josh Houwen by the narrowest of margins.

Rick Olson and Ewan McClue snared the remaining front row positions for the weekend’s 4 races, ensuring a close run into the fast and bumpy turn 1.

Saturday’s opener was a classic, with Houwen and Cartwright dueling at incredible pace before the pole man relinquished the advantage, and a number of positions, to the young Queenslander.

Houwen was again on fire in the day’s second and final stoush, dropping into the 1-minute 17-second bracket at mid-race distance and taking the win by almost 4 seconds over Cartwright.

The first of Sunday’s two 7-lap sprints saw the Weldalloy-backed teammates locked in battle again, and while Cartwright laid down a spectacular race lap of 1.16.809, it wasn’t enough to knock Houwen off his perch.

It was a case of dejavu for the lead bunch during the day’s final race, with Houwen making it 4 from 4, but pushed all the way to the line by his teammate.

Houwen’s perfect run of results sees him over 100 points clear of his nearest competitor. With a maximum of 51 points available at the final round at Eastern Creek (17th - 19th August), Houwen will be crowned the inaugural champion of the popular class regardless of his results in Sydney.

“We’ve had so many people out here supporting us, both myself and Jon, all the Queenslanders and especially Weldalloy and the Anchor Race Team, these are the guys that allow us to race and it's been great to put on a show for them this weekend,” said Houwen.

“It’s a big weight off my shoulders to come away with the points advantage here, I’ve been consistent at each round, taking the holeshot each time and qualifying well, and to win every race of the season so far is something I never would have imagined heading into the year.”

GYTR FZ6 Cup officials are excited by the level of momentum the class is gaining, and have been inundated with requests for details of the 2008 season.

Interested road racers are encouraged to point their web browsers to www.yamaha-motor.com.au/fz6cup for all the latest information, with new features appearing in the coming weeks.

The final round of the one-make championship will be held at Eastern Creek will be held from August 17-19.

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Y-AIM / YMF SEQ Junior Motocross Series Set for Start
Story by: Scott Bishop
Photo by: Yamaha Australia

Yes, there as been a name change, but the action will be just as fast and furious as ever as the junior riders take centre stage for the upcoming five round series held in the South East corner.

Yamaha have taken up naming rights of the series and used their coaching arm (Yamaha Australia Institute of Motocross) and their financial company (Yamaha Motor Finance) as the host title sponsors to kick start the 2007 series.

Unlike the Sunshine State Series and the State Motocross Championships where the senior and pro classes dominate proceedings, this series caters for, and shines the spotlight, on emerging junior talent in our state. Sure, there are senior classes but they are just the support act for the hundreds of junior riders that will fill the pits in all five rounds.

The racing classes are also different from those of the other series with the junior not only broken up into age groups but also grading within those ages. That means riders of the same age and similar skill level will compete to make a safe and competitive environment.

“We have over 350 entries already,” says series organiser Trish Redhead.

“A week out from the opening round, a lot of the names entered are the ones that we don’t always see at other major Queensland series, so this series obviously caters for a different cross section of rider”, she explains.

So for the new comers it’s a great place to start their racing and for the guys who are looking at competing at the national junior championships at Coolum in late September, it’s a chance to fine tune themselves and their bikes in a racing environment.

The series will also take in a round at Roma for the first time and it’s great to see other clubs hosting events like this.

WHERE and WHEN

Round 1- July 7/8 - Tivoli
Round 2 – July 21/22- Bundaberg
Round 3 – August 4/5 - Roma
Round 4 – September 1/ 2 - Warwick
Round 5 – September 15/16 – Toowoomba

Round and series entry forms are available from www.mqld.org.au

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Sel Walton Trophy Review
Story by: Stephen Magro
Photo by: Stephen Magro

A sunny day greeted veteran racers of solos, sidecars and for the first time, speedcars at Labrador, Gold Coast for the annual Sel Walton Trophy meet.

Riding a well tuned JAP was Terry Hentschel who  was untroubled all day in winning the Classic Over 50 class. 

At least 20 riders had entered the Evolution class. Racing was often tight, particularly the heat featuring Geoff Tomkins, Jack Stevens, Steve Baker and Danny Regeling. Jack got the nod from Tomkins in the narrowest of wins, the latter returning with a vengeance to snatch the final.

The Classic Sidecars entertained with Wayne Munck / Shelly Warnes only blowing a tyre to blemish their scorecard.

In the Pre-1984 class, rookies Ben Cooper and Ryan Spann were unbeaten, one of their scalps being former Australian number two Stuart Firth / Darren Fleming. 

In the modern sidecars challenge Robert Wilson and Cameron Bell won with Ross Brown / Ricky Tumini second and Wayne Munck / Shelly Warnes in third.

The Under 16 Junior Solos put on good racing, with Darcy Ward stealing the limelight. Harley Brigden, Jake Moore, Tyson Nelson, Jack Strong, Mathew Day and Johle Porter also raced for an appreciative crowd.

Six times World Champion Ivan Mauger did some quick demonstration laps. Also, his newly restored 1962 Eso long tracker looked a picture (see photo). 

Personalities Steve Regeling, Kevin Torpie, Greg Kentwell, Mitch Shirra, Nigel Boocock, Martin Rogers, Alan Rivett, Bill Bryden, Bluey Scott, Bruce Croxon, Trevor Harding, Bob Levy and Neil Gould were there too.

Nattering among the bike vets were genuine speedcar stars of the 60s-70s era: Brian Dillon, Howard Revell, Ronald Mackay, Brian Mannion and Eric Inmon. The excellent Johnny Stewart 'Trackburner' was on display too.

Sel Walton 2007 Results

Classic solos over 50 years
Final: 1st Terry Hentschel; 2nd Kevin Beazley; 3rd Ken Carratt.
Heat points: Hentschel 12; Carratt 10; Osbaldistion 8; Beazley 6; Bill Sims 5; Rick Pittard 2.

Evolution solos (final)
1st: Geoff Tomkins; 2nd: Jack Stevens; 3rd: Danny Regeling.
Heat points: Tomkins 11;Stevens 11; Regeling 9;Neil Kerrigan 9; Steve Burt 9;
Steve Baker-David Clifton 8; Rob Walters-Anthony Wright 8; Kevin Beasley-Michael Dawson 7; Bill Sims 6; Mal Burt 5; David Fischer 5;Daniel Burt 5; Frank Lutherburrow 4; Rick Pittard 4; Neil Brett 4; Wayne Andrews 2; Russell Osbaldiston 2.

Classic solos under 50 years heat points (no final)
1st: Steve Baker 9; 2nd: Lee White 6; 3rd: Neil Brett 4; Wayne Andrew 2.

Classic Sidecars (final)
1st:Wayne Munck / Shelly Warnes
2nd: Ross Brown / Ricky Tumini
3rd: Daniel Kepple / Cameron Killen.

Pre 84 Sidecars
1st: Ben Cooper / Ryan Spann
2nd: Stuart Firth / Darren Fleming
3rd: Peter Wilken / Kelly Newton.

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Round 3 Southern Downs Challenge
Story by: Drmsby Middleton
Photo by: Tom Williams

The Southern Downs Challenge returned to Morgan Park Raceway on the 23rd and 24th of June for more Road Racing action.  The Challenge is a combined effort of 3 Queensland Road Racing Clubs; The Motorcycle Sportsmen of Queensland, Superbike Lites, and the QEMSC.

Morgan Park is located at Warwick, in South East Queensland.  One thing that many discovered (or re-discovered) at this race meeting is that Warwick can be cold.  Very cold.  Even when the sun was shining a cold wind blew over the track and through the paddock; in fact it is somewhat surprising that no competitors were found wearing tyre warmers.  Racing for this round was held on the ‘short track’, which is a little over 1km in length. 

This track configuration has (depending on your definition of ‘corner’) 6 – 8 turns, a short straight and considerable elevation changes.  All parts of the Morgan Park racetrack, including the short track, have been newly re-surfaced - creating a very smooth and flowing track with high grip levels. 

The Morgan Park short track is not suitable for Superbikes or Supersport, however six classes of racing were conducted at this round: 
Formula 400, Formula 4 (Historic classes), Formula 3 (Supermono, Motard and 125GP), Lites (Buckets), Sidecars, and Juniors.

Formula 400 saw some very close battles, usually with a lead pack of three to four riders followed by a larger second group.  With four race wins and one second place to his credit, Daniel Wheeler took the round win after main rival and Race 2 winner Joshua Skyring crashed in the fourth event.  Last time the pair battled at Morgan Park in March it was Skyring who finished on top, so this clash is definitely going to be one to watch next time out. 

The Leo Cash / CB750 combination proved far too strong in the Formula 4 class, with Cash taking easy victories in all five races. The big four cylinder Honda is a powerful machine - pulling big wheelies at the starts - and Leo rode it flawlessly, putting distance between him and the competition early on in the races. Twin cylinder British bikes made up the bulk of the class entries, and made quite a spectacle on the track and in the pits.  These machines sound truly unique, and many of them are very loud.  Some were so well presented they looked like brand new bikes, but far better to see them in action on a racetrack than tucked safely away in a museum. 

The variety of bikes in Formula 3 was great, with monster single cylinder Supermono machines competing with Motards and 2 stroke bikes.  Formula 400 winner Daniel Wheeler claimed victory in the first two events, before a DNF in race 3 allowed Steven Anderson to take the final three wins, which added to his two second place finishes, leaving Anderson the round winner.  The two strokes also featured in the results, with both Stephanie Redman and Sam Heath making sure 125GPs were always represented on the podium. 

Peter Cameron kept Michael Clacher at bay to make a clean sweep of the Lites class, with five strong victories.  In the subdivisions, Craig Chenery took out the Moto Lites class whilst Rusty Pierini was the victor in the Super Lites competition.

Sidecar Duo Lindsay Donai and Chris Menzies finished the round on top in the three wheeled category, taking four out of five race wins, but they didn’t have it all their own way.  The Keith Robinson / Dave Boughen combination kept them on their toes and managed to snag the win in race 2.  According to Lindsay, the Donai / Menzies machine may be a bit older but has great pedigree, being an ex-Isle of Man Sidecar, and it sure proved it still has the goods at Morgan Park.

The Junior competition once again proved to be a great show of talent, with Dylan Mavin ultimately grabbing the round win.  Other standout performers at this meeting were Jacob Redding, Jacob Morgan and Nicky Diles.  As always there were sensational battles throughout the field, and the racing was very close, clean and professional.  We really should be very proud of the depth and quality of the junior road racing talent in Queensland.

Mention should be made of the fact that a number of women were racing at this round of the Southern Downs Challenge, in the Formula 400 and Formula 3 (125GP) classes, and also swinging off sidecars.  Not only were they present and competing, but they showed they have what it takes to push for the win.  Hopefully the list of female competitors in Queensland road racing will continue to grow.

The next road racing event at Morgan Park is the Queensland State Championships, incorporating the Queensland Historic Road Racing Championships, which will held on the long track on 21st & 22nd July.

More details from article – Queensland Road Racing State Championships Supp Regs released

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

True Sport Lives Here

Sports Minister Andrew Fraser has launched a new $200,000 statewide campaign aimed at lifting the standard of behaviour at Queensland junior sporting events.

The Government has worked with stakeholders in the sport and recreation industry to develop the True Sport Lives Here program. It aims to give our clubs, individuals and communities ways in which they can stamp out inappropriate behaviour at junior sporting events.

A number of Queensland sporting heroes, including World Champion swimmer Leisel Jones and former Rugby League great Steve Renouf have signed on as Ambassadors of True Sport and represent integrity, respect, fun, responsibility and excellence in sport.

Resource packages will be delivered all over Queensland to help local clubs and other organisations build a True Sport culture within their communities.

The package contains a number of suggestions that may be taken up by sporting clubs including:

• A Code of Ethics to be signed by parents, coaches, officials and players to agree with club rules and standards of behaviour;

• Red Card system that will give match officials permission to give yellow cards or red cards for behaviour contrary to the code of ethics. Those receiving a red card may be asked to leave the event;

• Fact sheets for parents that give them helpful tips to communicate positively with coaches, officials and their own children on game day; and

• Different uniforms for learner officials to encourage greater tolerance and appreciation of officials by players, coaches and spectators.

Planning for MQ’s Future

Motorcycling Queensland has begun the development of our Strategic Plan to guide us for the next three years (2008-2010).  Our current strategic plan has helped to document the goals which have been used to create our successful growth and operation for the past three years and which resulted in an extremely positive audit from the Queensland Government’s Sport and Recreation division earlier this year.

The planning process will bring together ideas and suggestions from meetings with our clubs, and mesh these in with the key goals noted in Motorcycling Australia’s own planning which is also under way. We are, after all, parts of the same team!

A meeting with club representatives from North and Central Queensland was held last Saturday, prior to the first round of the Australian Motocross Championships to be held in regional Queensland for about 20 years. About 25 representatives of our northern clubs made use of the great weather to meet in John Hand’s machinery shed at the Gum Valley Motorcross Track.

The regular MQ Council meeting which is held on the first Wednesday of each month is being turned over this month to allow south Queensland clubs a say in our direction as well. Each affiliated club is entitled to send two delegates to Council, and this is how you and your club can be involved in setting the agenda for Motorcycling Queensland.

Our Strategic Plan will be completed by September and it will form part of our submission for Queensland Government funding under the Sport and Recreation State Development Program. This funding is an essential part of our operations and allows us to provide services which other states cannot match.

Motorcycling Queensland Hits the Lead

Figures released recently by Motorcycling Australia show that Motorcycling Queensland is now issuing more licences than any other state in Australia. The work of Motorcycling Queensland, with our committees, clubs and promoters has enabled us to hit the lead in the race to expand motorcycle sport and recreation in Australia.

With a total membership of 6719, MQ eclipsed New South Wales (6184), Victoria (4210), Western Australia (4445), South Australia (2061), Tasmania (663) and the Northern Territory (380).

Motorcycling Queensland showed strong growth of over 10% in the last year to overtake New South Wales, whose numbers actually shrank over the same period. Our licensing numbers grew in every single licence category as well.

I believe that we have become the biggest because we are the best, and now it is up to every one of us to continue making Queensland the best motorcycling state in the country. Keep up the great work!

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King & Co Wrap Up Another Series
Story by: Leigh LaLonde

Team Moto Yamaha’s ‘King’ Kirk Hutton has walked away with another Queensland series.

The seven-time Queensland Enduro champion, who has reigned supreme in most of the state’s series for the best part of 10 years, has another Honda Pony Express Series crown to add to his collection.

Long-time mate and Yamaha rider Peter Adams was Hutton’s partner in crime this year and was duly chuffed with the duo’s win of all three rounds of the series.

“I was very impressed by Pete… at the first round in May he had a major crash, gashing both of his knees to the bone while he flew over the handlebars and we thought he broke his wrist as well,” Hutton said.

“I had convinced him to ride, he hasn’t raced for several years, and all I could think after he crashed was ‘right, that’s it, after the first lap of the first round’.

“But he wasn’t fazed at all. Got back on his bike and finished the day, not even dropping much time.

“He is really fast and very determined. For him to even be ready to race in the second and third rounds in late-June, after such a major crash only weeks before, was amazing” said Hutton.

The second and third rounds of the series were held Saturday and Sunday, June 23 and 24, at Goomburra, near Warwick.

Hutton’s domination of the five-hour Pony events started about seven years ago, when he and brother Duncan teamed up.

The brothers dominated the series for so many years in a row that organisers decided to change the rules, making it impossible for two Pro riders to be a team.

The new rules meant the Hutton boys, who are both Pros, could not ride together and instead, had to each ride with an Expert partner.

But the rules were to have little effect on ‘The King’, who continued to win the series with partners including Yamaha rider Nick Beattie.

Last season was the only exception to Hutton’s reign, when team mate Team Moto KTM’s Michael Oliver and Brett Beaumont scooped Hutton and Yamaha rider Brendan Nation for the series title.

Trophies for this year’s series will be presented at the Queensland Enduro Presentation night, scheduled to be held on Saturday 24th November.

The next Queensland series is the highly popular Suzuki Enduro Cross Series, which starts on September 2.

The final round of the Yamaha Queensland Two-Day Enduro Championships are also coming up, to be held on July 21 and 22.

Visit the Queensland Enduro website at www.qldenduro.com for more information.

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Neil Fagerstrom Memorial Road Race
Story by: Tim Hewitt
Photo by: Tim Hewitt

The Townsville Motorcycle Club conducted its annual Neil Fagerstrom Memorial Road Race meeting at Suncity Raceway , Townsville on the 9th and 10th of June.

Named in honor of recently deceased TMCC Life Member Neil Fagerstrom, the meeting incorporated the ninth consecutive One Hour Superlite Challenge, sponsored again this year by Weldsure.

The event consists of teams comprising one bike and two riders, one of whom must ride for a minimum twenty minutes in the hour long race. 17 teams contested the event, with participants traveling from as far afield as Rockhampton and Maryborough.

Saturday’s events kicked off with practice, several rider competencies, and then the serious business of the One Hour Superpole.

In the absence of electronic timing, each team nominated a rider to complete a manually timed flying lap of the circuit, in an attempt to determine the grid for the Le Mans style start on Sunday. Yes, that’s right, a Le Mans start, where for some the most arduous task of the day is the sprint across 8 metres of bitumen!

All competitors got away cleanly (no small feat), and we settled into an hour of bucketeers doing what they do best ………

In the Pro class, Dave Penna made an early break on the field, and after twenty laps had passed everyone twice! His partner Dave Mackay had an easy ride to claim first place for the team. Will Yearsley was in a comfortable second, until he got too comfortable and lost the rear of the mighty H100.

Never before has a competitor, having committed himself to a highside, taken so long to actually accomplish it! Apart from a bit of pride and a bashed up bike and helmet, no damage was done – well done Will...

John Moses and Dave Brownlee had no qualms about grabbing second, while the hastily cobbled together team of Len Pollock and first time bucket rider Chris Kahler were happy with third. In fact Chris was so happy, he committed to buying a Superlite the very next day.

In the Am class, Team Clowes, consisting of brothers Ivan and Michael, proved yet again that being quickest doesn’t necessarily mean trophies. The guys ran at a steady pace all day, and both were as surprised as the balance of the field when they were awarded third.

Second placed Steve Diez and Gerard Kennedy ran second on a borrowed machine, and FNQRRC regulars Owen Lewis and Kyle Bateup were awarded first place. Hot shot favorites Alby Lee Sye and Mick Barra, and A grade Motarders Ross Taylor and Jarrod Koppe had last minute machine problems (what, with a bucket? Never!!!!), and their forced withdrawal left the event wide open. Better luck next year guys…

Whilst the One Hour Event was the highlight of the meeting, there was no shortage of action in the support classes, four x 6 lap sprints and one x 15 lap heat for each class.

In the GP125 class, Dave Allen rode to an unchallenged third place. Will Yearsley may have made this difficult, until his borrowed helmet slipped on his coconut and compromised his peripheral vision. Expensive bucket crash that one Will!

Warwick Ayers made a welcome return to Suncity, and rode to a fine second place which included a maiden win, on a TZ125 that he had collected on Wednesday. Fast learner, or seasoned veteran?

Currently third in the MRRDA GP125 series, Paul Reid also returned to Suncity, and won three from four to take home the Hot Stuff trophy.

The Junior Motarders did their thing, and Bryce Goostrey and Andrew McLiesh riding 250cc four strokes were too strong for newcomer Gary Kennedy aboard his 125. We have had 7 or 8 of these guys competing on a regular basis, but a clash of dates saw the numbers down a little in this class.

Am Superlite saw Honda H100 riders Alby Lee Sye and Mick Barra slug it out over 5 heats, with Alby emerging the victor by one point. Owen Lewis rounded out third place.

Pro Superlite results were Dave Penna first, Scott McClymont second, and Mareeba based Colin Richardson third.

Formula RR was well subscribed, with 15 competitors facing the starter. Steve Diez aboard an SV650 claimed first, Dean Bodle was second on a VFR400, and Dave Penna was third on a CBR250RR.

Formula 3 saw similar numbers and again Steve Diez and Dean Bodle were first and second, and Mike Shelley was third riding his freshened up ZXR400 SP.

Production 250 netted Dave Penna yet another first place, Sean Conroy was second, and Max Diplock lifted the third place trophy. Max is getting faster each meeting.

In the Senior Motard class, numbers were down due to other events, but Ross Taylor and Matt Jurss went head to head for the five events, with Ross emerging the victor by a comfortable margin. Airlie Beach competitor Michael McLiesh ran away with third place.

In all, 58 competitors entered the meeting, and thanks to valued sponsors most of the guys paid a nomination fee of $ 75.00 for 5 sprint races. Cheap racing!

Now, time to start work on the bucket ready for next year.

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Focus on Coaching
Story by: Scott Bishop

With the rise in popularity of racing and riding off road bikes in general, many newcomers to the sport have been looking for, and chasing information about getting rider coaching so they can participate safely in their new sport. The Motorcycling Queensland webpage does have a list of active coaches, but every month in ‘Focus on Coaching’ we’ll feature three coaches, what they do, and how you can go about contacting them if you are interested in getting lessons.

NATHAN CRAWFORD

Nathan is a pro level racer and has raced at the highest level on well-supported teams. He has also had a stint racing in the US only a few seasons ago. Nathan has been a coaching for quite some time now and has held his level 2 coaching card for the past six years. He believes in quality not quantity and limits all classes to a maximum of 12 students with at least 2 accredited coaches.

Where: Nathan conducts two-day rider coaching at the Stanmore motocross track during all school holidays. He also does a run up north on demand at various tracks around Cairns.

When: All school holidays and private one on one lessons are available by appointment.

Cost: $200 for two-day schools. Private coaching prices available on demand but depend on track and travel requirements.

What you will learn: Riding and racing techniques that will allow you to ride motocross and Supercross safely and improve performance.

Contact details: Mobile: 0401 812 125

CHRIS URQUHART

Chris is one of the most experienced coaches in Australia having worked alongside Stephen Gall and Lyndon Heffernan for nearly 10 years in the Yamaha Australia Institute of Motocross. His racing career has also been successful with top results at both state and national level, but due to serious injury his racing has slowed, but his coaching has taken off.

Where: Chris runs a coaching session every Thursday afternoon at the Reedy Creek track between 4 and 6pm. He is also the Queensland agent for the Y-Aim program and travels the state coaching anything from groups of riders to clubs.

When: Reedy Creek every Thursday afternoon, weather permitting, and can take his entire course to you. Already has multi day schools booked for Townsville, Proserpine, Middlemount and Yeppoon before the end of the year.

Cost: Reedy Creek is $15 per session. 1 day - $100, 2 days - $185, 3 days - $275. Private lessons start at $50 per hour depending on location. Minimum of 2 hours.

What you will learn: all courses cater for everything from basic riding to advanced techniques. Body position, clutch, throttle and brake control, starts, jumping, cornering and briefly touching on bike set ups and nutrition.

Contact details: www.y-aim.com.au or Chris on 0408 876 080

BEN SCHODEL

Been has been racing since the age of 7 and has many years experience behind a set of handlebars. He recently became involved with Lee Hogan’s BCP rider training and has started a junior training program for the SEQ junior motocross championship. Ben gained his Level 2 coaches licence in 2006.

Where: Ben is the club coach for the Coolum and also has been running days at Kilcoy. Ben has set the ball rolling in getting his private track at Woodford licenced through MQ so he can conduct some coaching there also.

When: The Coolum sessions are held every Thursday afternoon between 2pm and 5pm, also on Saturday mornings on race free weekends and public holidays. Private lessons are available on demand.

Price: Private, one on one training, are $75 per hour. Group bookings start at $35 for half day and $75 for a full day.

What you will learn: Ben covers everything from starts, to jumping, cornering, bike set up and fitness.

Contact details: benschodel@hotmail.com or 0410 690 392

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July Rumour Round Up
Story by: Scott Bishop

With the Nokia MX Nationals having two events in succession up here in the Sunshine State, and the fact that we are getting late in the race season, the regular end of season musical chairs is starting to really hot up.

# Daniel Reardon has confirmed he will be leaving Australia to race in the US for the Sobe/ Samsung Honda Team. Reardon spent a couple of weeks in the US testing for nearly every team and said the Sobe team was the best fit. The contract is open to what size bikes he rides and Daniel will leave here as soon as his contract obligations are over for the 2007 season. Congratulations to Daniel and let's hope this is the start of a successful career in the US.

# Speaking of US bound, Jake Moss is currently in the US and is said to have the ear of some high profile teams. The story in the pits was that a contract from the Yamaha of Troy factory outfit was in his briefcase and awaiting his signature.

# Cool Air Racing will be back for 2008 with both Troy Carroll and US import Kyle Tobin returning to the successful upstart team. Rumors have surfaced about the team becoming the official Suzuki Lites team, but Troy has commented he will be racing the Open class again in 2008.

# Todd Waters and Dean Ferris have stunned everybody with the racing this year and it looks set to be rewarded via significant deals for 2008. KTM have had lengthy chats with Waters and he looks to be staying on the orange bikes while Ferris is mulling over a few offers and as yet hasn’t put pen to paper.

# Brenden Harrison will again pad up in Serco Yamaha gear for 2008 after signing a deal to race the Pro Lites class for next season. 2007 has seen Harrison come of age and he currently leads the Under 19 Championship with only two rounds to go.

# Cheyne Boyd has re-signed to the CDR Yamaha team for 2008 and quashed rumors he was headed for Kawasaki. CDR is said to be chasing Jay Marmont to partner him next year in the Pro Open class.

# Darryl Hurley will be staying with Suzuki for another year while he might get a new teammate. No word on what is happening with Luke Burkhart. 

# US based Queenslander Michael Byrne is said to have done a deal with a new private race team starting in the US next season. The story goes he will be alongside Josh Hansen and on Yamaha bikes on a team owned by a wealthy and enthusiastic businessman. 

# The successful Under 19 championship as part of the MX Nationals is undergoing a makeover for next year. The championship will be broken up into a four round north and south series, with the top 20 points scorers from each division meeting in a two-round final. This year the young guns proved to be more than fast enough to match it with the Pro Lites guys. 

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RJ's Coaching Tips
Story by: Rod Jenner

Rod Jenner was one of the first coaches to obtain Level 2 coaching accreditation in Australia (currently the highest coaching accreditation level in the land), he is the presenter of Queensland’s Level 1 Coaching Course and Motorcycling Australia's Level 2 Coaching Course, the Chairman of the Motorcycling Queensland Coaching Committee, co-ordinator of Motorcycling Queensland’s u21’s Elite Training Camps, and is currently employed by Yamaha to present its Quad / ATV Coaching Program.

I don’t know how many times I’ve had someone approach me knowing that I’m a coach and ask me if I can give them an answer to something that they think is such a simple question. Not knowing that it may be the biggest question that a coach could answer. “How or what do I need to do to prepare for a big competition?”  

Now even though that seems like quite a simple question to ask, the question is actually quite a difficult one to answer. 

There are a number of points that need to be considered by the rider, the team that work with the rider (more often then not this is the parents), and anyone else that may be involved with the rider for the particular event, before anyone can even get close to giving an answer to that question.

Time lines

Time lines are the major factor in preparing for any event, major or minor. The biggest mistake riders make is asking how to prepare for a major event with only 8 weeks to go. Even though 8 weeks does give you time to make some improvements, the only way to really gain maximum benefit from your preparation for a major event is to start your preparation as early as possible.

With that said it is not that often that a rider decides to enter a major event with only a few weeks to spare. Generally riders have an idea or a goal to ride a major event well in advance of that event actually happening. Usually we are talking 12 months, 2 years, or even longer and that is the sort of time line that you need to have to give yourself the preparation and gain the best result you possibly can from the event. Basically time lines are all about setting goals, understanding your goals, and giving yourself enough time to work towards reaching those goals.

Where are you at now?

Once you have worked out what time lines you have to work with, the next thing that needs to be sorted out is: Where are you at now?  This covers quite a few areas;

Riding skills
This one is quite simple. You need to look at your riding skill level at the start of your preparation, work out what your strengths and weaknesses are within your riding skills. What skills will be the most important to implement in order to improve on your weaknesses within the time you have available, which will ultimately give you the best benefit come competition time

Fitness level
The whole ‘where are you at now’ with fitness is quite easy to establish. There a number of different tests you can do to check your fitness level.    Things like the shuttle runs commonly known as the ‘beep tests’, which will check cardiovascular fitness (heart and lung capacity), strength test with weights or maximum push up/sit up type tests.

At the end of the day checking a person’s fitness level is easy, as there are a number of good tests, and a lot of good data available to show what sort of fitness level riders need to have for an elite rider in their given discipline.

Equipment
What sort of equipment are you using now?  This covers quite of few things as far as your bike and machinery set up, plus all the other equipment and hardware that it takes to compete in your chosen event.  A good example of this is: do you have a suspension set up that will get you and your bike to where you need to be?

Financial status
This is a big one. Obviously you need to know all the costs and budget for the event and everything leading up to it. You also need to factor in worst case scenarios. One of the biggest mistake some people make is that they under estimate the expenses of attending a major event and all the factors leading up to that event.

One thing that a lot of people don’t consider is that if you are going to ride a major event it will normally cause you to increase the amount of riding you do and the number of events you ride leading up to that major event. You need to factor in the extra time on the bike resulting in extra maintenance of the bike, etc. etc. Then there is also additional financial expenses such as extra travel costs, extra equipment and spare parts, more entry fees for the major event as well as the ones leading up to it. It doesn’t end there, you may also need to spend money on fitness equipment, training, gym membership fees, and having appropriate training programs designed for you, as well as additional coaching on and off the bike.

Support
The thing with support is that we are not only talking about financial support, but the support given to you from the people around you. Do you have the right people backing you to achieve your goals? Is there anyone from within that group who is just making your goals harder to achieve? I know you have all seen it before, a lot of people with the best intentions sometimes are only going to make it difficult for you to achieve your goals. Sometimes the people thinking that they are giving you the most support, might actually be the ones who are holding you back.

The only way to know this is to step back away from your situation and have a good look at what people are doing around you.

Where do you need to be?

You need to look at all the things listed above, assess them and work out where you need to be for the event that you are preparing for. Once you have done this you need to make a plan, set some goals and work toward them. 

As you can see, there isn’t a simple answer to “How or what do I need to do to prepare for a big competition?” 

At the end of the day if you asking this question only 8 weeks out from an event you probably weren’t all that that serious about the event to start with. I have been to Training Camps which were conducted about 8 weeks prior to a major competition where attendees were required to do hill sprints and the like.

Now this may seem like a good idea for a Training Camp but unless you are going to continue to do fitness training regularly, one day of hard physical exercise is only going to do one of two detrimental things. Firstly it will either wear the person out and make their muscles so sore that they wont want to do any exercise again, or secondly it could make the rider mentally insecure about their physical ability to compete in the event. Training Camps this close to a major event could be better spent on honing rider technique, and skill improvement, etc.

Off the bike physical training is something that the better riders are continually doing throughout the year, it shouldn’t be something that just starts in the lead up to a major event.

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