THE 2007 SEASON BEGINS

Australian Superbike Championships After Round 1
Story by: Tom Williams

Round one of the 2007 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship at Eastern Creek, NSW, brought mixed fortunes for the Queensland competitors. There were some good results for some, disappointments for others and a couple of surprise performances too.

This year has seen the return to the series of Australian international racers Craig Coxhell, Anthony Gobert and Nick Henderson.

The Superbike class was dominated in qualifying and in both races by Jamie Stauffer (Yamaha R1) whose form is as strong as last year. His brother and team mate Daniel finished the weekend with a pair of fine seconds. Race one was run in 2 parts due to a crash involving Steve Manning who high sided in turn 9.

Queenslander Robbie Bugden took delivery of his new bike just immediately before scrutineering on Thursday afternoon and the team had to then set about chasing setup on it. By race one he was still chasing front end settings and in the restart came down exiting turn 8. The bike was repaired for race 2, but an electrical fault due to crash damage caused it to expire at turn 3 soon after the restart.  Robbie returns to New Zealand this weekend to continue his assault on their national championship which he narrowly leads.

Others from north of the border in the Superbike class were Cole Odendaal (Suzuki) and Brendan Gurowski and Brent Sidwell (both on Hondas) who all finished both races for valuable points.

In the Supersport races the crowd witnessed another Jamie Stauffer / Yamaha clean sweep with minor placings being filled by his R6 mounted team mates Jason O’Halloran and Jeremy Crowe. The only Queenslanders making it to the start line were Judd Greedy and Gareth Jones. Judd was impressive on his Honda taking a sixth and a fifth. He was only held back by a lack of horsepower, regularly showing the factory riders his front wheel on the back sections of the track.

Gareth Jones surprised many onlookers with his performance improvement since last year. Suspension wizard Mick Hams has brought his experience to the Yamaha ElectroRegenesis Health Tech team, and the bike is now set up better, although still down on horsepower, Gareth is displaying much more confidence in his machine. He finished with an eighth and a tenth after qualifying eleventh.

In the 600cc Superstocks (for C and D grade riders) Ben Henry of Western Australia took the round win, this year on a Suzuki, with two first places and a third. Queenslander Alistair Reid, also Suzuki mounted, has made his mark early in the year with third in qualifying and two fourths and a third in three closely fought races. Des Darby (Yamaha) improved on his results in each race to finish as high as ninth in race three.

Gold Coaster Blake Leigh-Smith took the round win in 125GP’s with two wins and a second with Rhys Moller beating him to the line by 0.099 seconds in race two. Fifteen year old Jackson Leigh-Smith, riding his brother’s spare bike, managed to place inside the top ten in races two and three. Brad Gross has made an impressive start to the year with sponsorship coming from GMC and Brad repaying them with a third and two fourths. His riding has matured and he is ready to start winning races in the near future.

In Formula Xtreme for D, C and selected B and A graders, Shane Whiteley of Victoria dominated every race but Queensland riders Michael McMillan and Gino Reviglio were impressive, both completing qualifying with front row starts and McMillan missing the restart in race one, after a first lap red flag, and claiming a fifth and a fourth in subsequent races. He is campaigning the series under the guidance of experienced racer and Level 2 coach, Dave Fuller.

A strong contingent of riders who had made the trip south from Queensland for this class included Dale Hovey and Scott Allars who managed three top ten finishes. Bill Middleton, Shane Robinson and Adrian Pierpoint all had mixed fortunes with DNF’s, and Josh Houwen riding his Yamaha FZ6 was consistently faster than any of the other 600’s in the class.

Despite low entry numbers forcing the combination of Pro twins, Naked bikes/NK Lites and the FZ6 cup, the classes were well supported by Queensland riders. Craig McMartin of New South Wales on the Ducati 749, emerged victorious from each of the close races.

His main competition came from Scott Charlton and Roland Cruck on Yamaha FZ1’s, and defending Naked bike champion Jon Cartwright on his new Benelli. Jon took a third, a fourth then fell in race three. Adrian Pierpoint had a seventh, a fifth and a DNF on his Benelli while Bill Middleton, also Benelli mounted, finished every race.

Paul Roe managed two fifths and a crash on his Aprilia Tuono. In the FZ6 cup Beau McKenzie with Northstar Yamaha sponsorship was clearly enjoying himself while learning the ropes of riding at this level.

Josh Houwen (Weldalloy Racing) leads the class with his team mate Guy Munn having a less than successful weekend with his engine blowing up during race two, forcing him out for the weekend.

A late entry in Sidecars was 2006 runner up Stacey Sellar of Queensland, who placed third in race one but was forced to retire with mechanical problems before races two and three.

For a complete list of the results of round one check out www.formula-xtreme.com.au

Round two/three (a double header) takes place at the twisty Winton circuit in Victoria from Thursday, 22nd March to Sunday, 25th March.

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Title Trio Mine, says AJ
Story by: Leigh Lalonde

AUSTRALIAN Enduro racing’s ‘State of Origin’ is set to kick off for another year, and if Honda’s Anthony AJ Roberts has his way, the result will be maroon all the way for the third season in a row.

The Queensland racer is fit and ready to defend his title. The Bribie Island resident has come out on top of a field stacked with the best Enduro racers in the country for the past two years.

Roberts – newly-mounted on a red machine – has snared the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Series from the traditionally dominating state of New South Wales for the last two years. Roberts also made history when he won the New South Wales’ Rider of the Year in 2005.

With this season’s first rounds of the title-setting national series fast approaching, Roberts’ eye is again on the number one plate, which he says has gotten comfortable up in the Sunshine State.

“New South Wales are definitely a powerful state when it comes to off-road racing. The majority of the top riders are from New South Wales and it has been that way for a very long time,” Roberts said.

“But definitely, me coming and winning it back-to-back, it has stirred them up a bit. But that’s racing. Everyone wants [the title] whether they are from New South Wales, Queensland or Victoria.”

Roberts said the rivalry between himself and the best from NSW “was probably the worst” after he won the rider of the year title and the NSW State Series.

“I think that was the first time a non-NSW rider has won their championship and trophy and that really upset them,” he said. “And then, winning the [Yamaha Australian Off-Road Series] two years in a row made it even worse. But that’s the way it is. Everyone wanted to win, it’s a bit like a State of Origin.”

Roberts said there are plenty of good riders in Queensland, however it is increasingly difficult to compete with the southern states due to their professional races and junior development programs.

“They run good, professional championships for the seniors but also for the juniors… They are creating their own talent and that’s very hard to compete with,’’ Roberts said. “Their depth of riders is so much better, by the time they come to the [Australian Four Day Enduro] or any other bigger races, Queensland just really struggles to compete.

“I think the Queensland Enduro committee has to rethink the path they are going, we need to keep the young guys in the sport.”

Roberts holds high hopes for his performance this season. He said he is riding “faster than ever” and enjoying re-visiting his racing roots.

“I grew up on Hondas, when I first hit the Enduro scene I was on Honda. They are good bikes, a good company and I am having a lot of fun,” he said.

The first and second rounds of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championships are to be held at Port Macquarie in NSW on March 10 and 11, with this year being the first time that the Series has been elevated to Australian Championship status.

Roberts has competed at the venue and said it is one of the best tracks he has ever ridden.

“In 2005 I raced a NSW State Series race there and I won both days,” Roberts said. “It is typically a tighter track and it has some rock in it. It starts on a little motocross track and if it rains it can get quite muddy,” he said.

“We have never done a Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship there before, but it’s good fun, one of the better tracks I have ridden.”

Roberts was not the only Cane Toad in the top of the rankings in the prestigious series last year. Team Moto Moorooka Yamaha’s King Kirk Hutton will be fronting the line at Port Macquarie with the number 10 on the plates of his YZ250.

“I expect Kirk to be up there,” Roberts said. “He did very well last year. I don’t know about Michael Oliver and Ryan Smart, they didn’t have the best of seasons last year and I know they will be trying to improve on that. But it’s going to be tough, there are a lot of fast riders.”

North Brisbane resident Hutton is looking forward to climbing higher in the top 10 this season.

The two-stroke specialist and seven-time Queensland Enduro champion finished sixth outright in the Series’ inaugural year and fell to 10th last year.

“There are a lot of faster, younger riders at the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championships now,” Hutton said. “The competition is picking up the pace to a whole new level, which took me by surprise a little bit last year, but now I have increased my training and I am hoping to be able to run at that level this year. I am aiming for a top 10 result and maybe a class win.”

The Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championships consist of rounds made up of sprint – timed laps – one two-day Enduro and several cross-country – two hour races with class, mass starts – formats. There will be one round in Queensland at Conondale in the Sunshine Coast hinterland on May 19 and 20.

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Junior Road Racing

Motorcycling Australia’s introduction of new Junior Road Racing classes as at the 1st January has provided road racing with the ability to offer competitors as young as 7 a progression through to the senior ranks from a much younger age than previously.  Prior to the introduction of the new classes a junior competitor could not become a road race contender until they were 13 years of age unless they participated under Minimoto rules. 

Interest for a junior class had not been sufficient since the glory days of the Moriwaki 80’s with competitors such as Chris Vermeulen circulating around Lakeside, but finally, 2006 saw the reintroduction of junior road racing class to the Sportsmen club championships.  Numbers and growing interest from as far a field as Bundaberg and northern NSW, prompted the club to provide the kids with an opportunity to be part of the larger racing environment at Queensland Raceway and in participation of the new 2007 classes the Motorcycle Sportsmen of Queensland  are providing Juniors with a 4 round “Youngstar” series. 

This is a junior series with senior classes such as Superlites (100cc 2/ & 150cc 4/) and the new Scooter 50cc & Scooter 250cc classes providing support. Juniors will be competing on machines ranging in capacity from 50cc autos through to the new Honda CBR150RR. 

The club hopes that a series with juniors as top billing will provide the incentive for more participation by competitors from the other disciplines within motorcycling.

2007 will see more Junior Road Racing than ever before throughout the country with a national road race series being conducted under the Motorcycle Road Race Development Association (www.mrrda.com) and the Metrakit Championship (www.metrakit.com.au) for Metrakit motorcycles being promoted throughout the east coast.  Junior competitors have the opportunity to race every second weekend throughout the year if inclined.  Interest has been steadily growing since the publicity surrounding the new classes was released and the club hopes to see these junior classes succeed here in Australia as they have internationally.

Scooter Racing

The recent boost in scooter sales throughout south-east Qld has prompted the club to offer owners the opportunity to either practice or race their machine.  This class will be run under usual race conditions and rules but is billed as a class for participants to enjoy and have fun with. 

The Scooter classes are gaining interest from road racers, supermoto competitors and the road going public.  They provide a cheap way to start out in the racing environment with riders able to get on track for around $2,500 including machine, protective gear and a competition licence.  What more could anyone ask for?  The club is hoping to attract competitors from dirt disciplines to this class to give them a taste of the bitumen in a casual fun environment. 

Classes of competition are:  Scooter 50cc – for car license machines & Scooter 250cc – for motorcycle license machines from 51cc up to 250cc.  A womens only class will be included if interest is sufficient.

Superlites

Superlites, once known as “Buckets”, have been going strong for this past couple of decades with the class being run by Superbike Lites Racing, Qld Early Motorcycle Sports Club and previously by the Motorcycle Sportsmen.  Superlites are a fun, cheap and competitive way to start road racing through to the senior ranks.  The 100cc 2 stroke and 150cc 4 stroke machines are based on road going commuter motorcycles that have of course been modified for the track. 

The Series

The four round series will be conducted at the Ipswich Kart Club, Willowbank. The Kart track is a brilliant venue with a bitumen track of 1080m, covered pits and marshalling area, fully serviced canteen and officials facilities that most only dream of. The Ipswich Kart Club has welcomed the road racing and supermoto to their facility again in 2007.

Dates for the Series are:

Round 1: 10 March
Round 2: 21 April
Round 3: 11 August
Round 4: 13 October

All four rounds will be conducted as late afternoon / night events on Saturdays with racing expected to commence at 3.30pm and run through to approximately 9.30pm.

Road Race Coaching

Junior coaching days have been conducted for both licensed and unlicensed competitors and their parents in preparation for the new season.  The twice monthly practice nights for the road race classes at Ipswich are also providing the opportunity for new participants to obtain the required 5 hours of coaching.  The club’s coaches welcome any potential competitor’s enquiries and are only too happy to provide free coaching at the practice nights.

For enquiries into the Youngstar Series, the classes of competition, coaching or road racing in general, please feel free to contact the Motorcycle Sportsmen on (07) 3262 6677 or www.motorcyclesportsmen.com.au 

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Go Girls Series Underway
Story by: Tamara Gray
Photo supplied by: Mickey Moose photographics

Off the back of the success of the Go Girls Women’s Cup, the first round of the 2007 Husqvarna Go Girls Women’s Off Road Series saw another massive turn out of the fairer sex within the discipline of motocross. Of the 200 riders at the event, nearly half were female.

The event was hosted by the Kilcoy Club on 25th February. Rain during riders briefing made conditions in practice very slippery on the black soil surface. By the first round of racing however, the track was shaping up nicely with flowing ruts turning up on the inside lines, and it was to lead to a day of fast racing.

With virtually every shade of pink and purple imaginable the pits were lit up with girly bikes and tonnes of girly moto gear.  Once these beauties were out on track, the fact that they were girls could only be distinguished by these pretty colours, and the occasional ponytail tangling from the back of a few helmets. As many girls now ride with great technique and skill they are hard to distinguish from their male competition.

With many new faces, and lots of girls stepping up an age group, or on to larger bikes, the entries and competition in each race continues to grow at every event.

Some of the outstanding performances recorded for the day included:

Maddison McGee with three straight wins in the Female Div 2 class.

Maddison Hold with three straight wins in the Female 65cc 7-u10 years class.

Queensland Female Junior number 3 plate holder Patrice Hearn with 3 impressive wins over Junior Queensland number 7 rider Alli Jan in the Female 65cc 10-u13 years. 

Micayla Aitken with three wins in the Female Mini Lites 9-u12 years. 

Courtney Hirst, Patrice Hearn and Junior Queensland Champion Sarah Guthrie went head to head in the Female Mini Lites 12-u16 years with Hirst coming out on top with the two wins and a second, Hearn in second and Guthrie in third. 

Girls on the Gas winner Taylor Jones couldn’t take a trick in the Female Lites class with mishaps in every moto, whilst Stacey Griffiths stole the show with two wins. Jessie Westaway also managed a controversial win, putting these three fast ladies in the finishing order of Griffiths 1st, Westaway 2nd, and Jones 3rd. 

Jamie Hargie overcame a rough start to the day, care of some practice mishaps, ending the day with three impressive wins in the Female Senior Lites B grade.

The premier Female Senior A grade class was dominated by the 16 year old New South Wales rider Ashley Bates, with regular front runner Tamara Gray showing glimpses of her Queensland Title winning speed. Although still on her return from a severe spinal injury, she was outclassed by Bates who took three straight wins from her over the course of the day.

The combined Senior women’s A grade class and B grade class saw a full grid of starters, much to the delight of the Series Co-ordinator, Bevan Judd.

The implementation of the “B” grade class at the beginning of last season continues to be a success, with new female riders coming into the sport in the senior ranks, knowing they don’t have the added pressure of having to compete in the same class as some of the best female racers in the country.

Round 2 of the Series (Saturday 10th March) will be something new for a lot of the girls, with the introduction of Saturday night racing at the Reedy Creek track at the Gold Coast.  The shiny shades of pink and purple should be a spectacular sight under the lights!

Full Series results will be available from www.gogirlracing.com.au

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World Superbike Championship Heads Down Under
Story by: Tom Williams

The second round of the 2007 World Superbike Championship is about to take place at Phillip Island, Victoria and after the first round at Qatar just finished, the new order is starting to emerge.

Preseason testing was as expected with Bayliss on his Ducati being the rider for the rest to chase, but Biaggi has done as he did when he first stepped up to the premier GP class and taken the win in his first ever WSBK race.

He followed up in race two with a second to Toseland, staying less than a second from him for the whole race.

Bayliss will be keen to make up for his disappointing fifth and eighth places this weekend in Australia. Kevin Curtain took a fine second place in Supersport after having topped qualifying. With six Australians in SBK and two in Supersport, it promises to be a thrilling event on their home track.

This year the program has a new look with forgotten era (period 4 and 5) bikes gracing the list of support races.

Spectators are in for a spectacle as a full field of machinery from the sixties to the early eighties takes to the Island’s spectacular circuit.

Other support races include Australian Superbikes and a combined Supersport and Superstock race. Since this isn’t a part of the National championship the control tyre rules don’t apply. However tyres will still have to fall within the homologation rules in the GCR’s.

Motorcycling Australia has launched a new page on its website www.ma.org.au dedicated entirely to this year's Australian round of the 2007 World Superbike Championship in Phillip Island.

With the three-day event only a couple of days away, the page on the MA website has been designed to keep people informed of the latest news and information surrounding the event.

The page features interviews, photos and rider profiles as well as all the latest news, and is a one-stop-shop for everything needed to keep up to date with the event.

Don’t miss the action at the Island from the 2nd – 4th March 2007!

You can keep up-to-date with all of the action from the World Superbike Championships from throughout the year at www.worldsbk.com

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Women and Rookies Get National Championship
Story by: Scott Bishop

Williams Event Management (WEM), Series organisers of the Nokia Motocross Nationals, have released plans for the 2007 season to include more national crowns up for grabs, namely the Australian Women’s Motocross Championship and the Rookie Cup.

Yamaha have come on board as the naming rights sponsor and the championship will be known as the Yamaha Development Series that will include a junior championship in 85cc and 125cc two stroke as well as 150 and 250cc four- stroke and a class for all female competitors.

There will be three rounds of the series where both the Women’s and junior fields will compete together at the same venue before the final of each will be run separately, but in conjunction with rounds of the Nokia Motocross Nationals.

DATES AND VENUES

Round 1: 18 March - Newry, Victoria
Round 2: 3 June – Lakes, NSW
Round 3 (Women only): 24 June - Toowoomba, QLD
Round 4: 15 July – Horsham, Victoria
Round 5: (Rookies only) 23 July – Wonthaggi, Victoria
 
At present Queensland boasts some of the country’s top female and junior riders and we can expect big things from those contesting the series. The only issue for some riders is that rounds clash with some Sunshine State Motocross Series events, so some hard decisions must be made.

In the Rookie class of 2006, Queensland posted a 1-2 finish with Harley Quinlan and Todd Waters showing the guys from down south the fast way around. Waters is now in the senior classes and will compete in the Under 19 championship, so it will be left to Harley and fellow Queenslander’s Casey Turner, Kerrod Morrissy, Jake Pengelly and Sam Southey to uphold the honor.

The Mini Lites class also has plenty of Queensland talent if they make the trip south with Shaun Redhead, Sam Duncanson, Jake Wright and a host of others all capable of big results. But the big issues for most Queenslanders are that we don’t have a round up here the costs incurred of attending these events plus the hectic Queensland calendar. The list of riders entered at the time of writing only had one local boy seeded for the event in all junior classes, Jake Wright.

The Queensland Girls will also be in contention with Tamara Gray, Rebecca Bateman, Brooke Thiemann, Ashley Bates and Keira Smith ready for a shot at glory. But just like the junior series, only a few local girls have already entered; Tamara Gray, Brooke Thiemann and Janella Vecchio.

This series is a great shot in the arm for girls racing and let’s hope it encourages other women to enjoy the sport and raise the profile of women already participating.

For many of these racers, it is their only chance to race in front of team managers and movers and shakers in the industry. A top result can add plenty of momentum to a rider’s career and those seeking to further themselves in the sport should certainly look at it as a significant stepping stone for the future.

Keep up-to-date with all that the Womens & Rookies Championships have to offer via www.ozmotox.com

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'King' Kirk Starts Season Strong
Story by: Leigh LaLonde

TEAM Moto Moorooka Yamaha rider Kirk Hutton is a testament to the statement ‘gets better with age’.

The Brisbane resident has dominated the Queensland Enduro racing scene for nearly a decade, winning seven state titles as well as picking up a national title and several Australian top-10 rankings.

Just when it looked as if the long-time YZ250 pilot couldn’t add any more victories to his scorecard, Hutton blitzed a field of more than 150 at the first Queensland race of the year.

The skies gifted the drought-stricken Boonah Shire with rain the Saturday night before the first round of the Yamaha Sprint Cross-Country Series, held on February 11.

A healthy field, bolstered by several motocross riders out to see what Enduro was all about, enjoyed unusually lush and relatively dust-free conditions.

Hutton easily took the outright and Pro Class wins, beating team mate KTM’s Michael Oliver by nearly two minutes after six, 10 to 12-minute timed laps.

“After riding the practice lap I was really comfortable and extra happy because it had rained the night before and the tracks were in primo condition,” Hutton said.

“Although fast, the tracks did have some technical bits, which helped to add some diversity and keep it interesting. They really had a bit of everything.”

“There was absolutely no dust, and perfect, loamy berms, which are so rare to have in Queensland due to the lack of rain. I just can’t say how much I enjoyed the day’s racing, it was so good to have a good track and good conditions and to see so many turn out and have a good day.”

Hutton said his new bike “felt awesome”. He said a high level of comfort on his machine and the lush conditions helped him run away with the win.

“I was the only pro rider whose times actually got faster throughout the day… There were two tracks and the riders were split into two groups and each did three laps of each track,” he said.

“My times got faster on each track and I was really happy with that.”

Hutton said he started off with a 20-second lead after the first lap and added at least 10 seconds a lap on the competition in the remaining five laps.

Team Moto KTM’s Michael Oliver had a solid day, beating third placed Yamaha rider Grant Siebenhausen by nearly 40 seconds.

National number one and newly-mounted Honda pilot Anthony AJ Roberts showed up for practice lap but called it quits in favour of better locations for testing his CRF450R.

“I had my mechanic and suspension specialist up from Sydney and really had to make the best of my time with them,” Roberts said.

“The tracks were not what we were after to further develop my bike, so we had to make the decision to go and find a track was rough enough, one I already had lap times on.

“It was the right way to go, because we have come up with a setting I am very happy with. It is quite a thrill to be able to do that and improve every year.”

Last year’s Clubman outright winner turned Expert competitor, 17-year-old Kristian Sprenger, proved he is one to watch, taking out the Expert Class by two seconds ahead of Suzuki’s Casey Treasure.

Sprenger has aspirations to rise to the top of the Pro Class in Queensland and be a serious contender on the national stage. His whole family including his girl friend are always at trackside to cheer him on, dad Ashley and little brother Matt also race.

“It makes a big difference in my racing, having the support,” Sprenger said. “I am very serious about doing well and this result was good for me.”

Sprenger plans to put in the traveling required to ride the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championships – held at venues from Victoria to Queensland – and make it to top 10 in the Expert category.

The women’s category had a surprise visit from decorated motocrosser City Yamaha’s Tamara Gray, who on her Enduro debut won the class by about 15 seconds ahead of fellow Yamaha rider yours truly (yes, me!).

The second round of the Queensland Yamaha Sprint Cross-Country Series is to be held near Gympie on March 4

For more information visit www.qldenduro.com or www.mqld.org.au

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MQ First Aid Support Van
Motorcycling Queensland has just launched its new First Aid Support Van for use at a range of our events.

The Greenlands Trail Ride provided the first opportunity to use the Van which is fully equipped with three bunks and ready to support the Queensland Ambulance at our events.

The air-conditioned Van give ambulance officers a space to keep patients under observation without taking up space in the ambulance vechiles.

Originally custom built to the specifications os Sports Medecine Australia, the Van can be provided at no charge to any MQ sanctioned event.

Back Protectors required for all Dirt Track events
Back Protectors are now required for all Dirt Track racing, including events with a motocross component such as the CQ Number One Plate or Kilcoy Ironman.

Riders competing at these events must have a commercially manufactured back protector as part of their safety equipment.

Some events have previously had lower requirements for back protection, however all future events will require full
back protectors.

State Government Grants Programs available
The Queensland Government - Department of Sport and Recreation have released information regarding a number of grant programs that are available to Clubs and individuals.

The Club Development Program provides funding to Clubs to assist them undertake education and training initiatives, participation initiatives, organisational planning and to recognise volunteer support.

The Minor Facilities Program provides funding to Clubs to undertake minor construction, extension or upgrade works to sport and recreation facilities for local sporting competitions and for community participation in active recreation.

The Young Athlete Assistance Program aims to assist young athletes within Queensland who have competed at a State sporting championship or State school championship by retrospectively providing financial funding up to a maximum of $200 to assist with travel to and accommodation for eligible events.

Further information on each of the above grants is available from here.

Just a brief reminder also that Mr. David McMahon, a consultant grant writer, has worked with several Queensland motorcycle clubs to assists them get grant funding.

David can be contacted as follows: 4671 2728 (business hours only) or mobile 0409 820013 (anytime) or email him at mcmahond@bigpond.net.au

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Aussies Abroad
Story by: Scott Bishop

The success of the sport here in Australia has led to several riders taking off overseas for greener pastures. Two of the more famous Queensland exports are Michael Byrne and Andrew MacFarlane, both of whom are based in the US and contesting the AMA Supercross and Motocross series on factory supported teams.

THE BURNER

Byrne, now enjoying his seventh year in the US continues to post great results. After his deal with Kawasaki come to an end at the completion of the 2006 season, Byrne landed on his feet in the form of a contract with the Rockstar/ WBR / Suzuki team that will see him compete in the premier Open class in Supercross and the Lites division in Motocross.

If there is one thing Byrne knows how to do, it’s put consistent races together. In the opening seven rounds of the AMA Supercross Championship, he has put his RMZ450 in the top 10 every race and now sits a solid fourth in the points standings, behind James Stewart, Chad Reed and Tim Ferry. He might not have the exposure of Reed or the world championship crown to go with it, but there is no doubt Michael Byrne is a world class competitor and making a very good living from racing Motocross and Supercross.

SHARKY

In a strange twist of fate, the long time friends, Byrne and MacFarlane now ride for the same team. MacFarlane had received plenty of interest since his arrival in the US at the end of the 2005 season and had several teams with contracts in hands. In the end, Andrew signed with the same team as Byrne and will compete in the Lites class in both Supercross and Motocross.

Andrew has kept a low profile in recent times in the US as he sustained an arm injury during pre season training and has yet to hit a racetrack in anger for the 2007 season. All that changes in the next few weeks and he takes his RMZ250 to the start line for the AMA East Coast Lites Supercross Championship.

Andrew enters the series with plenty of confidence and said that before his injury, he had adapted well to the US Supercross scene and was looking for a huge improvement over his debut season in 2006. But racing isn’t the only thing happening in Andrew’s life. He and wife Natalie had a baby girl in the weeks prior to Christmas and have been doting parents ever since. Those in the MacFarlane circle have been regularly updated of Tayla’s progress with plenty of emails going back and forward.

THE REST OF THE CREW

Australians are well represented overseas in all aspects of motorcycling. Staying in the motocross groove, Chad Reed and Brett Metcalfe are in the US competing at the highest level.

In off road, regular Queensland visitor Josh Strang and Glenn Kearney, along with Shane Watts are riding in the huge GNCC series, and let’s not forget the feats of Stefan Merriman.

The Australian contingent on the Road Racing scene is covered by the likes of Chris Vermeulen, Troy Corser, Troy Bayliss and Karl Muggeridge, not to mention Mat Mladin, the multi US Superbike champion, while Speedway offers a host of riders throughout  Europe, including reigning world champion and adopted Queenslander - Jason Crump.

It speaks volumes for the local scene that we can keep producing good numbers of riders racing at a world level.

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Fun In the North
Story by: Tim Hewitt

What was that?  Motorcycle road racing?  Do they do that in Townsville?

This is a common response when Townsville Motorcycle Club members are describing our activity to others not from our region. Only for the last 10 years is the reply…

Townsville has a population base of approximately 150 000 people, and yet we see 60 competitors regularly at our club meetings, but it gets more interesting…

We conduct our events at Suncity Raceway, a 1000 metre kart track 10 minutes from the centre of Townsville. Members of the Far North Queensland Road Race Club from Cairns and the newly formed Whitsundays Moto Sport Club regularly travel to participate in our events.

The bulk of our racing is done at night, under lights. How do you see where you are going without headlights? is a question also often fielded by our participants.

When you consider that track licence conditions dictate that we are unable to conduct events for 600cc sports bikes, we are justifiably proud of our participation level.

Superlites (buckets if you will), have been the back bone of our racing effort, and we occasionally have fields of up to 20 of these machines. We run two types of machine - NQ Superlites, commuter based 100cc 2 stroke and 150cc 4 stroke, with standard carburettors and hubs. A very cheap form of racing, and for many, a starting point. For some, all they need from racing.

Our other Superlite machine is a National class, in which pretty much anything goes, as long as the engine capacities, carburetor diameter and commuter based criteria are met. Historically, our premier event in our season is the Neil Fagerstrom Memorial one hour race – one bike, two riders, and a heap of luck – those little air cooled motors get rather hot after an hour at twice their design speed.

At the other end of the scale, 2006 saw the debut of the mighty 650 twins. A 620cc Ducati began to compete in our Formula 3 class last year, and will be joined by several Suzuki SV650’s this year. Our Formula 3 class combines Production based 250cc two-strokes, 400 four strokes, 650 four stroke twins, and Supermonos.

125GP is well represented, with field of up to 12 machines. At our tight track, horsepower is not as critical as it is at larger tracks, so we find that machinery in excess of 12 years old is not only competitive, good riders win races on them. A piston a year, a bit of TLC, and machinery available for less than 3 grand, how good’s this…

Club members took all three places in the Qld State titles in 06, and have upgraded machines for an assault on the Aussie 125 support races at the 07 MotoGP.

Our 2005 125GP club champion - Alistair Reid, has commenced competition in the 2007 Australian Superbike Championships Superstock class, and finished third in the first round of that series at Eastern Creek.

Meanwhile Motard competition has experienced rapid growth in the north as well. Whilst we are unable to incorporate a dirt section in our track, these guys race with the intensity of participants in National Championship rounds. Many traditional flat track competitors are crossing over to “The Dark Side”, and loving the fact that they don’t have to wash their bikes when they get home!

An exciting development this year is the introduction of Junior Motard, with classes for 13 – 15 year olds available. Junior Motard A will see 85cc two strokes pitted against 150cc four strokes, and Junior Motard B has 125cc two strokes dueling with 250cc four strokes. Whilst we haven’t conducted a race meeting incorporating these guys, interest has been high, with 8 juniors participating in our first practice for the 2007 season, with more to come.

Production 250cc four strokes participate in their own class, and again, this represents good value for money racing. We regularly field 10 of these machines.

Our premier road racing event is arguably Formula Road Racing. This class combines all machines, with the exception of Motards and Superlites. It produces large fields of seemingly mismatched machines, but agility and rider skill soon levels the class.

We operate under the same conditions as all other motorcycle clubs. A small band of volunteers making it all happen, manual timing and lap scoring, when an electronic system would make a huge difference to administration. Late entries, controversy worthy of an International meeting, rumours of cheater bikes – in other words, our own little slice of motorcycle road racing here in North Queensland.

The noise, the smells, the passing manoeuvre that Rossi would be proud of, I guess that’s why we all keep coming back.

Motorcycle Road Racing in Townsville isn’t as “glamorous” as racing at Phillip Island, Eastern Creek, or one of the larger circuits, but we’re having a lot of fun for not a lot of money, and our younger riders are gaining the necessary skills to be competitive at those circuits. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday night!

For more information, or if you want to keep an eye on our activity, have a look at www.townsvillemcc.net

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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.

Well the race season has started and some of you have been training hard putting in an effort to try and be a better rider than last year. 

I guess with all the hard training and practice put in during the pre season and then the effort it takes to train during the race season we are all looking for that one thing, that one little secret or helpful hint that will make things just that bit easier or give us the edge over the person next to us. Well I think I may just have it, and I reckon it may just be the next big thing to make competing in motorcycle racing just that little bit easier.

I have been lucky enough to be involved in running training camps over the last few years at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Canberra. Most people who have been able to attend one of these Elite Camps will tell you, there are no hidden secrets in the fitness industry, if you want to get fitter you just need to put in the extra work. That said, where the fitness industry is finding big improvements these days is in recovery and recovery time.

For most people, till now, recovery has been kicking back, sitting around and watching a video or relaxing until they feel fit enough to train again. We are now seeing more and more information from all sources that recovery can be achieved a lot quicker using a number of techniques, such as low intensity cardio work, hot and cold therapies, nutrition and to a lesser extent massage.

In all the time I have been going to the AIS, recovery lectures have been basically repeating the same information, until now. I have never heard the lecturers be as impressed about a product as they were about this particular one. The product has been around for a few years but now they are starting to get some genuine research data that proves that not only do the athletes feel they are working but the research is proving they work.

So what am I talking about? I am talking about SKINS that’s right those long legged Lycra looking tights. You have probably seen them before on TV when the sports news shows football teams training (more predominantly AFL) before a big game. You will see players wearing long legged tights under their footy shorts. I always thought they were training in cold weather but there is a whole lot more to it than that.

The Skins bioacceleration technology creates marked improvements in the reduction of lactic acid build up immediately after exercise and therefore allows a quicker return to normal levels of muscle fitness, producing less fatigue and muscle soreness and producing a faster recovery. Lactic acid is the waste product left behind when muscle uses energy, this is what makes muscles sting / hurt after exercise.

The benefits of skins are broken down into six categories

Surface pressure:
This is basically explained by pressure being applied over the entire body area that is being covered by the skins and for this reason the more area you cover the bigger the benefit will be.

Engineered gradient compression:
The skins are designed in a way that produces more pressure on the body the further away from the heart it is. Meaning there is more pressure on your ankles and calf area than on the thighs. This design helps to enhance blood flow and venous return (blood flowing from the muscle to the heart) this increases the oxygen flow to working muscles and reduces lactic acid build up in the muscle.

Increased oxygen flow:
Improving the blood flow and increasing oxygen flow to the muscles will help to increase endurance because more oxygen to the muscles and faster removal of lactic acid will allow your body to train at a higher heart rate for a longer period of time

Muscle vibration control:
Having the muscles wrapped up and compressed by the skins will result in less muscle movement and vibration and therefore reduce soft tissue damage this then helps in reducing recovery time

Thermoregulation:
The material used in skins along with the gradient compression helps to keep the body at its optimal temperature. It helps to keep the body cool when it is warm as well as keep it warm when it is cool. Skins are also rated SPF 50+ so you won’t get sunburn.

Moisture reduction:
The skins are designed to absorb moisture away from the body to try to reduce sweat buildup in any particular area.

So with all that on board, when do you need to use them?

Well that all depends on you. Experts at the AIS suggest that bike riders could wear them during a ride, after a ride or over night after a big ride.

Experts suggest athletes would be inclined to use the skins for three main purposes:

1.  During competition and training, but with some sports like football they can’t wear full length skins during competition.

2.  Immediately after training or competition it is beneficial to shower and wear skins for two to four hours

3.  After a really heavy training session or a major event they suggest wearing them that night to bed.

There are definately riders around now that are starting to wear them and all the people that I have spoken to that are using them have felt some benefits. The most popular combination seems to be full length leggings (this can replace knee brace socks) and a sleeveless shirt for the upper body.

It does not matter if you are a pro or a C grader, a junior or a veteran or even if you train or you don’t train there will be benefits in using some form of compression suit.

Skins are a brand name and the other brand that was suggested by the AIS is a brand called Linebreak. They are available at most good sports stores like Rebel sports and Amart All Sports. The pants cost around $140 and the tops come in at around $80 so I guess you can buy a new exhaust pipe that may not even meet the new noise testing regulations or get around 8 sets of SKINS.

Good luck, hope it helps.

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Upcoming Events
Story by: Kim Rowcliffe

The month of March is shaping up as an exciting month for motorcycle events as we start to really get stuck into the year, keep an eye out for the following events:

2-3 March: World Superbike Championships (Phillip Island, Victoria)
3/4 March: Rd3 Sunshine State Motocross Series (Chinchilla)
4 March: Rd2 Yamaha Sprint X-Country Series (Gympie)

10 March: Rd3 Australian Supercross Championships (Rosedale, Victoria)
10 March: Rd2 Go Girls Motocross Series (Reedy Creek, Gold Coast)
10/11 March: Rd1 Queensland Supermoto Championships (Ipswich Kart Track)
10/11 Mrach: Rd1 & 2 National Off Road Series (Port Macquarie)
11 March: Real Adventure Women (RAW) Project, North Brisbane

17/18 March: Rd4 Sunshine State Motocross Series (Tivoli Raceway)
18 March: Rd1 Australian Rookies & Womens Motocross Championships (Newry, Victoria)

22-25 March: Rd2 & 3 Australian Superbike Championships (Winton, Victoria)
24/25 March: Rd1 Southern Downs Challenge (Warwick)
24/25 March Queensland Senior Dirt Track Championships (TBA)
24 March: Rd4 Australian Supercross Championships (Dapto Showgrounds, Wollongong)
24 March: Rd1 Central Queensland Motocross Series (Clermont)
25 March: Rd2 Central Queensland Motocross Series (Moranbah)
25 March: Rd3 Yamaha Sprint X-Country Series (Jimbour)

Tthe full 2007 Motorcycling Queensland calendar, including dates for upcoming Officials & Coaching Courses is available from www.mqld.org.au

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