Motorcycling Queensland

Round 1 Australian Supermoto Championships
Preview by: Drmsby Middleton
Photo by: Wayne Reed (Osella Photographics)

The opening round of the Australian Supermoto Championship is finally upon us, and will be held at the Ipswich Kart Club this Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th of June. All National classes will be represented, and a quality field of both factory teams and privateers will be competing.

Reigning S2 Australian Champion Angus Reekie is the hot favourite to take victory in the Premier 450cc class.

The New South Welshman is a huge fan of the Ipswich track, and always looks forward to racing in Queensland. Reekie has a great track record here, with many wins aboard the factory backed Elf Racing KTM 450.

However he now has a large number of talented riders very keen and capable of ending his winning streak. Chief amongst these is Kawasaki Racing Team star rider Linden Magee. The Gold Coast based competitor is hungry for a win after an unfortunate sequence of crashes in Townsville left him in fifth place in the State Championships.

Other top Queensland contenders in the National S2 class include current State Supermoto Championship leader Jarrod Koppe on the Futuresport RMZ450, the very consistent Simon Grezlo (CRF450), and a rapidly improving Alex Harriman on the Toowoomba Yamaha YZF450. Cru Halliday (YZF450) will bolster the NSW contingent, as will Steven Anderson as he looks to build on his recent great form riding the Anderson Pneumatics SXV450.

The Unlimited Capacity S1 title is also currently held by Angus Reekie, but Queenslander Josh McFarlane is committed to putting the Aprilia Racing SXV550 on top at Ipswich this weekend. The factory Aprilia rider had a picture perfect start to the season, with an unbroken string of impressive victories in Townsville for the opening round of the State Championships. McFarlane and the Aprilia SXV Racing crew are constantly improving the V-Twin machine and should be very competitive. Townsville’s Ross Taylor is another front runner, and always performs well at Ipswich on the Rising Sun Honda CRF.

Luke Whitaker is the standout Queensland challenger in the 250cc S3 class. The LooseKid Industries CRF250 rider has been in a class of his own in recent races, but perhaps some interstate racers can provide him with a bit of competition. The Veterans category features the Incorrigible Peter Cox (Springwood Suzuki RMZ450), current Motorcycle Sportsmen’s President Craig ‘Fuji’ Alick (YZF450), Gold Coast Aprilia SXV550 rider Gordon Milne and many other illustrious characters, all of whom push each other very hard on track. Some of the best racing is often seen in the Supermoto Veterans class.

A huge field in the C Grade category ensures this class will live up to expectations as hotbed of upcoming talent, and will as always boast hard fought battles from the front of the pack through to the rear of the grid.

The Women’s class will also be competing in the Australian Supermoto Championships, with Husky Chix Racing team members Rebecca Bateman (SMR450) and Stephanie Redman (TC250) battling with Rachael Eagle on the Alpinestars CRF450 and Gina Cleaver (MXRAD YZF250). A small contingent of Juniors will also be racing, lead by the very fast Jack Miller on his RMZ250. Miller will be a very tough competitor when he moves up to the senior ranks, and is certainly the clear favourite in this class.

The Ipswich Kart Club’s Supermoto track at Champions Way, Willowbank is now well established as one of the best Motard facilities in Australia. This complex circuit is renowned for producing close, tight racing though both the twisty asphalt segment and multiple-jump dirt section. Round One of the Australian Supermoto Championships is promoted by the Motorcycle Sportsmen of Queensland.

Motorcycling Australia has announced the official dates and venues for the 2008 Australian Supermoto Championship, which will consist of three rounds.

Round 1: 7-8 June, Ipswich Kart Track, Queensland
Round 2: 9-10 August, Mildura, Victoria
Round 3: 28-29 November, Northam, Western Australia

The first round will be promoted by the Motorcycle Sportsmen of Queensland, the second round will be promoted by the North West Victoria MCC and the final round will be promoted by the Supermoto Club of WA and Premier Events.

Keep an eye on the MA website for the posting of Championship Supplementary Regulations.

The Mick Doohan Motorcycle Racing Complex at Northgate in Brisbane is soon to have a brand new race track. The North Brisbane Junior Motorcycle Club has sub-leased a section of the complex to road race club The Motorcycle Sportsmen of Queensland, for a purpose built Road Race / Supermoto track.

Regular Motorcycling Queensland Ride eNews contributor Drmsby Middleton caught up with project leader Craig ‘Fuji’ Alick at the new track.

Craig Alick (CA): It’s going really well, we are pretty much on schedule. We are building a new Clubhouse here as well as the track, and I hope to have the Clubhouse finished by September, for the Sportsmen’s 50th Anniversary. The race track is a great opportunity, as the club has not had its own track in its entire 50 year history.

CA: We are starting with a dirt track, which will be 500 metres long. This track will have both left and right hand corners, and ideally will be completed by May this year.

CA: Building a limited capacity road race track. This will cater mainly to the rapidly growing junior road racing competition, as well as small capacity senior road race machines. The road race track will be 860 metres long, but we also have plans for a Supermoto track, which will be an extra 100 meters long and will incorporate a dirt section with jumps.

Ride eNews: Who designed the track, and what are the features of the design?

CA: The main [road race] track was designed primarily by me, with technical advice from Tom Williams. Many racers and racing enthusiasts had input for the initial design as well. The track will have nine turns, both left and right. A great feature built into the track design is the ability to race in either direction. The track construction is being done by myself and other volunteers, there is a lot of work that needs to go in to a successful race track.

CA: Very important, it wouldn’t be possible without them. In fact today Brett and Peter Cox, and Lloyd Carsons are all here working with me. Everyone that has helped out so far has done great work, but we always need more hands on deck to keep the track on schedule.

CA: We will have good run off in all the appropriate areas, and there will also be tyre barriers in place on the infield of the track to prevent potential cross-track intrusions. It will be a good safe track when completed.

Ride eNews: Will the upkeep of the track require a lot of maintenance when completed?

CA: Dust control will be important for the dirt track side of things, but the bitumen surface is relatively maintenance free apart from the need to be kept clean, that is the good thing about bitumen. The drainage is already done, so all in all it should be pretty easy to keep in good shape when construction is finished.

Ride eNews: Do you think the track will be cost effective to run, and be of reasonable cost to competitors and other users?

CA: Yes on both counts. Because the track will be owned by the club, track hire costs can be managed well and kept in check.

CA: The track will have many benefits, and the biggest one is safety. Rider and driver training will be conducted here, and that will have a positive impact. It will be a safe environment for people to learn how to ride. We will also be doing officials training here, so that means more safety personnel in the racing industry.

Ride eNews: Do you foresee any potential negative impacts resulting from the use of this track?

CA: Not really. Water restrictions will be tough, but that is the only real problem facing us. As far as the environment goes, the area is an old landfill site, so we are having a positive impact by improving the site. Instead of the land going to waste it is getting used for a constructive purpose. And the surrounding area is an industrial estate, so noise concerns during the track’s hours of operation should be minimal.

Ride eNews: How will this track affect motorcycle racing in South East Queensland?

CA: It will provide a much needed venue for racing and training in Brisbane. The track is only 10.2 km from Brisbane GPO, and is located close to the Gateway Arterial. It will be convenient for many people, and should see a further increase in junior motorcycle road racing in Queensland.

CA: At the moment people have very limited choices for road racing, and many have to travel a long way to watch or compete.

*If you would like to be involved and can lend a hand with any part of the track construction, please contact Craig at Motorcycle Sportsmen on (07) 3262-6677 and express your interest in being part of this great project. The sooner the track is finished, the earlier the fun can begin!

Harriman takes Supermoto Club Championships
Photo courtesy: Osella Photographics

The fourth and final round of the Motorcycle Sportsmen’s 2008 Supermoto Club Championship has been run and won, and new club Champions have emerged.

Bikes and riders were pushed to the limit and beyond as competitors fought hard for their final Championship positions.

Racing was held at the Ipswich Kart Club on Saturday the 8th of March, and for this round an all asphalt circuit configuration was used.

Toowoomba Yamaha’s Alex Harriman (pictured) took out the coveted A/B Grade Club Championship. Harriman had a solid points lead coming into the final round, and his second place overall on the day clinched the title.

In only his second competitive year of Supermoto racing, the 18 year old was very happy with his Championship victory, and plans to keep up the momentum as he prepares for the QLD Supermoto State Titles. Harriman is hoping to be on the podium at the conclusion of this year’s State Championship, and is also aiming for a top 5 finish in the National Competition.

When asked about his final round performance, he replied “I went well, overall I have improved, but I did make a few mistakes. I had a jump start, so I will have to work on my starts, but I was able to chase Linden [Magee] and stayed with him for a bit”. Harriman was satisfied with the performance of his new YZ450, but said he still needed to fine tune the setup.

Alex Harriman may have won the Championship, but the star – and winner – of Round 4 was Team Kawasaki’s Linden Magee.

The Factory Kawasaki rider grabbed pole, and then won all four races to record a perfect result. He looked like he had every race in control, and was lapping on average around one second faster than Harriman.

He later commented “The track was very warm and had good grip, but there were bumps both on the entry and exit of some corners. Thankfully the suspension on the new bike is great, even at this early stage of development”.

This was only the second time Magee had ridden the new KX450, and he was still sorting the bike out in preparation for the National competition. “It is great to get the win here, but the main thing we are focussing on is getting a good setup for the Australian Championship” he said, adding that he will be going for the win in both the National and QLD State titles, beginning with Round One of the State Championship in Townsville.

Luke Whitaker’s run of bad luck continued at the final round of the Club Championship, with another DNF and problems with the Shred-X CRF250 plaguing his performance, although he did manage to eke out enough points to regain his second place in the Championship.

That runner up position was hard fought, with most of the A/B Grade field mounted on 450cc machines. “I was riding pretty good today, and had great lap times, but just ran out of luck, although I did get one good finish. The track was good, but it was a shame there was no dirt section this time out, because it makes it much harder to keep up on the 250. Riding against the 450s is great though, as I have to work much harder than them in the corners and on the brakes to remain competitive. I only really lost ground to the bigger bikes on the straights” he said.

Whitaker explained that there are still some bugs to iron out since the engine rebuild, but he is confident the bike can be sorted in time for the State Championship. He will be going for the win in the 250cc S3 class in Townsville, and will step up his training even further as he attempts to make it into the top 3 in the National Series.

The very competitive C Grade class was as exciting as ever for the final round at Ipswich, with the Championship coming right down to the wire. After finishing runner up to a flying John Newton (JN’s Race Products SXV550) in race one, GP Tech Suspension’s Mick Hams went on to win the following 3 races to take the Championship by just 12 points.

It almost didn’t happen for Hams, as his bike suffered a terminal ignition failure before the first race, and he was forced to use a borrowed bike for racing. He didn’t let this slow him down however, and revelled in the highly competitive environment.

“I just kept improving throughout the day” said Hams. “I had mostly great starts, pushed hard and overtook other riders quickly when I needed to. Matt Bray’s bike went really well for me, and my fitness and health program has helped immensely. I race to have fun, meet good people and ride hard, so to win a Championship is an added bonus”.

Jacob Morgan took the Junior class round win courtesy of a DNF from Allan Foreman in race 2 due to a delaminated tyre. Foreman however, took the Championship by a massive 99 points. He won every race he finished, and his DNF spoiled what would have been a perfect score for the entire season, such was his domination of the Junior category.

The Novice class was so close that the Championship came down to a tie between Lloyd Carson and Ryan Coleman, so the winner will be decided by a count back, the results of which will be posted on the Motorcycle Sportsmen website when finalised. Winner of the round was Jessie Wacker, who won all four races, but lacked enough points to be a contender for the Championship.

The 2008 Supermoto Club Championship may be over, but the racing continues as we head into the QLD State Championship, which kicks off with Round One at Townsville on the 26th of April.

With only one round to go the Queensland Supermoto Extreme 2008 Club Championship is rapidly drawing to a close. Round 3 was held on Saturday evening 9th February 2008 at the Ipswich Kart Club, on the now well established Motard track the club has built in partnership with the Motorcycle Sportsmen. This is the same track that plays host to the Queensland round of the Australian National Supermoto series, as well as State Title race meetings.

The A/B Grade class was combined on track (but point scored separately) with the C Grade competition. Leading the A Grade charge was Motocross based Alex Harriman. The 18 year old grabbed pole on the Toowoomba Yamaha YZF450, and then went on to take four wins from four starts to secure his second Club Championship round victory in a row. He now leads the series by a very healthy 80 points. Harriman said that the pace has picked up since round 2, and that the competition was very close this time out. “Dad had my bike setup pretty good, but I think I may need more power for the State Championship, in which I hope to finish inside the top three” he explained.

Chasing Harriman all the way was another rider with a Motocross background, Brett Bellairs (Brisbane Honda CRF450). Bellairs finished in second overall with one 3rd and three 2nd place finishes. When asked about his performance, he said “Overall my performance was good – I set the fastest lap times most of the night – but my fitness let me down towards the end.” He added that he plans to step up his fitness training leading up to the final round. As this was Bellairs’ second ever Supermoto race meeting, a little fitness may be all he needs to enter the winners circle. He says the track is fun to ride, but is hard to overtake on so “you have to be creative with your lines to set up the pass”.

16 year old Jake Horne finished in 3rd overall on the Pebble Pro KX250F, proving he has a very bright future ahead of him in Supermoto. There is always a hard luck story at a race meeting, and this round was no different. Luke Whitaker finished in 2nd place in race one, and was leading race two when his Shred-X CRF250 had a major engine failure early in the race. He was forced to retire from the race and the event. This saw him slip from a very solid second place in the Championship to a much more distant third, with Horne now closing in fourth. The 18 year old will be a serious contender in the final round, as he feels very fast and comfortable on the new Honda, and aims to be up the front again next time out.

The C Grade category provided some very close racing, with Peter Cox taking the round win on the Springwood Suzuki RMZ450. He may have won all four races, but he was under immense pressure from Mick Hams and Brett Meehan. Hams finished second overall on the GP Tech Suspension 570 Husky with two 2nd place finishes, and trails Stephen Relph in the Championship by a mere 5 points following his Round 3 performance. He said it was a well run meeting with good clean racing, and that the track was great after the early dust problem had been dealt with. Meehan finished in third, courtesy of a great 2nd place in race two. He was happy with his performance, but did say that he needs to work on his starts.

Allan Foreman continued his utter domination of the Junior class with another perfect performance, to record a staggering twelve race wins in succession. His Motorcycle Specialties WR250 was often many seconds ahead of the competition, yet despite this Foreman was hoping to record faster times on the day. The ex Dirt Tracker is very confident of another blistering performance at Round 4, and hopes to finish the series with a perfect score. Behind Foreman however, things were more heated. Two 2nd place and two 3rd place finishes saw Jacob Morgan take the runner up spot, but he had to work very hard for them. Morgan was reasonably happy with his performance, but said he hopes to improve his lap times for the next round, and added that the competition was “very intense with lots of close racing”.

The Novice class – and all four races – were won by Adrian Cash, with series leader Ryan Coleman taking second overall. Third went to Lloyd Carson. The girls were also represented, with Stephanie Redman taking a respectable 4th place in race one. Redman’s DNF in race three lost her too many points for a good round result, but the 18 year old road racer showed she has potential in Supermoto.

The final round of the Club Supermoto Championship will take place Saturday March 8, again at the Ipswich Kart Club. Whilst some Championships are all but decided, others will come down to the wire. The Queensland State Supermoto Championship kicks off in Townsville on April 26.