Auckland MX Champs - SundayLast Auckland Champs was Oceania in March 2010. With MNZ shifting the MX Nats to the same time it was the catalyst to move Auckland's to now - more suitable weatherwise with a heavy clay track.The track had been top ripped after Saturday's racing and lots, lots more water was put on. Typical Harrisville, Practice was going to be a very muddy affair. Peter Broxholme was pitted near us and had offered to ride his CRF250 in MX1 to boost the numbers. The offer was kindly declined. In chatting, the subject of Ben Townley came up and his signing with Yarrive Konsky's Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing Team. I said that I had wondered if that was Mike Phillip's ride? I have heard from Aust that they are paying good money for BT101 and why shouldn't they, they don't come any better! Broxy confirmed that BT101 will ride for Honda in NZ and will be doing his own thing racing alongside the Honda Dealer Team riders. I have since heard that the Honda Dealer Team is:
I digress.... So BT is not going to Jeff Ward Racing (Josh Grant confirmed) and Chad Reed is remaining solo at his TwoTwo Motorsports set-up, what is happening to Michael Byrne who the pundits reckoned was going to Mr22. RacerX's Steve Matthes says he's joining the BTOSports.com/BBMX Suzuki team for 2012. He’ll be racing a 450 in both SX and MX with Jimmy Alberston and Jason Thomas. The team is using JGR motors and suspension for 2012. MNZ Steward for the weekend was Andrew Roiguard. He asked me if I had seen MNZ's latest appointments?
Andy we all know and love !!! Bernard hails from Napier and has been around the motorsport scene for a long time - he's a very good scribe. We will have to wait and see what Phil will do, that Andy doesn't already do. I hope they are not going down the very expensive television track again! My suggestion was the Media Manager role also encompasses Marketing, because they need somebody conjuring up much needed sponsorship .... and yes, I was invited to apply. Practice and Vets and Women were first out. Goudenz Gisler got out his mud bike - his trusty 1994 Yamaha. There was only 6 Women and 12 Vets. At one stage I saw 5 riders down on the steep right hander close to jump #1½ I saw former Committee man Andrew Cryer running downhill and I went to the edge to see what the problem was. Down in the bottom of the gully Sarah Elwin had gone off the track and close to going into the creek. It was a steep climb down and I had to cross the track which was 20-30cm of mud and I was in runners! Great! With difficulty we got her out and onto the track and before we could get out of the way she roosted both of us with more mud - nice! Women rider Courtney Lindsay had the third fastest time - very much at home on Harrisville. Chatted to Sean Fogarty who was spectating. He expects to be back on the bike in two weeks. Sean had a nasty shoulder injury at the Nats Round 1 in Timaru earlier this year and had surgery. Joel Doeksen was also there spectating with his parents, who had just arrived from Florida a week ago, plus big brother Jan. After MXoN Joel had stayed on in Holland whilst mum and dad went to Florida to check things out. Through John Van Den Berk, Joel had been testing the 2013 KTM450. We met Van Den Berk at MXoN in France. Joel had trained with him at his annual Summer School in Spain. He was the 1987 F.I.M. World Champion in the 125cc class on a Yamaha. The following year 1988, he moved to the 250cc class where he again won the World Championship, also on a Yamaha. He was Dutch Champion, Supercross Champion and winner of the Motocross des Nations. He is also the private trainer of Kevin Strijbos and trainer of the Rabbit Racing Team. Whilst we were in France Youthstream announced he was was now Youthstream's talent scout. He is very keen for Joel to ride some Euro events in 2012. The Doeksen parents have decided they are going to live in Florida saying that there are some very good business opportunities there. Jan (senior) was saying US$1million boats were going for $200,000. $300,000 apartments going for $20,000. They will live near Fort Lauderdale. They own land on St Martins in the Caribbean which is easy access from Miami. Did you know that 18.5 million people live in Florida? Decision still not made but Joel for 2012 but will more than likely ride in East Coast State events. Another rider from MXoN was there. Kieran Scheele from Central Hawkes Bay and was riding MX2. As readers are aware Kieran was with Dirt Bike Gym MX Team this year in England. As recently reported Rex Michau is going to base the team in Belgium next year to cut down the travel. I was talking to Kieran's dad John and he said that they are keen to 'back' Kieran going back for another season so they will be applying. Tony Cooksley joined the conversation and added that NZ$36,000 was cheap for 7 months of riding in Europe with at least 3 days of riding a week. We saw Rex's operation at MXoN and he runs it well. Talking DBG, appropriate to mention here that they are looking for mechanics for the 2012 season. I had an email from Rex: "The dirtbike-gym (DBG) MX team will be based out of Lommel, Belgium mostly this year (the heart of European MX) and come to the UK for the Brits as well as competing in Europe so please spread the word for me. So if any Kiwi mechanics want a Feb to Oct overseas experience please let us know or if UK or Europe based, again please let us know and apply asap as we have interested parties already." You can contact Rex on: rex.michau@tectainer.co.uk Emma Davis was also riding H'ville. She had a great year with the DBG MX Team (she won the British Women's title) as well as being Rex's right hand and 'camp mother'. Mid afternoon and another I haven't seen for a while was Paul Pavletich, former CEO of MNZ. He now manages those huge hot-houses down the road from the track. His words of wisdom; "Four strokes are killing motorcross." Yet another stranger to MX was Nigel Smith. Ex MXDK Yamaha Team then went to orange. With three young children his riding is limited to the odd trail ride or maize paddock. No doubt he has not lost any of his skills. He and brother Damon were talents. Yet another stranger to MX was Serena Bruce, complete with 100mm heels. Says she's doing a lot of cross fit training and certainly looks fit. Says she misses MX and coming back with an orange bike with an electric start. The last one I will bore you with is Katherine Prumm. Well, definitely not boring. Doing lots of running looking very lean. Short spikey hair and eyes made up, she really looked great. We have posters up in the Clubhouse celebrating her success as 2006 and 2007 Women's World Cup Motocross Champion. She switched from Kawasaki to Yamaha in 2008 and was leading the Championship when she crashed and broke her back. KP has I took the opportunity to take her into see Neil Ritchie and he spoke to her on air. Good to see her again. I never got a chance to ask her about her brother Matthew but since found out he's just finished his second year at Auckland University School of Engineering with straight A's. He's also 'off the bike'. The racing: I'll do it by race order. Women: Poor field of just 6 riders and they were run with the Vets. Not ideal for the faster Vets as even in a 15 minute race they were lapping. Race 1 and Courtney was gone, Emma Davis had trouble halfway through and dropped back whilst Courtney went on to win by almost 2 minutes. Race 2 and more of the same but only 21 seconds in it. Race 3 and now the track is drier and into Lap 5 something does wrong for Courtney and she drops back. Emma takes the flag by almost 15 seconds but Courtney gets the overall.  Vets: Not enough riders to warrant a 35+ and 45+ split. Race 1 and Goudenz's quick start was a fraction too quick and he clipped the descending gate and went down. Darryll King was away with Craig Brown in pursuit. It was to be the same in all three races with Tony Cooksley and Richard Furze battling all day behind them. Tony did remark that 15 minutes was not long enough. No surprises that DK took home the prizemoney going 1-1-1.  National 125: It was all over before it started for Te Awamutu's Leo Voorend. He broke his wrist in practice. This Class was to provide some of the best racing of the day. Race 1 and Eli Manson got the jump on everyone else and hit out with a healthy lead. He was slowly reeled in by Aiden Kiff who had to come through from 7th - loving his new Suzuki. Sean O'Comnner started out 2nd and had the wobbles dropping down in the early laps. Worse for Liam Underwood who went from 4th to 12th mid race. Kiff was less than a second behind Manson at the flag. Great ride from Cameron Vaughan who had come through from last at the start to 10th at Lap 1 then to 3rd, just in front of Chase Smith. Race 2 and Manson started out third to last. Chase Smith lead all the way to the flag. Liam Underwood started out 2nd but DNF'd into Lap 3. Sean O'Connor and Logan Blackburn started out strong but O'Connor was in trouble again mid race. Something went on between Vaughan and Blackburn mid-race and Vaughan dropped back. He raised the purple flag but it was ruled out as his dad had pitboarded him Pflag - that's outside assistance. Race 3 and no Cameron Vaughan. Smith lead out but Underwood hit the front before the first lap was up and ran to the flag by 5 seconds. Smith dropped slowly down to 5th. Kiff was only 5 seconds behind him and O'Connor another 3. Great to see these younger riders coming through. Overall it was a well deserve win to Kiff.  MX1: Only 9 entries and Cooper was gone in every race winning by margins of 36, 33 and 11 seconds from Hayden Clark. In that last race with 2 laps to go Cooper put it down behind the start gates. He was fast all day and Clark's KTM350 could not compete with Cooper's powerful Suzuki. Luke Richmond and Luke Temple battled in the first two races but Temple, who was riding two classes, pulled the pin when already lined up in the assembly area. There was also a good battle between Campbell Bailey, Aaron Cooksley, Shey Cooksley and Scott Henderson. In the last lap of the last race Henderson hurt his right foot when he caught a rut - lucky for him he didn't break it.  Support: Joel Trappit has gone amateur boxing and undergone a physical transformation - now very trim and fit. Nigel Gainfort is a Vet rider. Nigel, hope you weren't in there for the prizemoney as they only got trophies.  MX2: Strong field of 26 entries. Hamish Dobbyn was back after 7 months off the bike after a second operation on his Patellar Tendon (knee) that he had ruptured again. He will move up from the MX2 to MX1 once he has had more time on the bike. Jack Robinson also back after a back injury. Australian Dakota Court had ridden Juniors the day before to 3rd place and was there for the experience. Race 1 and Gillard led out on his KTM250 2-stroke. Carter, who was the fastest in practice had gone down in the holeshot. DK was down several places and once Burga hit the front DK was slowly reeling him in. There was riders going down all over the place. It was Burga by 1.2 secs from DK with 17 to Gillard, 10 to Broxy and 17 to Dobbyn. Roydon White had DNFd after just two laps. Race 2 and DK was straight out of his Vets race win. It was an identical finish to Race 1 but this time it was Burga by 1.45 secs from DK with 10 to Gillard, only 2 to Broxy (that was a battle all the way with Broxy hounding Gillard) and 2.5 to Dobbyn. There was nothing between Dobbyn, Wike and Carter. Race 3 and this was to cost Gillard a certain podium. Burga had already given Gillard more than a gentle nudge and then coming into jump #7 Dobbyn gave his front wheel a hit and put him into the bank - he was not happy as he had dropped back to 9th. He got back to 6h but was 1 point short of the podium. At the flag there was only 0.163 between Burga and DK. Kieran Scheele was 5th in the race and his UK/Euro experience showed. Carter had a tough day of it and I never got a chance to find out what the problem was - maybe it was just Harrisville? Awesome win for Burga.  Running the biggest class last, kept the spectators there to the very end. Well done Pukekohe MCC for a job well done, roll on the Nationals. Track comment: Trouble with having the track soo wet for practice is such wetness creates single lines and when it dries riders dare not venture outside of the established mud-berms and ruts. Not enough water and you have a dust problem. Problem is you cannot power-harrow Harrisville, the solid clay is simply too much for a tractor gearbox. Youthstream's Greg Atkins says it has to be disc'd first then mulch the corners but there was not enough time before the Auckland Champs. The addition of more spring tynes has made a difference to the ripping. The Club has had discs offered to it but they were all too wide, even for Harrisville which is wider than most. Not "a goat track" as as Andy McG described it to Paul Pav!!! The Club are currently sourcing a narrow set of discs and have a mulch source. Cody Cooper raised the point that in Australia they place hay bales on the inside of the corners for practice, then remove them for racing and that creates two distinct lines. As Tony Cooksley says; "A few more berms will get the riders out wide - more racing lines. But, DK didn't have much trouble." |