Successful Trip to Timaru
Junior Nationals 2012
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Timaru hosted the Backflips Junior Nationals event over 3 days in the middle of the school holidays. It was a successful time for the Bay of Plenty riders who made the trek south. One made the podium and 4 made the top 5. Several North Island riders had never seen a track like it. It was very long with 26 jumps and 3 rhythm sections and the jumps were huge. Each day the track was ripped and heavily watered it. It was good to see the MNZ logo of Safe, Fair and Fun in action.
Knowledge of the track played a big part. The riders who had been living there for 5 weeks prior with their trainers plus the South Islanders, of course, did really well. Micah McGoldrick from Amberley was one of them, clean sweeping the 14-16 years’ 250cc class and adding a Junior title to the Senior title he won a few weeks back. Another was Rangiora’s Dylan Walsh who won the 13-16 years’ 85cc/150cc class from Dunedin’s Sam Cuthbertson and Tauranga’s Cameron Forlong (pictured above).
12 year
old Australian rider, Hunter Lawrence, was outstanding, dominating the field
from the outset and winning all 6 motos in the 11-12 85cc class.
"It’s such a buzz racing in New Zealand. They have the most awesome tracks like nothing
we have in Australia, very European style which I love. The New Zealand MX
tracks never disappoint”, he commented.
Fellow Australians Blake Cobbin and Tyler Darby also made their
respective podiums.
Cameron Forlong was the most successful Bay of Plenty rider with his 3rd place overall in the 13-16 Years 85-150cc class. “I had never been to this track before and was really excited to see it but there were definitely a lot of jumps to learn”, he reports. “There was 45 riders in my class so we had to qualify - 10 minutes (about 4 laps) practice and then 12 minutes qualifying. I qualified 5th which gave me 5th gate pick all week end. In the first two races I got really bad starts due to some bike troubles we had and I was about 20th round the first corner in both. But I made a lot of passes and got a 4th and a 5th which was alright considering the starts. In race 3 and 4 I got better starts and got 3rd in each race which we were all really pleased with as this also put me 3rd in the overall points with 2 races to go. In race 5 I was about 10th round the first corner and on the last lap I passed for 3rd with an 8 point gap on 4th. In the last race I got another really bad start but worked my way up to 4th. That gave me 3rd overall which I was real happy with. Both the riders that beat me were locals that have had a lot of time on this track so to be on the podium with them was very satisfying”.
Thomas Forlong (#164 on left) raced in the same class as his older brother. He thought the track was "cool as" - long (2km), lots of jumps - he really liked it. Thomas got through qualifying and finished 35th overall.
Katikati’s Garth Amrein was racing really fast in a class where the racing was very tight and any one of the first 5 was in with a chance. . The race where Garth got the holeshot but 3 laps in hit a tyre and bent the gear lever round his foot peg was the race that cost him a podium place. His last races were his best, netting him a second and a first place on the final day. He finished 4th overall in the 15-16 years 125cc race behind Atiamuri’s Hadleigh Knight, Auckland’s Chase Smith and Silverdale’s Aiden Kiff.
One place back in the same tight racing class was Aaron Wiltshier. The track was big, wide, open and fast according to Aaron. The lowest gear he got down to was 3rd. The 15-16 Years 125 class were first on the programme so the riders started each day with a slightly boggy track created by the watering of the greyish clay. This meant that between practice and the first race, the bikes needed a clean with the waterblaster. By the end of the day, the track was hard pack. It was Aaron's first time at the Timaru track. He had a "fantastic time at a fantastic event".
Te Puke’s Tyler Steiner was 4th overall in the 11-12 Years 85-150cc class. "I've never been really good at starts," says Tyler. "In Timaru, they groomed the track after every day so for the first races the track was really smooth and fast. If you got a bad start, it was hard to catch the front runners". Tyler's next challenge will be be at the Battle of the Clubs where he will be riding for the Tauranga Club.
For Trent Duggan, Timaru was his first big event on an 85cc and an awesome experience, though a little disappointing. Bike problems plagued the whole three days and saw him having to ride his 65cc in the 85cc races on the last day. He finished 15th overall. He’s already keen for next year’s Nationals which will be in the North Island. Jordan Milsom had planned to be there competing with Trent but he broke his leg a couple of weeks before so he is waiting for 2013 as well.
Kurt Langford was another who had high hopes for this year’s Nationals. However, he was training at Patetonga the week before when he lost the front wheel, fell and banged his shoulder which swelled up heaps. “I went down to Timaru”, he says, “but my shoulder still felt like it was going to pop out and I didn’t want to risk it. The jumps at Timaru are pretty humungous”. “But there’s always next year”, he adds” and I’m pretty sure I’ll be fit again for the Battle of the Clubs, riding for Tauranga, in May”.
Rotorua’s Cameron Vaughn, in his last year as a junior, crashed several times on the start line in both the 125 and 250 cc classes thus ending his chances for a title.
Click here for full results.
