Holeshot Vital For Visibility

GNCC Final Round Maramarua

Getting the holeshot is always an important part of a race but at Saturday’s final round of the GNCC, holeshot honours were vital. Because of excessively dry conditions nationwide, the Maramarua track was very dusty, so if you weren’t in the lead when your line of riders started, then you could be severely handicapped.

Richard Marriner was one of the lucky ones. “Round 4 was really good.  For me, it was the best round of the series. I ended up spill-free plus I got the holeshot in my line-up so I had 2 laps dust free. When I did get passed by 2 riders, they had to pit and I didn’t, so I had another 1.5 laps dust free ! I actually began to wonder if I’d taken the wrong route at one point. There was a huge downhill overlooking the main highway that went up again and I could see absolutely no-one !"  Richard finished 3^rd on the day and 4^th in the series.

Paul Callinan was pleased with his day as well. His 2^nd place in his Rookies 45+ age category earned him a place on the podium for the first time “The track was dry, rough and dusty”, he says, “and I actually spent a lot of time riding by myself. I thought the Juniors were going really slow along the section on top of the hill but when it was my turn I understood why. I got passed, of course, but this round I overtook a couple of riders myself – Gee, they must be bloody slow, I thought, but maybe it’s me – I’m the one improving.”

“I do the GNCC for the self challenge and the sense of achievement. For me, it’s an achievement just staying on the bike”, he admits laughingly, “and this time I only fell once – going up a hill !  I didn’t have any problems with sapped energy either and the pit stop was just to change goggles.  ”

“Of course,” he adds, tongue in cheek, “I have a small dilemma.  I am not sure what colour my new number plate should be, now I’m Number 2, and I was a little disappointed that no-one asked for my autograph.”

Tauranga’s Dave Molloy took out 3^rd place in the same Rookies 45+ class. “I thoroughly enjoyed it. The dust created havoc with visibility if you were following other riders but it cleared quickly in the sections on the top because of the wind.” “My first target in this series has been to finish”, he adds, “The next target is to beat Paul!”

 Both Dave and Paul (pictured above at prize-giving)  think the best part of cross country racing is the fact you can do it as a family. In his first season doing cross country, Daniel Molloy (left) raced to a commendable 5^th place and 4^th overall in the Youth 12-13 class while his brother Adam was 6^th in the Youth 10-11 class."I've been getting faster with every round,"  says Daniel, "and it's great fun!"

Sean Callinan (pictured below) was 4^th in the Youth 7-9 class. The Maramarua track was particularly challenging and unforgiving for the little bikes. Sean on his KTM65 fell off about 8 times and finished with  some bruises.

Richard Marriner, who marshalled for the junior riders, was hugely impressed by the guts these riders showed in powering through the grass and coping with deep ruts and by the fearless, get up and go attitude after the spills. He was also impressed by the non-pressure attitude of their parents.  The families were there to enjoy themselves. “With cross country, you have to use your brains, you’ve got to think about what’s ahead, look for lines and remember what you did the last time round” says Richard. “It was great following the juniors and seeing this all starting to happen.”

Reuben Steens found the day hard and frustrating. It was really dusty (“more than Maddix was the comment”) and he found himself looking for trees to find the track.  He copped a wheel stand at the start so didn’t get that vital holeshot. Consequently, despite having plenty of energy, he couldn’t wind it out as he’d have liked.  He did all he could with the visibility and rode well finishing  second in round 4 and second overall in the Clubman 14-20 years class behind Andrew Charleston (Hamilton) and ahead of Taylor Grey (Cambridge).

Cross country racing is also a family activity for the Sheelys This GNCC series they specialized in 2^nd placings – Mike was 2^nd  in the Expert 35+, Dion was 2^nd in the Expert 14-20 class, Drisana was 2^nd in the Senior Ladies, Shirley was 2^nd in the Rookie Ladies 35+ with Aden 4^th in the Rookie 14-20. However, some sore bodies came home from Maramarua. 

“The dust was a problem” reports Mike. “The marking needed to be better in the conditions. It was hair-raising going into the corners. You could only see the arrows at the last minute.  There was a foot high stump in one section just where it was wide enough to pass.  Unfortunately it was right in the middle, impossible to see because of the dust, and when you could, it was too late.  Several people came to grief there, including Dion. Dion’s crash was a good one and he landed quite a way from his bike.  The clay was hard too, like quarry rock."

Drisana had her problems too. She and her sore knee had run out of petrol 5 minutes from the end. Dad stopped to help and did some delicate fuel transfer operations using a camel pack before racing to the finish line to save his own points.

Mike had been having a great battle with Whakatane’s Andrew Schuit. Mike won the start and their times were very close but Andrew got the jump when Mike had to pit in lap 3. Mike did enough, however, to pip Andrew for the series by just one point.  It was close.

Aden Sheely’s quest for a podium place was hampered by a last 2 laps completed without a clutch, so he just missed out.  Shirley rode consistently to consolidate her second place and the Sheely nephew Ethan Hamlin won the Rookies outright.

Janelle Walker came third in the series in the Senior Ladies 21-34 Class but round 4 was not a good round for her. “It was a man’s track,” she says, “hard-packed, bumpy and unforgiving. You needed strength to hold on and I didn’t have it. I’d started the day with a head cold and did try but was slow, had no energy and no focus so packed it in after one lap”.  Janelle was also one to remark on the close calls with the tree stump.

Tim Salter had a successful day coming in second on the day and for the series in the Clubman’s 21-34 Class.  Tim was totally rapt as he moved 20 places up the overall ranks from his last year's finish.  Not bad for someone who's only been riding for 4 years.

Matt Hastings was 3^rd in round 4  in the same category. It was a day to use your old tyres. The hardness of the track meant riders lost the knobs on the inside of the tyres.

Because riders dropped their worst round, Ross Hawke was able to win the Clubman’s 45+ title without attending round 4. Another Tauranga local, Gavin Weston was 2^nd. “It was a brilliant day”, he reports. “The ground conditions were very hard and it was dusty but there was sufficient wind to make it rideable and enjoyable.”

In other results, Mathew Gerrard came 4^th overall in the Rookies 21-24 and Te Puke’s Mike Allen took the top podium spot in the Expert 21-34 group.

Chris Power (pictured left) won the Maramarua round.  However, second place-getter,Rotorua’s Scott Birch, claimed the GNCC Champion of Champions title.  All the rounds count for this title and Chris, unfortunately, had a bit of a disastrous round 3 at Maddix in December.

Full results are on Silver Bullet.