Gabby Gundry
Rider profile
Oceania Report: I just wanted to take the time to say a huge thanks for all the funds and support you have given me, because without your help I would not have been able to make this trip possible . My trip began early Thursday morning at 1:45am when Francis Sydenham came to pick me up, I had two hours sleep and then we were off to the airport where we met Jim Henderson , Steve Armistead and Stephanie Downes we arrived at Auckland at about 4:00 am and our flight left at 7:50 am, so we had some time to kill waiting in queues and going through customs, once we got through customs we had the opportunity to go into a coro club lounge thanks to Steve where we had time to relax and have some breakfast before we were off on our big adventure .
We arrived at Melbourne airport at about 9:30 am, where we yet again had to wait in more queues, once we all got through that we met Warren Laugesen on the other side, where we headed off across the road to collect our rental cars, and once we had that all sorted we were off . We had a 3 hour journey to get to Tinamba which is where we were all staying . We stopped on the outskirts of Melbourne to grab some lunch and Steve also checked out his bike which he would be riding for the weekend . Then we were off, we stopped off at the supermarket along the way to stock up on supplies for the weekend ahead once we reached Tinamba we went to Happy Days Motel which is where we were staying for the duration of our trip.
We got settled in and unpacked, later on Jake Whitaker, Nick Ball and the Boorer family arrived, as they had been out practising (Jake was already in Australia). We all had our evening meal together and it was a great evening getting to know each other.
Friday morning we had an early start as we went off practising at the venue where the trial was to be held. There were heaps of people camping on this site, as this was also a holiday for them. Once we arrived we claimed our bikes which we would be riding for the weekend, and we set them up to suit our way of riding. During the morning Warren, Stephanie, Jake and myself went for a practise to get familiar with our new bikes. After morning practise we went back for lunch, and then headed out for an all girl practise session, I really enjoyed it as it was so different riding with about 15 other girls.
We then had dinner with the Boorer family, Adina Reed who was my Aussie opponent , Michelle Coleman who was Stephanies opponent and Toby Coleman, as we were all staying in the same Motel. The Boorer family are ex pat Kiwis living in Australia. They provided the team with most of their bikes and mechanical assistance and were a huge help for the team throughout the whole weekend.
Saturday was another early morning, and it was show time. When we arrived at the venue, the team put on their New Zealand shirts and we had a team photo taken. We prepared our bikes for the day and we went for a quick practise to warm up. The event started at 10.30 after briefing, there was a total of 157 riders. I had to ride 15 sections, 3 laps, the sections were similar sections to what we ride in NZ, including rivers, a bit of mud, rocks, logs, hill climbs, and shaley flat rocks. The experts had to do 10 sections, 3 laps. At the end of the day I was very pleased with my ride as I was ahead of my opponent all day,it was due to finish at 3.30, but was extended by 30 mins due to big queues with so many riders, and also it was a 12 kms loop. My minder for the day was Jim Henderson who is the NZ trials commisioner he did a great job and not only with this but also along with Warren for organising this whole event. I had a brilliant day, looking forward to Sunday. Jake and Warren, my team members also beat their competitors, so day 1, NZ was ahead.
Sunday consisted of similar sections, some of them were reversed, and also some new sections. We started at 10.15 and finished at 3.15, same 15 sections, 3 laps. Again I ,had another brilliant ride, I beat my opponent, and so did Jake and Warren. My minder this day was Darryl Boorer who was a fantastic help and was great encouragement. Yet again New Zealand won the Oceania Shield and this is the first time that female names will be on the sheild, it was brilliant to win on foreign soil as this has not happened many times, and was fantastic to achieve for the 2nd year running, we were all on a high. Woo Hoo!!
So yet again, I just want to say a huge thank you to all my fans, as I said before, this would not have been possible without your help, and I cannot say thank you enough times.
To see photos of the event go to www.picasaweb.google.com.au/TrialsPhotos/Glenmaggie10#
Just some info about me:
My name is Gabrielle Gundry, I am 15 years of age, I have been riding trials competitively for about 2 ½ years. Last year was the first year I rode all the North Island Championship rounds, the highlight being when I won the last round in Hamilton in the Junior class. I also rode the New Zealand Champs for the first time, where I finished 5th in the Juniors. I would like to point out that the Junior grade is for under 17’s, and I am the only female in this class.
See some more photos on the blog.