SPORT JNR MX NATS
SPORT JNR MX NATS
JOEY SAVAGTY The American has competed at the Aussie Juniors before, but this year he prepared himself for our conditions by practicing on a purposefully roughed-up track in the States. It paid off, as he won both 15 Yrs classes. He has speed and style, but a number of young Aussies, including Jake Vella and Jackson Richardson, were hot on his tail in both
The two first corners were tight and had only one main line, so getting the holeshot was key to a strong race.
OPENING THE GATES
WHY RACE?
s the gates to the Lake Macquarie Motorcycle Club complex – partway between Sydney and Newcastle – opened early on Sunday, September 25, the organisers had their hearts in their mouths. A select group of Lakes Club members had poured their time, money and soul into preparing for Australia’s biggest motocross event over the previous six months, but the threat of rain was looming. Bigtime! And Lakes – built on a hillside with a layer of loam over a hardpack base – has a reputation for being difficult to keep in good order at the best of times, and can be perilous after rain. “In fact,” says Kevin Williams, promoter of the MX Nationals, “it’s tough to keep it prepped for one day for the national motocross.” Then there was the issue of space. The restricted Lakes carpark – an area that usually only deals with a quarter as many competitors as was expected at the Juniors – was surely about to struggle to cope with the influx of Quikshades that was set to arrive. But with riders and their families having travelled from interstate, New Zealand and even the States, there was no choice but for racing to get underway. At 9.30am, the sound and smell of burnt pre-mix filled the air, and the first heat races began.
The riders competing at the Juniors do so for plenty of reasons, all with different budgets and approaches to their racing. Some kids do it because their parents never got the chance to race or didn’t do as well as they’d have liked, and want to
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“Over the course of the week, there were 3617 starts, 21,029 laps completed, and 34,487km raced.” see their little Johny on the top step of the podium. Others want to be like their hero Reedy – the determination on their faces looks as if they’re riding for cattle stations. There’re also those who do it for the love of motocross, wanting nothing more than to tear up the track with their mates. Although there’s no need to prequalify for the event (unlike most state championships), the Juniors draw all of the country’s best under-16s. Josh Cachia, Ross Beaton and Harley Quinlan – the top-three in this year’s U19s motocross championship – were all frontrunners in the 2008 Juniors. And the younger
Juniors champs from back in ’08 – Jackson Richardson, Joel Dinsdale, Wilson Todd and Jacob Wright – are all still on the top of their game, with solid performances this year as they near the end of their Junior racing career. So the Juniors acts as the launching pad for young and aspiring Aussie motocrossers, but why does it attract overseas interest? In the case of Courtney Duncan and her fellow Kiwi competitors, Australia is the logical stepping stone in their careers, and is probably where they’ll spend a number of years racing. But for the four American riders, it’s simply a case of stepping out of their comfort zone, riding different tracks against different competitors on the other side of the world. They didn’t take the trip lightly – a section of the Glen Helen track in California was roughened up for them to practice on in an attempt to prepare for Australia’s notoriously rough and rutted tracks. “You never know,” says 150cc 2-stroke and 250cc 4-stroke champ Joey Savagty. “If I can’t pick up a ride in the States when I turn Senior, by doing well in Australia I might have doors open up for me to race here.” Despite the Yank’s fears of the track being rough, Lakes was perfectly watered and prepared every day. In fact, plenty of riders complained that the track was too smooth, but the officials argued that choosing
JAKE VELLA In the past 12 months, Vella has arguably gone from being the most immature to the most professional rider in the pits, and played a very significant part of this year’s championships by taking it to Savagty, finishing runner-up in the premier class. He was probably the least surprised about his performance this year, despite riding borrowed bike.
HAYDEN MELLROSS The Thor Honda Development rider has been a dominant force for a couple of years, but a few months at the Millsaps Training Facility in the States have really refined his skills. The 13-U15 Yrs 250cc class winner was consistently at the front of the field, with two second place finishes and one win in the finals.
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