The lead up for the Willunga race probably had most people consulting the faithful Bureau of Meteorology website but rain, hail or shine it was time to race! Practice revealed the bunting was different to the last race and therefore incorporated some new features. Straight out of the gate riders traversed a series of flat switchbacks, in the wet these would test a riders ability to handle flat corners. From here the track joined onto some existing sections incorporating berms and jumps. The track was routed through some rock gardens to keep everyone on their feet. Noticeably this
included a chicane through rocks which was immediately after riders had come over a small drop. The track then increased in speed as riders came through the bottom section and into the finish. Quite a few riders crashed over the weekend in the lower part of the track, thankfully none too seriously. It was funny to watch people launch the second to last jump and totally miss the corner! Thanks to everyone that helped prepare the track for the weekend.
Before launching into the racing side of things here are a few observations form the weekend;
* It was good to see such a large number of riders racing, it helps create a better atmosphere on the track and in the carpark, etc.
* 12 Novice riders turned out for the event, well done guys.
* Again the guys that drove down from Alice Springs for the event deserve a mention purely for the effort involved in doing so.
* While I wouldn’t consider kite flying an extreme sport it can be dangerous as Roger found out due to uneven/rocky ground, I am sure that applies to a lot of other activities at a mountain bike race. Lots of people were saying it would have been cool to see a helicopter come but not worth the pain for the individual involved, all the best with the recovery Roger.
Onto the racing side of things, the grey clouds looked ominous all day Sunday and they finally relented and it rained half way through racing. The silver lining to the always windy Willunga weather is that it blows the rain across quite quickly so it soon stopped. The track did appear to be slower for the rest of the day. Here are a few noticeable mentions in terms of racing (there are no doubt plenty more but I struggle to writer them all):
* Neil Quitay winning Expert (he is one of the riders from the N.T I believe?!)
* Sheree Dickinson racing her first race and in Elite Women, well done.
* Angus Maddern off his hardtail back onto a dual suspension and winning Under 19.
* Kieran Jenkins (in possibly his first podium?) stepping up to the top box for 1st place.
So overall a good weekend and thanks to the land owners for letting us use their property, the clubs sponsors and all the volunteers. See everyone at the next round at Fox Creek.
Under 19:
1. Angus Maddern 2.32.02
2. Jake Adams 2.35.37
3. Ben Dippel 2.37.88
4. James Wilson 2.39.85
5. Grant Womersley 2.40.97
Elite:
1. Kieran Jenkins 2.27.88
2. Craig Yates 2.29.19
3. Connor Fearon 2.29.59
4. Boris Fontanella 2.30.24
5. Steven Gebert 2.30.84
included a chicane through rocks which was immediately after riders had come over a small drop. The track then increased in speed as riders came through the bottom section and into the finish. Quite a few riders crashed over the weekend in the lower part of the track, thankfully none too seriously. It was funny to watch people launch the second to last jump and totally miss the corner! Thanks to everyone that helped prepare the track for the weekend.
Before launching into the racing side of things here are a few observations form the weekend;
* It was good to see such a large number of riders racing, it helps create a better atmosphere on the track and in the carpark, etc.
* 12 Novice riders turned out for the event, well done guys.
* Again the guys that drove down from Alice Springs for the event deserve a mention purely for the effort involved in doing so.
* While I wouldn’t consider kite flying an extreme sport it can be dangerous as Roger found out due to uneven/rocky ground, I am sure that applies to a lot of other activities at a mountain bike race. Lots of people were saying it would have been cool to see a helicopter come but not worth the pain for the individual involved, all the best with the recovery Roger.
Onto the racing side of things, the grey clouds looked ominous all day Sunday and they finally relented and it rained half way through racing. The silver lining to the always windy Willunga weather is that it blows the rain across quite quickly so it soon stopped. The track did appear to be slower for the rest of the day. Here are a few noticeable mentions in terms of racing (there are no doubt plenty more but I struggle to writer them all):
* Neil Quitay winning Expert (he is one of the riders from the N.T I believe?!)
* Sheree Dickinson racing her first race and in Elite Women, well done.
* Angus Maddern off his hardtail back onto a dual suspension and winning Under 19.
* Kieran Jenkins (in possibly his first podium?) stepping up to the top box for 1st place.
So overall a good weekend and thanks to the land owners for letting us use their property, the clubs sponsors and all the volunteers. See everyone at the next round at Fox Creek.
Under 19:
1. Angus Maddern 2.32.02
2. Jake Adams 2.35.37
3. Ben Dippel 2.37.88
4. James Wilson 2.39.85
5. Grant Womersley 2.40.97
Elite:
1. Kieran Jenkins 2.27.88
2. Craig Yates 2.29.19
3. Connor Fearon 2.29.59
4. Boris Fontanella 2.30.24
5. Steven Gebert 2.30.84