Motorcycling SA

Ride, Race, Enjoy

Andrew Warnest

SIDEWINDERS WIND UP SEASON 2018/19

Filed Under: News, Speedway

SIDEWINDERS WIND UP SEASON 2018/19

Sidewinders held their Presentation Day at their Wingfield track on Sunday May 19th and despite the promised down pour which avoided the venue until the end, everyone had a good day.

MSA General Manager Malcolm Bulley was in attendance, and presented every rider with a Medallion of Participation for the 2018/19 Season and all were photographed receiving their award.

Presentation of Certificates of Appreciation were then presented to their Volunteers and Sponsors, without whom we would never survive.

First cab off the rank was for MSA, which was presented to Mr Bulley to share with his staff for assisting the Club in every way possible.

Other recipients present on the day were Rick Coombes, William Coombes, Jill Jansen, Emily Possingham, Port Adelaide Camera Club, Sally Keane, Laurie O’Connell, Mel Edson, Alice Possingham, Keely Silvy, Roy Stout, Shane Parker, Mick Hargreaves and Paul Keane.

This was followed by the business end of the day, with the Trophies Awarded to the following riders.

Silvy Peewee Award, –  Jackson McPherson

This is awarded by the Silvy family to the Peewee rider who has attended the most meetings and improved over the season.
Three other Peewee Riders received Most Consistent Trophies, Darcy Bennett, Blake Schlein and Riley Stout.

50cc Rider of the Year –   Hayden Matthews
Novice Solo Encouragement Award  –  Hayden Kuchel

Highest Solo 1st Year Pointscorer  –  Jordan Hargreaves

Highest Solo B Grade Pointscorer  –  Ashley Jansen-Batchelor
Highest Solo A Grade Pointscorer  –  Nicholas Possingham

Sidecar Encouragement Award –  Kaidyn Silvy/Leigh Goss

Fastest Solo  –  Nicholas Possingham

Best Presented –  Ashley Jansen-Batchelor.

This Trophy is donated by The Keane Family and is Awarded on voting at each Meeting by a member of the public on a 3, 2, 1 point basis.

Most Improved (All Classes)  –  Travis Clarke (Novice Solo)

This Trophy is awarded on voting at each meeting by the Referee on a 3, 2, 1 point basis.

Best and Fairest  –  Nicholas Possingham

This Trophy is awarded on voting at each meeting by the Referee on a 3, 2, 1 point basis.

Club Person of the Year  –  Paul Keane  (their General Handyman and dog’s body)

The Club wishes to thank everyone who competed, attended, sponsored  and assisted the Club  throughout the Season and they look forward to their first meeting of the new season which will be conducted on September 21st 2019.

SAORC TO HIT THE FOREST THIS WEEKEND FOR ROUND 1!

Filed Under: Enduro, News, SAORC, State Championship

SAORC TO HIT THE FOREST THIS WEEKEND FOR ROUND 1!

Event Date: 19th May 2019

Format: Sprint (all classes, racing all day on 2 tracks)

Start Times: Approximately 9.00am (straight after the rider’s site lap)

FULL EVENT PROGRAMME;

SATURDAY

12.00pm – 5.00pm; Tracks open for course walking

3.00pm – 5.00pm; Machine Examination & Rider Sign

SUNDAY

7.00am – 8.00am; Machine Examination & Rider Sign on.

8.15am; Compulsory Riders Briefing

8.45am; Sight lap, Racing commences immediately following sight lap.

THE COURSE:

Two courses have been marked for the opening round of the 2019 SAORC, and they consist of a course that weaves its way through trees and up and over small hills and logs of all sizes, all inside of a pine forest.

Both tests are a mixture of open flowing and tight sections, which will make for great viewing for spectators. Riders will follow the marked course which is identified by arrows and bunting.

The length of the tests are approximately 5.0 and 7.0 kilometres in length. It is anticipated that there will be 10 second intervals between riders, and with 200+ entries the action will be furious and non-stop from the first rider onwards.

Compulsory Riders Briefing: All riders will be required to sign to say they have attended rider briefing and or random numbers will be called to ascertain riders are present.

DIRECTIONS TO THE VENUE;

The directions Coming from Forreston is to turn left onto Rocky Creek Road.

Coming from Williamstown travel along B34 Warren Road and turn right into Forreston Road, then right into Rocky Creek Road.

The event start will sign posted from the gate on Rocky Creek Road.

GPS -34.757537, 138.949477

GENERAL INFORMATION:

ENTRY & CATERING

The event will be free entry to all spectators and will also be catered, with a catering and a coffee van on the go from 8.00am and throughout the day Sunday only.

WHAT YOU’RE WATCHING!

This weekend will see well over 200 riders take up the challenge of the SAORC for 2019, with the riders entered in a number of classes, which cater for all levels of riders, and are;

SENIOR;

PRO; the best of the best who will fight for the SA#1 plate

EXPERT EO; CLUBMAN C1, CLUBMAN C2, CLUBMAN C3

VETERANS 35-44 YEARS; MASTERS 45+ YEARS; OPEN WOMEN

JUNIOR;

JJ; 8-11 YEARS (65cc 2 stroke)

J1; 9-11 YEARS (85cc 2 stroke & up to 150cc 4 stroke, standard small wheels only)

J2; 12-15 YEARS (85cc 2 stroke & up to 150cc 4 stroke)

J3; 13-14 YEARS (125-200cc 2 stroke & 200-250cc 4 stroke)

J4; 15 YEARS (125-200cc 2 stroke & 200-250cc 4 stroke)

SO, WHO TO WATCH OUT FOR;

Reigning SA#1 and 2018 SAORC Outright Champion, Andy Wilksch (above), will have his work cut out to keep the title this year, especially with challenges like Will Price & Cooper Sheidow (below) looking to move up the leader board in 2019!

SENIORS

In the senior classes there should be a great battle for the outright, and the PRO Class between the current SA#1, Victorian Andy Wilksch, keen to keep his hard earned #1 plate for a 2nd year, and Riley Graham, who started the 2019 SAMX Championships last weekend well, and also capped 2018 with a maiden win in the famous 24 Hour Trial – but – look out for a couple of young upstarts to spoil their party!

Newly promoted to Pro Class, Will Price & Cooper Sheidow will be out to prove that last year’s top 5 outright placings as first year senior riders was no flash in the pan, and both have started the AORC (Australian Championship) in good form!

And with riders seeded by their first heat times, from heat 2 onwards these 4 riders could well be covered by 30 seconds, or less, on the track – will be some awesome viewing!

Possibly not far behind will be a couple of former juniors stepping up into the senior classes for the first time, 2018 MSA Rising Star nominee & SA#1 junior in 2018, Rory Hill, and former Australian Junior Champion (AORC) and MSA Rising Star winner, Jayden Rudd, who missed most of his final junior year last year with injury!

Look for these two outstanding talents to do what Will & Cooper did last year and upset all the established riders in the battle for top 10 outright honours!

The Clubman Classes have been well supported this year and make up a bulk of the field, with almost 80 entries received across the 3 classes, and there is so much talent in these classes, picking possible podiums before round 1 has proven almost impossible!

However, there will also be action aplenty, with MSA Rising Star nominees from 2018, Max Price & Jared Watson debuting in C2 & C3 Classes, plus they will also see the return of former Off Road guns, and current road race guns, the Simpson brothers, with Olly & Jordy in C1 and Mitch in C2.

(From left) New to seniors, Jared Watson & Rory Hill will be looking to upset the established seniors, while Charlie Milton will be looking for the SA#1 junior plate in 2019!

JUNIORS

An outstanding total entry of 90+ juniors have entered for this weekend’s opening round, spread across the 5 classes, and like the seniors, it is virtually impossible to pick possible podiums with no form to go by, such is the quality of the entries (in the J2 – J4 classes at least, as most are returning riders, with JJ & J1 made up of a lot of newbies to the Championship)

Some names to watch out for though are;

In J4, Charlie Milton, 3rd in the AORC in 2018, this MSA Rising Star nominee from 2018 will possibly start favourite to lift the SA#1 Junior plate this year, and had a solid start to his AORC campaign last month. Look for Charlie to lead the way.

In J3, AORC regular, Max Leibeknecht, will be at the pointy end of the class, as will a famous name in Haydon, with Kyan being the 2nd generation of his family to take up the SAORC challenge, with the multi discipline (enduro, speedway, motocross & trial) talented Clay Burnett one to watch as well!

In J2 keep an eye out for Emma Haylock, who has started her motocross year with some outstanding form and results, and could well be the dark horse in this class in 2019!

(From left) Emma Haylock, Kyan Haydon & Max Leibeknecht will be ripping up the junior classes this weekend!

FREE ENTRY FOR SPECTATORS, HOT & COLD FOOD & DRINKS, 200 RIDERS WITH SOME OUTSTANDING SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TALENT – MOUNT CRAWFORD FOREST IS THE PLACE TO BE THIS SUNDAY!

Pics courtesy of Thomas Ware photography – with thanks!

SART CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 2, ENTRIES CLOSE MIDNIGHT THIS FRIDAY

Filed Under: News, Reliability, State Championship

2019 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN RELIABILITY TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 2 ENTRIES CLOSE MIDNIGHT THIS FRIDAY, THE 17TH OF MAY!

With entries already nudging the 100 mark for round 2 of the 2019 SA Reliability Trials Championship, this is just a friendly reminder that entries close at midnight, this Friday night, the 17th of May – unless the full field sign goes up beforehand.

Round 2 is being run by the Keyneton MCC around the town of Sedan, with the Sedan Oval the Main Control for this long running event.

As always, this event is open to solo & sidecar machines, and riders will take in a course that will take about 6 hours to complete – twice!

Entries through; . Entries and payments are available online through your RIDERNET Profile, direct link to entries at www.sartchampionship.com 
Enquiries; Wendy Holmes, 0409 768 506

Round 1 (Provisional) winners, Toby Lewis (outright) and Max & Sam Hutchesson (sidecar) will be out to consolidate their SART Championship leads at round 2, the 41st Mike Connors Reliability Trial – which is also the 59th running of the Keyneton MCC’s longest running event!

Photos courtesy of Chris Caust & Thomas Ware – with thanks.

LEVI DAY CHECKS IN FROM THE BRITISH SUPERSTOCK 1000cc CHAMPIONSHIP

Filed Under: News, Road Racing

LEVI DAY CHECKS IN FROM THE BRITISH SUPERSTOCK 1000cc CHAMPIONSHIP

Below is Levi’s reports from the first 2 rounds of the British Superstock 1000 Championship – read on …

Round 1 of the British Superstock 1000 Championship took place at Silverstone over the Easter weekend. I was really excited to be stepping up into this highly competitive class, with multiple Ex British Championships and previous Superbike riders in this class for 2019. There were 55 riders entered for the weekend, with only 38 grid positions, meaning that 17 riders would be going home without making it to the race.

I have landed a great ride for 2019 with IN Competition Aprilia UK. They have a wealth of experience and great results in Superstock 1000 in previous years. Worth the support of AJN Steelstock and IN Competition this season has been made possible.

We have had two test days at Silverstone prior to the race weekend, and both tests were extremely positive. I had a heavy fall at the final test however and did go into the weekend still fairly sore. Once I was on the bike though your thoughts are soon taken away from that and are focussed on going as hard as possible!

Friday consisted of two free practice sessions. The weather was looking much hotter over the race weekends than at the tests, so we tried a few different set up options to suit the hotter weather.

On Saturday we had qualifying, where I ended 10th position. The times in this class are so close, the top 24 riders separate by 1.1 seconds, and the entire 38 grid that made the race separated by only 2 seconds. At 4 of our 12 rounds this year they run a special format called a 100 mile race. This consists of two back to back races, with a. 10 minute break in between to change tires and refuel. This weekend was one of those rounds. Meaning we had a 24 lap race, followed by another 24 lap race straight on the back of the first race.

I made a good start in race 1 and was battling well inside the top 10. My pace in the first few laps was strong and I was confident in the bike. As the race went on, I was having some handling issues, and tried my hardest to ride around the situation. Nothing major, but enough to make a few tenths of a second difference, which in this class means losing vital positions. There was an awful lot of crashes in the race, so we were lucky to stay out of trouble. I finished the first race in 14th position. In the second leg I again had a good start and managed to be strong for the first few laps. Perhaps pushing hard in the wrong areas, I only had to make a couple of minor mistakes to lose the tow to the front group. I was also given a penalty in this race, which was wrongfully handed out, meaning I had to take a long lap penalty, which was later revoked. Coming across the line in 12th position. I was happy enough with our first two races! Two point scoring rides in such a competitive field and to stay out of trouble. We learnt a lot and I learnt some important lessons in racing hard in this new class for me for 2019.

We made some big changes to the bike overnight and it did feel much better on Sunday. The team around me are amazing to work with, from my mechanics, our data engineer and the team boss, the entire crew are a great bunch of people that I’m proud to have in my corner. We had a third 24 lap race on Sunday. I again got a good start and managed to be stronger for a longer time in race 3. I still felt I was missing some time in a few key areas that meant I couldn’t quite hang on to the group of guys in front of me. I finished 11th in race 3, and this ride felt stronger than the day before, so i’m really pleased we made some good steps forward. I am proud that the first weekend we came away with 3 point scoring finishers. There was a lot of crashes this weekend and I think we did well just to steer clear of the trouble. Our pace is there to have much stronger race finishes, and I’m working hard to get the improvements we need to be there. My team are 100% capable and I believe I am as well. There is plenty os positivity in the garage and with the support of my team, sponsors, wife and family, I’m really looking forward to Oulton Park in two weeks’ time to take on round 2 of the British Superstock 1000 Championship!

Round 2 of the British Superstock 1000 Championship was held over the weekend at Oulton Park in Chesire. Oulton is an amazing circuit, very undulating and technically demanding. I’ve had some great success here in the past, putting it on pole and winning the Ducati Tri Options race in 2018.

The IN Competition Aprilia RSV4 was certainly going to be a new challenge for me, tackling over 200hp around this circuit. I’ve got a great group of people around me in the team and they go above and beyond to give me a fantastic bike and help me adapt my riding to suit the 1000.

We had two free practice sessions on Friday where I ended those in 8th and 10th. With 55 riders entered for the weekend, I’m happy that we are fighting toward the front, but our goal is of course so be even closer! I was working on some areas of my riding to help get the most out of the bike, and each time I get on it, I’m fine tuning this more and more to improve our pace.

We then had qualifying on Saturday. I qualified 13th which I felt I could have gone better but just didn’t string a solid lap together when getting held up in traffic on some good laps. The times were close though as always, and finding a few tenths of a second would have got me in the mix with 6th place. The boys worked really hard and found some good ideas from going over the data of the bike. We can view suspension and engine data on the bike to help make informed decisions about improvements and changes we want to make.

On Sunday morning, the rain came down and changed the game plan slightly! The changes we wanted to try were no longer relevant in the damp conditions. But we have had some good wet tests already this year so I was excited to get a race under our belt in the wet.  Off the line, a rider in front of me spun out and I had to take avoiding action. I clipped his arm but fortunately avoided what could have easily been a major collision. How ever this send me back to 30th position on lap 1. I worked my way back a little finally crossing the line in 21st position. Of course this is not where we had hoped to finish. But looking at the whole picture, I have really struggled in the wet in previous years. This is by far the toughest championship I’ve ever taken part in, and we were able to fight out way back through a few positions. From what happened on the start line it was just about getting some experience on the 1000 in the wet and finishing my second race on a 1000.

We now have Donington in 3 weeks time. I’m really looking forward to getting back on the IN Competition Aprilia RSV4 and making further solid improvements. I must thank the whole team for their ongoing support and for having my back through all our results. And to my sponsors, in particular AJN Steelstock, who make all of this possible! Thank you to everyone supporting me, I’ll continue working hard and giving 100%

Cheers, Levi Day

Photo Credit: Cami Pix Photography

SA’S MOTOCROSS WOMEN ROCK ROUND 1 IN THE RIVERLAND

Filed Under: Motocross, News, SAMX Championship

SA’S MOTOCROSS WOMEN ROCK ROUND 1 IN THE RIVERLAND

South Australia’s motocross girls & women put on a great show at round 1 of the Eagle Trailers & Campers 2019 SA Motocross Championships, held at the Renmark track, which was well prepared by the hard working members of the Riverland JMC.

15 girls & women competed at round 1, with the 2018 Women’s Champion, Amy Bartsch, taking up where she left off from last year by blitzing all 3 heats to lead home first year senior, Chloe Barton, with Teagan Hartwig winning the battle for the final spot on the podium from Tarja Morris.

In the juniors Emma Haylock rocketed out of the gates to lead the field away, but a crash in heat 1 left her behind the pack for the rest of the day, and even though she won heats 2 & 3, she has some work to do to catch Championship leader, Dakota Collins, who holds a 7 point lead over Ava Faulkhead, with Janis Richter holing 3rd after round 1.

1st & 2nd in Open Women after round 1, Amy Bartsch & Chloe Barton (above left), while Koby Kitchen (595) holeshots in one of her heats.

Here’s the women & girls results from the weekend – with the full results here; https://speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/1656563

SENIOR;      WOMEN’S ALL POWERS

1        AMY BARTSCH                105

2        CHLOE BARTON              96

3        TEAGAN HARTWIG          88

4        TARJA MORRIS               82

5        JASMINE McPHERSON    76

6        LETITIA MATTERS           73

7        TAYLA BATES                  56

JUNIOR;      85CC 2/ 150CC 4/ STD & BW 11-UNDER 16 YRS

1        DAKOTA COLLINS           99

2        AVA FAULKHEAD            92

3        JANIS RICHTER              86

4        VAINE GREY                            80

5        MAISIE HAYES                76

6        EMMA HAYLOCK             70

SENIOR;      MX 2 INTERMEDIATE

13TH   AMY BARTSCH                38

SENIOR;      MX 2 CLUBMEN

8TH     CHLOE BARTON              69

JUNIOR;      100-125CC 2 STROKE 13-UNDER 16 YEARS

14TH   AIMEE BULTER               49

JUNIOR;      128-150CC 2 STROKE/200-250CC 4 STROKE 13 – UNDER 16 

13TH   KOBY KITCHEN               56

JUNIOR;      85CC 2/ 150CC 4/ STD & BW 12-UNDER 16 YRS

20TH   KOBY KITCHEN               36

Koby Kitchen & Aimee Butler compare notes (above left) between heats, and at right, Tarja Morris (755) and Chloe Barton (Right) welcome Emma Haylock to the BMS Racing Team

With a huge thanks to Butler’s Mechanical Services and Titanium Security Australia for partnering the Open Women & Junior Girls classes, here’s what a few of the girls thought after round 1, with round 2 to be held at Andy Caldecott Park at Keith on June 15 & 16!

AMY BARTSCH

Good say racing the SA state titles at Renmark. Couldn’t have gotten a better result in the women’s class going 1-1-1.
Thanks to everyone for the help and support.
Stratco, SK Designs Australia, Hoey Racing, NOW Construction & Property Maintenance

EMMA HAYLOCK

Had an okay day at Renmark today. Managed to get the hole shot in all three Moto’s which helped me a lot.

Race 1:
Had a good start but unfortunately I tucked the front in the first lap and came down hard and was unable to finish the race. End up with DNF

Race 2:
Had a great race battling with Dakota for most of the race. Both of us made some silly mistakes but was nice to get my first win.

Race 3:
Managed to get another good start and rode my own race. Had one moment a couple of corners from the finish line with a big tank slap but I was very lucky to save it. Came away with my second win for the day.
Due to my DNF in race one I finished off the day at the back points wise but enjoyed finishing the day off on a high.

A massive thank you to Ian and Tracy Butler for getting behind me this season and allowing me to join the BMS Racing team. I am over the moon and I will try my hardest to get good results for you guys.

BMS Racing, Moto Adelaide, Titanium Security Australia Pty Ltd, GAS Imports Pty Ltd

AIMEE BUTLER

Round 1 of the SA titles done! Didn’t ride as well as I know I should’ve, unfortunately making too many mistakes and horrible starts.
Massive thanks to Tracy & Ian Butler, Rylee Berry, Chloe Barton, Dale Barton & Jaxon Raynor, and to all my sponsors;
BMS Racing, Butlers Mechanical Service, Moto Adelaide, D&G Tyres
Wakefield Trucks, Ride Tribe, Castrol, Shock Treatment, Pirie Signs & Design, Go Girl Racing Australia, Mayhem Fitness

CHLOE BARTON

A very mixed day at Renmark for RND1 of the state titles.
Raced both woman’s and MX2 clubman
In the clubman (which was only for track time) I got 5,5,17, in race 2 I was leading with a 10-15 sec lead when I made a stupid mistake and tucked the front end then picked it up and couldn’t touch the ground so dropped it again, managed to hold onto 5th in that race, in the final MX2 another bad start worked my way back into 4th and was making a pass for 3rd when I high sided the bike in a fast section hitting the ground hard and winding myself, managed to get back up and finish the race.
Happy to be coming away in 8th position overall in MX2.
In the woman’s class I went 2, 2, 2 for 2nd overall, in the final woman’s race I literally just done what I had to do to hold onto 2nd place.
Have to say a massive thank you to everyone who came and checked up on me and made sure I was ok.
Big thanks to my sponsors;

BMS Racing, Butlers Mechanical Service, Castrol, Titanium Security Australia Pty Ltd, Painttech, Performance Moto, Get Displays, Emar Seats, Utilities Construction and a big thanks to Moto Adelaide for helping me out getting a new tyre fitted ready for the race.

KOBY KITCHEN

Day 1 of SA State Titles at Riverland Junior Motorcycle Club (RJMC) rode the 85cc class – had a few issues to work through, happy to finish the day with 20th overall.

Looking forward to tomorrow riding the Junior 250cc class.

Day 2 of SA State Titles at Riverland Junior Motorcycle Club (RJMC)
Today was always going to be hard a day, first time competing at states on the 250cc riding against best in the SA.
Track was rough & gnarly, due to having the seniors tear up the track, but glad to get through the day in one piece.
Thanks to my family, friends and sponsors for all their support;

Motorcyclists First Aid, Bridgeland Motorcycles, Brisk, Ride Tribe, FXR, Flow Vision Company, Emar seats, Hittin’ the Street, Hold It On Designs, PlusPrinting

Thanks to the riders for their pics – and watch out Thursday for a run down on how the guys went at round 1! 

CONNOR HOGAN MASTERS HIS FIRST SCOTTISH 6 DAY!

Filed Under: News, Trials

CONNOR HOGAN MASTERS HIS FIRST SCOTTISH 6 DAY!

South Aussie Trials rider, Connor Hogan, from Bangor in the Southern Flinders Ranges has just finished a very respectable 64th outright (out of 264 finishers), and 5th in the Newcomers Award at one of the world’s oldest and most famous motorcycle events, the Scottish 6 Day Trial.

Hoping to emulate his father, Brenton (Hoges), who rode and finished in 102nd position in 1987 (pictured below), this event was always on Connor’s ‘bucket list’, with trying to fit it in between studies and the World Championship over the past 3 years, 2019 finally saw it become a reality and Connor, one of 280 starters, grabbed the opportunity with both hands and didn’t let go.

Held in unusually ‘dry’ conditions – in other words, the creeks were generally dry & slippery, not running with foot deep water, and the moors on the transport stages didn’t want to suck your bike in like quicksand – there was still low temperatures, rain showers and some snow high up in the Highlands to contend with.

Below is the daily ‘blog’ from Hoges, who was there as Connor’s ‘pit crew’ and spent the week driving around the Highlands of Scotland keeping his charge well fed & hydrated – read on ….

Day 1 in Scotland is done and Connor has come through in fine condition. Finished well ahead of time with no drama. Like most of Australia, Scotland is surprisingly dry. Sunshine and mild conditions and as yet Connor has not encountered any deep bogs. Of course there are still 5 days to go so anything can happen yet.

Day 2 over here at the Scottish Six Day Trial. Connor finished ok today with 8 minutes to spare. The longest day today. 107 miles (not km) and 8.5 hours. Big loop taking in the Craig Lundie group, but still very nice weather for Scotland though there were a few showers and even some hail. At one point Connor said it was snowing right up in the Highlands. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is Connor’s early day (over the 6 days the starting order is rotated). First up is a trip on the Corran Ferry.

Day 3 in Scotland has concluded so Connor has got to halfway. He finished in good time on his early start day and was able to put on a new tyre. Today was the tour around Moidart peninsula starting with a trip on the Corran Ferry.  A little shorter today, only 77 miles! Still good weather and a number of waterfall sections. Both bike and rider going strong at this point. With the rotating start system Connor moves to the back of the field as his group is last away tomorrow.

Day 4 done. Big loop way down to the SE of Glencoe then back up north to Fersit. 101 miles in 8 hours including the standard daily ration of 30 sections. Again very good weather, only the odd light shower. Not such a good spectator day today but managed to catch up with both Connor & Luke at the “chairlift” group of sections, both going well. Tomorrow we return to the Moidart Peninsula, this time in the reverse direction for 95 miles

Day 5 done and dusted. A few showers around early but then it cleared off again. Riding in the back half of the entry allows for the sections to be more “run in” and Connor went well today. Sections were run around the Moidart Peninsula and it was a little easier to keep up with the riders along coastal roads and tracks. 8 hours, 95 miles. I was able to watch Connor in 4 section groups including a double clean on the final group of the day, “Rubha Ruadh”. So tomorrow we go into final day with sections near Ben Nevis, as well as famous sections like Pipeline (used since 1967) and “Town Hall Brae” in the centre of Fort William, the last section of the trial.

Day 6 and Connor has completed the Scottish. Clear blue skies greeted riders for the final days play for 2019. They initially headed south toward Kinlochleven take in groups at Callart, Lower Mamore and the famous Pipeline where Connor cleaned the lower 3 subs before parting with 2 points on the top sub. The competitors then work their way around behind Ben Nevis before two tough groups on the lower slopes of the mountain, Ben Nevis & Glen Nevis. Finally it is back to the centre of Fort William for section 180; “Town Hall Brae”. On this hazard Connor went clean but over a dozen “5’s”, a many “3’s” were lost on this narrow, greasy section. At this point the results are not finalised but Connor will certainly receive a First Class award plus the knowledge he has successfully completed the hardest multi day trial event in the world.

Team Australia! So in the aftermath of the SSDT Hoges also wanted to put a shout out to Luke Anderson (below with Connor), from the ACT and the only other Aussie riding the SSDT in 2019, who put in a stellar performance. Luke was riding number 126, so was only 9 numbers behind Connor and they ended up doing a fair bit of riding together. Luke finished in 124th position and also received a First Class Award. Luke did mention he would love to come back to the Highlands, not necessarily to ride a motorcycle but to do some hiking in this incredibly scenic area.

And from Connor; Scottish Six Day Trial all done. Happy to have finished in 64th for my first attempt and receive a First Class Award. Had some ups and down throughout the week. Some days I rode well and others were very frustrating but learnt so much from the whole experience. Looking forward to the first round of the World Championship in Italy in 2 weeks. Thanks to Dad for chasing me around all week in the van bringing food and water, as well as my sponsors for their continued support; Rockhopping SA, GRO, Global Racing Oil, Jitsie and The Hell Team.

Now Connor will be gearing up for his attack on the 2019 Trial2 World Championship, starting in Italy in 2 weeks time, and we all wish him the best, as well as congratulating him on his Scottish success.

And for the record – James Dabill (above left) won the SSDT for the 3rd time in 2019 – leading from day 1 and losing 5 points through the 6 days and 180 sections, to win by 2 points from the legend that is Dougie Lampkin (12 time SSDT winner & 12 time World Champion): and who was waiting for ‘Dibs’ at the finish, Dougie with a bottle of Champers to celebrate and toast the winner – sportsmanship at a high level and so typical of them both!

Photo credits; Trials Central, Donald Young, James Dabill, Brenton Hogan – with thanks