Race 1 NZ Championships Timaru

Hi everyone,

Here is a quick run down of the first round of the NZ Superbike championships held in Timaru this past weekend.

Mum and I drove south during the week in a diesel van thanks to Glen Bishop, which was a bit cheaper than our gas guzzler and we arrived at Baywatch motor Lodge on the Thursday, preparing for a big weekend ahead.

This year I am riding my Honda rs125 for Team Race Supplies, again in the 125cc category. Most of my competitors from last year have moved up to 600cc supersport bikes so my main competition this year is from young up-and-comers and the visiting Australians and one Malaysian rider.

Our weekend started out well as we had a really good set-up from previous testing which gave me some confidence for the 3 races coming up over the weekend.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing as a small electrical fault in qualifying left me stranded in the middle of the track with only one flying lap completed. This put me in 11^th grid position and with a lot of work to do in the races ahead…

Race 1 on Saturday I managed to pull off some exciting passing manoeuvres to take the lead by on lap 3 and pulled away for the win, yay!

Sunday morning brought an overcast day and race 2, where I got a better start and was in fourth by the 3^rd corner.. not bad from the 3^rd row of the grid! I kept steady and managed to take another race win.

By race 3 I was feeling a bit tired and didn’t have a very good start to the race, but I knew if  I didn’t give up and kept steady I could catch my team mate Jake Lewis in the lead, and still have some energy left to pull out a quick last lap. Unfortunately I made a small mistake whilst behind him that sent me off into the grass and I tipped over. It was only a very small crash but I couldn’t get my bike going again to complete the last lap.

After the DNF I am now sitting in 3^rd in the championship standings – atleast there is a long season ahead and loads of points up for grabs.. maybe I should have realized that during the race!! I just want to win races so bad. I’m sure the hard work will continue, and pay off over the next two weekends and we should be able to close the gap in the championship standings.

Big thanks to all my sponsors for making this year possible: Baywatch Motor Lodge for the awesome accommodation, Blue wing Honda, Race Supplies, Carcolors, NGK, HJC helets, Sidi boots, Bridgestone, Celtic leathers.

Also thank-you to Mum and Dad, and my new team, Tim and Kev for all their work leading up to and over the weekend.  

Until next time,

Avalon.

HJC helmets have served many riders very well over the years and Avalon is extremely pleased to have their continued support for the 2011 season. She has been riding with the latest model R-PHA 10 helmet and is notably impressed.

“I have been loving my new HJC. It is so much quieter and better ventilated than anything I have ever worn, allowing me to focus much better when on the bike. One of my favourite riders Ben Spies also wears the same, and I know we aren’t the only one’s who believe in its safety and comfortability”

Other New Zealand riders to be seen in this helmet in the upcoming season include 600cc and superbike riders such as Craig Shirrifs and Glen Skatchill.

For more information on HJC’s range in New Zealand click here.

After a mixed weekend at the 2010 Taupo road race spectacular, Avalon is pleased to come away with the NZ formula f5 GP trophy. Riding an RG50cc machine lent to her for the race, she held off strong compeition from regular challenger David Diprose in a race held in fine conditions at Taupo Motorsport Park. Unfortunatley the F5 race was held in conjunction with a race for all grand prix bikes which prevented Avalon riding her Honda rs125 on the Saturday, however, the GP win was a fair consolation.

Avalon wishes to say a huge thank you to David Trustrum for lending her the bike to race. She was quick to describe it as the most fun she’d ever had at Taupo – on a 50cc machine! Also a big thank you goes to Helen Pasco and Malcom Nabbs for transporting the bike.