The Final Showdown for the 2009 Honda Grom's and Girls on the Gas Competitions are approaching fast. With all seven state rounds being completed and winners crowned along the way, our state representatives are excited to pit themselves against the competition.
The Final Showdown will be held in Victoria's Gippsland Region at the Korumburra/Outtrim circuit on November 28th and 29th. The Honda Grom's Final will be conducted on the Saturday and the Girls will compete on the Sunday.
Event director Lee Hogan from the 'Building Champions Program' has been impressed with the caliber of riders throughout the 2009 series.
"It's been a terrific year for both the girls and groms. Our entry numbers have been up again from last year and the talent level has been extremely impressive," said Hogan.
"It's always this time of the year that I do a preview of the Final Showdown and give my opinion of the strengths and weaknesses of our state winners, so here we go."
Honda Grom's on the Gas Winners
Tasmania
Ben McMullen 15 Years old (Suzuki)
"Ben is a super smooth rider who rarely makes mistakes but will need to pick up lap time speed and work on his public speaking to be competitive against the east coast boys."
SA
Elyjah Wiese 14 Years old (Honda)
"The winner of 2008's SA leg of the competition, Elyjah knows how the final showdown works and will be more prepared for 2009. Elyjah combines a smooth riding style with great speed on the bike. Good public speaking and decent fitness make the SA representative one of the favourites."
NT
Stephen Perry 15 Years old (Yamaha)
"Stephen has really improved as a rider over the last 12 months. A massive boy, he stands well over 6 foot and weighs up near the 90kg mark, he has amazing sprint speed on the bike but will need to smooth out a tad for the big final."
Vic
Joel Barry 15 Years old (Honda)
"Formerly ranked number 2 in the world on a jet ski, Joel had only been on a motocross bike for just over a year before the Victorian leg. Clearly a natural on the bike, combined with amazing fitness and public speaking skills, Joel will feature highly come the final showdown."
NSW
Mitch Budd 15 Yrs Old (Honda)
"Mitch is good friends with the reigning 'Groms on the Gas' winner from 2008 Corey Lucas and the pair worked together to help in Mitch's preparation. He has great speed on the bike and good fitness. Public Speaking and smoothness on the bike could play a factor."
Qld
Zac Ainscough 15 Years Old (Yamaha)
"Zac was a standout at the Qld round, winning all four categories in convincing style. He doesn't seem to have too many weaknesses but will need to shine on the day to score wins in all categories."
WA
Joseph Murphy 15 years Old (Yamaha)
"Similar to our Queensland winner, Joseph is strong in all four categories. I expect a great battle between these two riders for the overall win but anyone can step up on the day as Corey Lucas proved last year."
Honda Girls on the Gas Winners
Tasmania
Zara Wooley (Honda)
"Zara's home track is the famous 'Penguin' circuit in Tasmania. If she can find the speed she has on her home track she will be hard to beat. Good at public speaking and a nice fitness base, Zara may need to work on rider technique a tad to take the overall."
SA
Jackie Gibbs 15 Years Old (Honda)
"Jackie has a great little style but will need to improve overall speed to be competitive against some of the east coast girls. A real hard tryer."
NT
Taylah Maurice 11 (KTM)
"Taylah is the smallest and youngest of our girls but is not scared of the competition. Coming all the way from Darwin she is looking forward to the challenge of competing against the other state winners."
NSW
Jess Gardiner 15 (Yamaha)
"Jess had to fight for the win in the NSW leg and it came right down to the wire. She has super sprint speed but may need to smooth out a tad for the final showdown. Good fitness and public speaking will put her right in the mix."
WA
Jess Moore 15 (Honda)
"Jess was the winner of last years Honda Girls on the Gas Final Showdown so she knows how to win. Very smooth on the bike with terrific speed! Good fitness and public speaking make her a force to be reckoned with. How she will fair on the new Outtrim circuit remains to be seen."
Qld
Courtney Knight 15 Years Old (Yamaha)
"Courtney is the wild card for the final showdown. Lightning fast with a great style, terrific public speaking and sensational fitness! She will need to piece it all together and remain mistake free on the day to take the win over Jess Moore and the other highly ranked girls."
Vic
Jess Heaney 18 Years Old (Honda)
"Jess just came along for a bit of fun to the Victorian leg but ended up taking a sensational victory over some terrific riders. She has a good style, fast lap times, good fitness base and speaks extremely well. She should feature right up there."
"I'd like to take the time to wish all the Groms and Girls state winners the best of luck come the last weekend in November and look forward to seeing you all at the Outtrim circuit for the big day," Hogan added.
The Honda Groms and Girls on the Gas Competitions are supported by Honda Motorcycles, Fox Clothing, Fuchs Silkolene Oils, Dunlop Tyres, Alpinestars Boots, Krooz Tune Suspension, EBT Engines, Nine Two Graphics and BCP.
