In true Melbourne style - it rained, the sun came out and then there was dust. The Outtrim track was in Gippsland, Vic, was in mint condition for the penultimate round of the QRCV Super Series 8 thanks to the Korumburra MX Club who put on a great day for all.
It was a shame to see Geoff Taylor Yamaha Pro Rider Adam Siemensma out for the day due to a previous injury in which he has a plate and at least 20 screws inserted into his left forearm. However the racing was still in amazing form with the Expert Class joining the ranks of the Pro riders to compete in the 15-minute motos for the day.
Honda rider Daryl Watson has definitely stepped it up a notch. In moto one of the Pro class Watson took the holeshot and never gave up in the 15-minute moto. Holding onto the lead the entire race, which saw 10 long laps of the track, Watson finally succumbed to Barry Francis Suzuki rider Paul Smith in the last lap who had to work his way up the field. Watson was only 1 second behind Smith going over the finish line. Aaron Ovens and Anthony Dellios had to push their way through the field to show off their talents coming in 3rd and 4th respectively.
In moto 2 the tables turned with Ovens providing great entertainment with his agility and skill. With each lap Smith made up 1 second to finally catch Ovens on the 5th lap. The lead swapped and changed between the two in this lap with Smith coming out victorious. In moto 3 both Dellios and Ovens held off Smith for quite some time. Smith proved to strong in the end taking all 3 motos for the day in true style. Smith took 1st place with Ovens in 2nd and Watson in 3rd. Dellios was presented with an award for all his efforts for the day.
A jubilant Smith said after the last race "What a days racing! That was the most fun I've had since the Warrnambool round a few years ago when Luke Beechey was racing. It's great that Daryl and Aaron are stepping it up they have been in fantastic form over the last few rounds. I feel bad for Adam Siemensma who injured his arm recently because I'm sure he would have been right up there as well."
Smith will go into the last round at Blue Rock with a 63 point advantage over Ovens who is well clear of Anthony Delios in third.
It was brilliant to see the Expert riders proving they are just as talented and gifted as the Pro riders. Colac Suzuki rider Cameron Wade, the oldest of the young Wade boys, as well as Yamaha rider Jay Chandler kept up with the Pro riders on their first 15 minute moto experience. Wade showed great finesse going through the whoops with Chandler hot on his heels. Honda rider, Australian Women's Champion, Jeanette Lindsay, adding to her experience was showing she can keep up with the best of them also.
A few more brave and noble men joined the ranks of the notorious Jumbo Juniors. New comer Darren Schnoor managed to get the 3 holeshots only to instantly break down on his newly purchased Jumbo due to electrical problems. Also Lincoln Marks had some minor difficulties which kept him off the track, leaving the established riders to keep the trophies. Both E TON Australia rider Rob Van Vliet and Southern Quads Typhoon rider Pete Wilhelms battled out the lead in all 3 motos giving the crowd lots to scream about. Van Vliet ended up with 2 wins giving him the 1st place trophy over Wilhelms and Phil Ede took 3rd.
The Junior racing is proving bigger and better with all riders stepping up the pace. 300cc Rider Mitch Van Vliet had his work cut out for him due to gearbox problems but never gave up the chase. Jonothan Wade had a great day with 3 straight wins. Adam Larson had technical difficulties with his clutch and young Jake Van Vliet with his consistency pulled off 3rd place. In the 90cc class Kristopher Sabbatucci had a big get off when he tangled himself up going over the whoops but managed to get back on as fast as he fell off.
The 50cc future champions also had their ups and downs trying to get through the slush at the start of the day but through grit and determination they all finished their races.
Womens racing was extremely close due to the fact that some riders missed their start giving the race a real upset. Talented rider Vicky Eden managed to make up ground and take the win for the 1st moto with Jeanette Lindsay taking the other 2 motos. Full of bike swapping due to mechanical problems the ladies managed to keep the smiles on their dials for the rest of the day.
Tait Ovens in the Production Class has showed his presence giving the other riders a taste of whats to come in the future. Cameron Wade managed to take the win for all 3 motos but had to work hard for it as Ovens pushed him to the limit.
And in the Vets which is becoming increasingly competitive, Rob Van Vliet on Siemensma's Yamaha, proved he was a force to be reckoned with. Finke legend Rick Beer commented " it was some of the best racing between him and Van Vliet that he had had in awhile". Van Vliet only just held off Beer to take 1st place with 3 points the difference and Colac Rider Jeff Larson came in 3rd.
The Australian Quad Nationals in November held at Newry, Victoria is going to be amazing to watch with the Victorian talents just getting better and better.
Main Photo: Pro Class winner Paul Smith
