Well Rob McNaughton and Josh Stephenson have done it again with another benchmark Mountain Cross race on the Black Hill 4X track.
The track had seen numerous improvements and upgrades which kept all the riders happy. The biggest note was the newly constructed professional start ramp, can anyone say Pro! The track was also lengthened a bit, a few more jumps added, and the fun factor cranked up to 11.
I will get to the racing in a minute, but firstly the atmosphere was incredible, DJ beats pumping out all day and a keg was on hand to keep the spectators hydrated with some of Newcastle’s finest Blue Tongue lager. Team GT was representing with all riders on hand, and VIC MTB also fielded a team all the way from Melbourne and vow to return for round 2 in August. The pits were alive with heaps of spectators and a humming buzz that only made the racing so much more enjoyable.
Racing was tight and furious, the action did not let up all day. The numerous lines through each corner is a testament to the track designers and can easily be held accountable for the quality of racing which was to be had. Overall the system was run on BMX point score rounds. Every one raced 3 rounds and points were awarded to the highest place finishers, who were then sent into the finals. The whole program worked very well with only a handful of riders across all categories missing out on the finals.
The Elite category was certainly by no means any easy affair minus the likes of some of the big Bmx stars which were present at the inaugural GT Mountain cross. The field was by no means easy with chargers like Dave McLaughlin, Carl Wilson -BMX Gun, Mark Smith -Brisbane hard charger, Adam Smithson and a whole host of others and me. The three rounds I went through went smoothly with a win, a second and a third. There was not a huge need to push hard all the way in every round as most of the riders would advance into the finals shootout, which were run on standard 4X elimination format, best two advance. Mark Smith was unlucky to not advance through his first final after missing a gate and getting DQ’ed, he had won all of his heats leading up the semis.
In the gate for the final was Carl Wilson, Smithson, Wacka and Me. Not getting the start I had hoped for I got slammed on the first jump and into the down ramp I went. The other three went into the first corner all together. Adam and Carl were shoulder to shoulder the whole way around, unfortunately Smithson got edged over one of the flags missing a gate and consequently getting DQ’ed, which was later confirmed on video footage. I managed to scrape myself up of the ground, bang down the track with a bit of style over the jump, covered in dust and rolled in for third.
The junior field was a hotly contested event with Ezra Barthold taking the win, Timmy Moffat running in 2nd, Regan Arthur bringing in 3rd and Jordan Kopetko also represented in 4th. Little Timmy “I don’t want to go in that bike box” from Melbourne got 5th which is also a reputable mention because he rode out of his skin all weekend.
A good days racing was had by all and we finished of with a showcase final round for the spectators with no crashes and missed gates. All in all I think every rider came away with a least a smile, I know I was stoked. Look forward to more improvements again at the next race with a bigger spectator base, improved track once again and the flowing vibe that makes for an awesome day. There will be even more product and prizes given out at the next event so be there!
