ATV MX SUPER SERIES 8
ROUND 2 CASTLEMAINE & ROUND 3 BAIRNSDALE

Race Report by: - TJ Elliott

Yamaha, E Ton, Suzuki, Honda, Polaris, Bombardier, Pro Shark and Kawasaki’s - now lets be frank, if the shops are going to sell them, then they will be present at the ATV MX Super Series 8 for the year of 2006.

With all quads being represented the series has started off with a fantastic launch. Good numbers were present at Castlemaine with even better numbers at the newly established track at Bairnsdale.
Everyone associated with the Series has put in a great effort which has marked the ritual of the series getting better and better with each race.
Hugh Smith who has been stepping in for Mark Beechey commented that all is going well especially with the co-operation of all members.

Once again the days start with the thundering engines around the campsite, the riders and mechanics making the final checks on their machines before scrutineering.
Castlemaine was commented on being a good track but hard with lots of rocks. Bairnsdale on the other hand, was a loamy and loose surface with good berms for fast cornering.

Paul Smith was absent at the Castlemaine race meet due to being over in the USA racing at Budd Creek along side our Aussie champion Luke Beechey. In a nutshell Paul commented that racing in the USA has helped him heaps.
“ Racing over there is huge with more than 700 entries for the meet. There was 50 to 60 competitors in my races alone.” said Smith.

“It was a fantastic learning experience but very overwhelming watching all the people and their setups. The tracks were rough but I feel more confident coming back. Im more aggressive especially coming into the corners. ”

“ I managed to qualify top in the Production B class but stuffed up my start in the main race. Coming overall 7th was great. In the Up to 265cc class I got tangled up and had to go in the last chance qualifier but handled that to grab a run in the main race. On the Sunday I had a good start coming 5th so overall I got 10th.”

A fantastic Aussie effort thanks to the support of all his sponsors including Susuki. Cernics Dealership in the USA kindly lent Smith his quad for the racing.

With the hype surrounding the Pro Class, things didn’t go according to plan for the Yamaha-sponsored rider Adam Siemensma at Bairnsdale. After having a clean sweep of 1st, 1st 1st at Castlemaine, Adam had his work cut out for him throughout the day with a major oil leak out on the track. Having a DNF didnt phase Seimensma due to the fact that all competitors have to drop a round for the championship.

Newcomer to the sport, Tasmanian Jy Stokes, also had his fair share of problems getting stuck in the gates but managed to pull of 3rd place for the day with a fighting effort, leaving Rodney Scales to take 2nd and fresh back from the States Paul Smith with the 1st place trophy for the day.

The ladies are putting in a fine effort giving some of the male riders a run for their money. Janette Lindsay is proving fatal for the men in the Clubman class pushing her way through confidently for an overall 2nd place for the day at Bairnsdale.

Castlemaine proved to be a headache for long time rider Vicky Eden. With a new found competitive edge Vicky was so worried about her thumb throttle that she made the catastrophic mistake of not checking the fuel. Without saying a word you can guess what happened. On talking to Vicky her comment for the day was “ Im very happy with the way I rode but not happy with my brain.”

Newcomer Natalie Ross is also becoming a force to be reckoned with out on the track racing in Womens A grade regularly receiving 3rd place. Natalie is making her mark and is already giving South Australian rider Amanda Watson and Victorian rider Jeanette Lindsay something to think about.

The Junior 250cc class threw out a spectators dream with racing between the Wade, Emanuelli, Van Vliet and Tyquin families being very tight. The championship up for grabs with such close racing, Carley Emanuelli was determined not to have the same chain problems which hounded her in the first round. Coming back after a broken wrist, Cameron Wade managed to take out first place, but with great consistency Mitch Van Vliet is still managing to hold onto first place in the overall championship series.

To top off the day was the hilarious actions of the antiquated veterans Phil Ede and Rob Van Vliet competing in the Jumbo Junior class. With laughter and a bit of push and shove on the start gates one can only imagine the topic of discussion between the two of them. Once that 30 second board drops, the gates come crashing down with a thud and the adrenaline sinks in - its racing for cattle stations. With Phil on his trusty Pro Shark stead catapulting to the lead against Rob Van Vliet on the E-TON the pressure was on. Rob relentlessly threw everything he could at Phil only to be beaten at the chequered flag. Once the race was completed, a shake of the hands and a push, shove and a giggle the two agreed to battle it out again at the next round at Colac.