PDMBC DH State Race 1 - Golden Grove

More than 110 competitors turned out for the first round of the Peel Districts Mountain Bike Club WA State Downhill Series on May 2-3, which kicked off in style. Riders were blessed as Golden Grove truly lived up to its name, with perfect conditions for the two days of racing.

Club members worked hard to put together a new and exciting track, with a heap of off-camber and natural sections. The cherry on top came in the form of finishing with the epic Kelvins Corner before the final straight run. With plenty of thrills and spills, it proved to be a track that rewarded good bike handling skills. Live timing was also visible on the screen, which meant everyone could see the results as the riders made their way down. As always the race took place in three stages, beginning with qualifying to get a taste for the track, before getting real in the finals run. After that comes a sweet Top 30 run, the best chance for redemption! The Top 30 isn’t recorded in official points, but proves an epic spectacle for spectators.

With this race the first chance to get some good points on the table, everyone was keen to push it to the limit. Healing vibes to Brad though, who got over-excited, crashed and injured his shoulder. Get well soon!

The Elite Males got right into the race, with some trail-blazing times posted in qualifying and finals. King of the hill Jordan Prochyra finished top in qualifying (1:50.886) and finals (1:49.729), before taking it home to finish first in the Top 30 run with a time of 1:49.537. The man just couldn’t be stopped! Another solid contender took the form of Kose Michielson, who finished 3rd in finals, posting 1:56.098. Kose was outraced by Carl Pickersgill though, who went flat out to finish 2nd in 1:52.869. Sam Payet had bad luck in his qualifying (1:59.707) and finals (2:01.607) runs, crashing in both and placing 9th and 11th respectively. However, he bounced back and redeemed himself in his Top 30 run, placing a respectable 3rd with a time of 1:54.030. Danger man Ryan Litterick also looked promising as he aced his qualifying run, finishing with the second fastest time. At 1:53.599, Ryan was just a little more over two seconds off the fastest qualifying time. But disaster struck when he flatted in his race run and couldn’t finish. Another promising contender was Anthony Davies, getting back on his bike after a long hiatus. His speed boosted throughout the day, placing 16th in qualifying with a time of 2:06.806. His form picked up in finals, placing 13th with 2:03.512. But he was feeling it in the Top 30 run, fanging it home to finish 5th in 1:57.673. Overall, there was never a shortage of quality riding in the Elite Male category.

There was a large women’s field at Golden Grove, with some close results! In Elite Female, Penny Holmberg controlled the qualifying run, posting the fastest time with 2:38.561. Close behind that time in the qualifiers was Alexandra Kirkby, who finished in 2:42.589. Penny couldn’t convert an epic qualifier going into the finals, and was outclassed by Katarina McDowell and Louise Wallace. With the fastest time in finals, Katarina managed to finish in 2:34.122. It wasn’t an easy victory though, as Louise raced to second place with a time of 2:34.691, less than one second behind first place! Penny slipped back to claim 3rd place with a time of 2:41.037. It proved to be a close call and a thrilling final run for the Elite Women. Alexandra couldn’t capitalise on an epic qualifier, but still placed a solid 4th in the final with 2:45.937 on the clock. Kyra Eddy and Abi Paterson also rode solid races, but couldn’t keep up with the rest of the speed demons. Kyra placed 6th in both runs, while Abi rode to 5th in each run.

Juniors were out in force at the race, and gave a promising look into the future of mountain bike racing. Jake Marshall ruled the U19 category, speeding to 1st place in the finals with a time of 1:56.937 – up there with the Elite Males! It was a close final in the U17, as Jesse Morgan placed 1st with 2:09.057 – beating Roly Kyme by less than a second! Joseph Gilenko pushed the hardest in U15, claiming 1st place in 2:18.001, four seconds ahead of Jake De Klerk. There were also some epic rides in the U13 runs, with Gus Kyme using some finesse to finish with the fastest time, at 2:22.436. Some fine riding all round from the youngsters, better watch out Elites!

Graeme Adriaens took out the crown in Single Crowns (epic wordplay!), finishing with 2:02.327 on the live timer. Racing to a fine victory in Sport Male was Marcus Haddon, who smashed the track in 2:02.954. The master of the Master Male was Mark Blackwell, who took out the finals run in 2:13.388. Everyone’s favourite Hanson Risk Manager (and old mate) Sam Russell assessed all risks before taking out the Veteran Male crown, having a mega race to post 2:00.582 and stand highest on the podium. Finally, Shane Merema ruled the Expert Male race, smashing a five second lead with the crazy fast time of 1:55.389.

As always, huge kudos to everyone who helped out with the whole shebang. The event could not have happened without all the supporters of the event and the Peel Districts Mountain Bike Club – special thanks to all the amazing volunteers on the day and the Club Committee for their tireless work. Sponsors also deserve a huge round of gratitude – Hanson Construction Materials, Spank Industries, EMR Suspension Servicing, Bike Fixer Perth, Morewood Bikes, Mountain Biking Adventures, Rock ’n’ Roll Mountain Biking, Carine Cycles, Malaga Cycles, and WAMBA. Thanks for supporting some epic racing!

Judging by the first state race, the next one looks set to be a ripper! The next State Race 2 DH will be happening over at the trusty old Goat Farm, on May 30-31. It’s bound to be an epic weekend full of crazy stacks and mega fast riders. For more information, remember to visit pdmbc.com.

Happy riding!