We arrived on Tuesday mid morning and commenced practice that afternoon on a track that had been changed slightly to make it even more technical. The dry conditions had the track running very loose with powder like dirt and small sharp rocks creating a few issues with flat tires. Once again I managed to break a Hope Pro2 hub axle (that's now 7 in about 12 months!!) but fortunately we were carrying a spare and managed to get going pretty quickly. Seeding for Elite and Under 19's was held late Friday afternoon and I managed a clean run to take out 4th position for the following days race.
Racing commenced at 4pm on Saturday and the dark rain clouds started to roll in but fortunately, not much rain fell during the races. My race run was clean however; the track was not running as fast as predicted and times were only slightly improved (if at all). I finished the race in 4th place and was very pleased given that the 3 riders in front of me included current Junior World Champ - Troy Brosnan.
The final round of the Aussie National Series takes place in Shepparton Victoria on 20 March in conjunction with the Oceania Championships and I will be keen to do well to secure a top 5 finish overall. I would like to give a huge shout of thanks to sponsors Banshee Bikes, NSDynamics.com.au, Chunked.com.au, KWT-Maxxis, Summer Harvest. Special thanks to Darren & Carol Boman - Barspin Imports (Banshee Distributor Australasia) and Team Banshee Australia team mates Ryan Hunt, Cody Eichorn, Lachlan McLaren, Cam Rouch, Jane Rutter and support crew Dave Hunt and Harvey Power for a fantastic week away!
