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 Now its not very often I get excited about going to a new track but when I drove past a vacant piece of land in the Bay of Plenty and saw truck loads on top of truck loads of orange clay set out in piles resembling a track a few months ago, I knew I had to have a second look
. I stopped and talked to Mason Phillips who was swinging off the control sticks of a small excavator at the time, and the words out of his mouth were, “I’m bringing California to New Zealand.”
And so it began, a track began to take shape over several weeks, from vision to completion, Mason turned his dream into a reality, and what a reality it is. From the moment you spot it from the highway, you quickly realise this isn’t like anything that has been done before in New Zealand. Leading Edge MX Facility is a one of a kind facility in NZ.
The track is formed from the brilliant deep orange clay that is usually seen at the likes of Harrisville and Pateatonga. Mason has built the track with the objective that all abilities should be able to ride it, from novice mini rider to NZ’s best open bike riders. The result is a track producing laps that take an average rider around a 1.10, with the top riders dipping into the high 50’s.
The track is made up of table tops, doubles and rollers. The doubles are built in such a way that if the rider comes up short and cases out, there is no trip to the hospital required (I tested this out a few times to make sure!!). While Mason has tried to make sure the track is safe as possible, accidents are always a panic rev away.
The opening day was on Saturday, so Myself, Ricey and the Mind the Gap boys loaded up the bikes to check it out, and we were not disappointed. We showed up to a perfectly groomed track, and it was being watered as we rolled in. Within 20 minutes we were on the track and having an absolute blast. There were 40 riders, so we were spilt into 2 groups, each having 20 min sessions. This was more than long enough and quite the work out. Mason addressed all dust concerns throughout the day with constant watering.
If this sounds like a bit of you, Mason is going to open Leading Edge MX Facility every Wednesday from 4pm till 8pm and Saturday morning from 8am-12pm. Entry is only $15 and no license required.
Location:
8 Poplar Lane
Papamoa BOP
Cnr SH2 Halfway halfway between the Mount and TePuke
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