| 2009 Demon Energy Auckland Champs | ||||
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 Wow what a weekend we just had. You could definitely say we had 4 seasons in one weekend. For those that made the effort to attend they were not disappointed.Saturday Upon arrival on the track it was Wet with a capital W. So wet in fact, then minis didn’t even need to unload their bikes. It was decided before riders briefing that minis where not going to be capable of riding on the track. While there where a few mini parents not happy at the decision the general consensus was that the right decision was made. The Juniors took to the track for their practice and while there was a window of clear sky that looked promising, it was short lived however as the skies opened up and the rain came down. After practice was run, the decision was made to run the first round of racing and assess situation later on. Interesting note of the 80 riders using transponders on Saturday, there were 39 DNF’s. 11-12 85cc was the first race out, while 20 riders started the moto, well 19 did and Mainlander Joel Meikle missed the start, 11 of these riders DNF'd and only 2 other riders finished on the same lap as eventual winner Brandon Tipene. That was second place getter Aaron Wiltshire and third place getter Palmerston North’s James Anderson. The 15-16 125cc class was won by relative unknown Callan May. He won because he stayed upright, it’s simple as that. It looked to be Kayne Lamonts race to lose, and he did when he crashed, jamming his hand between the clutch lever and the bars. Tom Managh took second and Ryan Metz got third. Scott Henderson was leading for a long time but fried his clutch also costing him the win, clutches were taking a beating in this class and no less than 3 bikes Duff’s due to bikes expiring. 12-14 125cc class was won by local rider Joel Doeksen, followed home by Daniel Parry and then Jacob Hicks in third. Of the 11 riders that started, the race only 5 finished, 2 riders didn’t even complete a single lap. The smallest field of the weekend, the 13-16 85cc class, with only 7 riders riding, even though there where a lot more entered than that, was probably one of the most talked about of the weekend. Young Courtney Duncan making the trip up from Palmerston, just South of Dunedin, holeshot and checkout in the 5 lap moto. She rode so well she lapped the entire field twice except for second place getter Jacob Kneebone. She was 50 seconds a lap faster than Kneebone and was very fluid out in the mud. In the only 4 stroke class on Saturday, the 14-16 250f class, the South Islanders came up, won and left. Issaiah McGoldrick flew up for the day from Christchurch, won his moto over fellow South Islander Jamie Collins, then flew home that night to race in the Christchurch the following day. Regan Bruce rounded out the last step on the podium. Local rider Boyd Carlson was winning for a quite sometime but was unable to seal the deal and win the moto. The Vets also rode on Saturday, with Darryl King beating brother Shayne. Shayne only managed 3 laps before aggravating an old injury causing him to pull off early. Tony Cooksley was second and proving the old saying to finish first, first you must finish, Dave Wood got third. The decision was made to only run one round of racing as it was to treacherous for racing to continue, as you can see by the bike at the wash bay. Sunday We awoke Sunday morning to no rain and a clearing sky. There where smiles everywhere. They sent the MX1 class out first to clear the mud and Luke Burkhart was 15 seconds a lap faster than anybody in practice/ qualifying. Racing wasn’t much different either. Burkhart won 3 from 3 and won with commanding leads. Second was team mate Peter Broxholme who had good starts all day and giving KTM their first podium in Senior MX in New Zealand, Mason Phillips piloted his 450sx to third. The 125cc class was once again the Damien King show as he won 3 from 3. Team mate Kieran Leigh, tried to keep King honest all weekend but didn’t quite have enough to battle with King. He was a fan favourite with his massive whips over the huge jumps out the back, and looks to have turned the “bad luck” corner. Third went to Tauranga’s Scott Barr Smith on his KTM 125sx. Hamish Dobbyn knows how to ride clay, and now all of Auckland knows it. Dobbyn rode exceptional all day to take 3 wins from 3 starts followed home by Team Green Manager and Vet class contender Mike Cotter. Many were surprised by Cotters form, but those who know him, know how much he loves the clay of Pukekohe. Making the trip up form the South Island was Justin McDonald and with moto scores of 2-13-2, he was still able to secure third overall. Amazing really, showing the consistency of the other riders. In the Women’s, 13 year old Courtney Duncan took off where she left off from the previous day, and won all 3 motos convincingly. The first she won by over a minute and a half. Second was fellow Main lander Alicia Mclaughlin and third Taupo’s Emma Davis, who had a bad first moto causing her to slip to the third position. It was trying conditions all weekend for both the club and the riders, but mother nature cannot be tamed and the best was made out of a bad situation. The racing was still of a high calibre and all involved should be proud of what was accomplished. Next year look for the Champs to be bigger and brighter than ever.
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