Riders turn on a show at Macarthur despite windy conditions

Bella May made the most of her opportunities, while the finals in Superclass Men were both decided in dramatic fashion in Rounds 3 and 4 of the BMX Racing National Series.

Riders battled windy conditions on an otherwise fantastic weekend at the Macarthur BMX facility in south-west Sydney.

ROUND 3

Wind gusts of up to 50kph greeted riders on the first day of racing, adding significant difficulty to an otherwise wide and accommodating Macarthur layout.

Sienna Pal (Terrigal-Avoca) posted the fastest time of all competitors in her opening moto, but the 17-year-old crashed and sustained a concussion in her second race of the day, ruling her out for the remainder of the weekend.

Pal’s absence opened the door for Bella May (Frankston), who won both of her remaining motos before going onto claim victory in the final by more than half a second ahead of Ashmore riders Charli Guy and Isabella Schramm.

May said her preparation and body armour gave her the right mindset leading into the final.

“Yeah, I’m over the moon. So happy. My nerves were OK. I was kinda like if I crash, I crash. I'm fully padded up so if anything happens, I should be OK, so I just gave it my all.

“I definitely feel like I've got a lot stronger. I’ve been just in the gym, head down, going at it, so leading into this race I felt pretty good.”

The Superclass Men category was wide open, with the likes of Max Cairns (Park Orchards), Jesse Asmus (Nerang), Aston Wypych-Coles (Nerang), Tom Tucker (Pine Rivers), Hayden Fletcher (Mansfield Mt Buller), and Matt Krasevskis (Pine Rivers) headlining a strong field of riders.

Fletcher was the only rider to win all his races leading into the decider, but the 24-year-old was denied a perfect day by Radio teammate Krasevskis who led the Final into the first corner and couldn’t be caught, with Fletcher half a second behind and Tucker in third.

Krasevskis said he drew confidence coming from a wider gate in the final.

“I had my little teammate Hayden Fletcher; he was setting some really good hill times, and just in the Main event, when he went inside and I was in Lane 6, I was kind of more confident because I knew if I can get out I can have more of a clearer run and it paid off.

“Look, with that wind, you just gotta go for it 100%. I think if you're slagging off a little bit on straights, that's when you get the wind, but if you just fully commit 100% - it’s the Main event, you just gotta go for it with these ridiculous conditions.”

Stephanie Alexander (Knox) comfortably won the Junior Superclass Women decider, while Declan McGhee (Mandurah) edged out AJ Donald (Hawksbury Hornets) by just four-thousands of a second to win the Junior Superclass Men.

Full Results

Race Replay

ROUND 4

With windy conditions continuing to buffer the course, race organisers shut down the pro-straight on Sunday, while riders also endured extended delays during the motos following a series of crashes.

Bella May’s dominance continued in the Superclass Women, winning all races on her way to claiming back-to-back victories despite a less-than-perfect start in the Round 4 decider.

“I know that [Lily Greenough] had a much better gate than me, but if I could just get it on the backside and crank it, I knew I’d be right and hopefully be able to take it out.

“It's a pretty simple track, so I'm a type that would like a jump that you have to pedal really hard at and know how to jump, rather than something that's much smaller, so it’s just like you’ve gotta get the backside. That was the only challenging bit, but so happy to be back on eight meter.”

Max Cairns looked to be the form rider in the Superclass Men on Sunday, winning every race on the way to the final, but it was Hayden Fletcher’s time to shine in Round 4, edging out Cairns in a thrilling final by just two-hundredths of a second.

After a year of injury, personal sacrifice, and near-misses, the win clearly meant a lot for the Victorian.

“Less than 12 months ago I was working full time, not racing, not training. And then it was eight weeks before Nationals and I said ‘screw it,’ quit my job, trained my ass off for Nationals, and lead that [Elite] final to the end but Bodi [Turner] got me.

“Then I ended up breaking my collarbone at the Superclass and also completely shattering my shoulder blade, which doctors were telling me was going to be at least six months before I was back on the bike, and I'm here six months later now winning the National Series, so it means everything to me.”

Stephanie Alexander completed the double in Junior Superclass Women, while AJ Donald was again denied in the Junior Superclass Men, as Cameron Gatt (Geelong) took the victory by a bike length.

Australia took the honours in the Test Team series versus New Zealand, claiming first place in both the Boys and Girls categories, while Aussie riders Kai Field (Terrigal-Avoca) and Brody Willmott (Macarthur) placed first and third respectively in the final of the Mighty 11s.

Full Results

Race Replay

USA BMX Pro Series

Elsewhere, Australian riders have delivered strong results at the USA BMX Pro Series BlackJack Nationals in Reno, Nevada, highlighted by Jack Davis taking out top spot in the Men Elite on Friday.

Izaac Kennedy continues to show strong form leading into the UCI World Championships next month, taking second place in the Men Elite on Saturday, while Davis also scored another podium finishing third.

Victoria’s Josh Jolly also had a weekend to remember, placing second in the 17-20 Expert category on Saturday followed by first place in the Men Juniors Main on Sunday.

Full Results

Race Replay

Main Photo: Mitch Ramm