Final Round (4/4) – Barrett Road Motocross Track, New Plymouth– November 17-18

Results:
250cc – 9th Overall for the day, 12th in Championship standings
Women’s – 1st overall for the day and in standings.

Saturday:
We awoke to a beautiful sunny morning on Saturday and got out to the track bright and early to set up our pit area and get the bikes through noise testing. The track had been ripped during the week and it was super tacky and looking perfect for practice and racing. There were also some new jumps around the track and I couldn’t wait to get out there and ride. In practice I felt really good on the bike and was 5th fastest in my 250cc heat. I really enjoyed the new jumps and sections around the track. It was still a little slick in some sections but the ruts were forming up in the turns and some good lines where forming. In the 250cc qualifying I was 8th in my heat and when they merged the times together I was 12th gate pick which is my best qualifying position so far. In the women’s I had the fastest qualifying times. The format for the weekend meant that I had one women’s race on Saturday afternoon. I lined up on the gate and got an awesome start. The start is a concrete gate start and my Michelin MS3 felt like it was literally glued down with full traction. I got off the line so quick and had a big holeshot. I lead the race from start to finish and had a 1.53min lead over second by the end of the moto. I was really enjoying the track and finding good lines for the 250 races on Sunday.

Sunday:
Over night we were the club put down a lot of water on to the track and it was really muddy and boggy in practice. There was a cool breeze in the morning over the track but once the sun started to warm up it was another beautiful sunny, hot day. My first race was the 250cc. I lined up near the inside of the start and again got a great jump. I almost had the holeshot and was 7th coming out of the first turn. I tried to run the fast pace at the front of the class but I was a little stiff ass I was a bit nervous before the race and pumped up a little. I kept pushing until the end though and finished in 10th place. My best race finish so far! In my first women’s race I got another good jump and had the holeshot. My Kawasaki was pulling really strong all weekend and I had some good lines from the previous 250cc race. It was really hot so I rode smart and used my own lines and put a good gap of 1.38min on second placed Kristy Gillespie from Australia. By winning this race I also won the Championship as I had a big enough points lead to not have to complete the last race. I lined up again on the inside for the 250cc race and had a pretty good jump. I was 14th at the end of the first lap and had to climb my way through the guys in front of me. I moved up through the field steadily and finished the race with another 10th. The third women’s race I got the holeshot and looked for some good line son the track. I had a good lead by the end of the race of 1.27min and just had fun on the bike and enjoyed my time on the bike. I also tried to look for some good lines and conserve some energy for my last big 250cc race. The last race of the day was the 250cc race. I again got a pretty good start and went around the first turn in 11th. The track was now really slick as the tacky clay had been peeled off and the slick hard clay was left showing. The track was really rough and you had to be smart about the lines you chose. I was trading places with Lee McKinstry for most of the race and could also see my teammate, Hamish just in front of me. I finished the race in 12th. I was really happy with my results this weekend. The track was really fun and I had a good rhythm during most of the races. My starts continued to improve from last weekend and this has really helped me to achieve the results that I am capable of. At the start of the day I was sitting in 15th overall in the Championship and with the three solid performances; 10, 10, 12, I was able to move myself up to 12th. My goal was a top 15 at the end of the championship and I was over the moon about achieving some top 10 race finishes and a 12th overall. I was also really pleased to win my third women’s Championship and it was great to have Kristy come over from Australia to compete with. I have to say a huge thanks to Jeremy Long for all his help at the first two rounds and also to Dan Smith for stepping in to help mechanic for me. He did a great job making sure that the bike was organized between races. Also big thanks to Scott Wilkins and Craig Brown of MR Motorcycles for their help over the last two rounds with the pit boarding and race support. Also a huge thanks to all of my sponsors who have helped to support me this year both in NZ and offshore.

Katherine Prumm