Young stars on the rise in motocross

Luke McKay, Hunter Jacobsen, Adam Gordon and Zack Nolan are just a few names which promise to be hitting the high spots in the sport of motocross.
They are part of an abundance of what are called mini riders in the Wairarapa - riders whose ages range from three to 12 years of age, who compete on a smaller track than the seniors and who have a cc rating of no more than 65.
As befits their ages they have a strong following from parents and other supporters whose presence lends to the "family day" atmosphere common at most meetings.
I myself am one of those parents and on race day we spread ourselves around the tracks to help and encourage the competitors, especially when they fall off (yes, they do take a tumble from time to time). Each meet also sees St John Ambulance personnel in attendance as the safety factor is something which each club takes very seriously.
Some of the local juniors travelled up to Otorohanga over the last month to contest the New Zealand junior nationals and Wairarapa did themselves proud, Callum Moore placing 10th in the 13-16yrs 85cc class,, Bjarne Fredrikson 12th in the 14-16yrs 250cc class and Liam Harnett 13th in the 125cc class. Also prominent were Kieran Harnett, Jarred Thompson and Mario Dellabarca.The track was hard going and a stern test for the riders but the Wairarapa contingent certainly demonstrated huge potential. Last weekend saw some excellent competition at local headquarters with Vic Jacobsen's comment that it was great to have such a good track to race on expressing the general feeling of participants.
The Langlands Honda team headed to Cheltenham for the Bush Rders challenge with Luke McKay and Adam Gordon having considerable success, McKay winning his three races and Gordon being a regular placegetter. Sam Pottinger, Travis Edwards and Bjarne Fredrikson fought it out in the 250cc class with Edwards and Fredrikson each winning a race and Pottinger scoring a second and a third.
Also in good form was William Clapperton while young Sam Guise and David Gordon contested the 10-12yrs 85cc class, Guise actually getting a second in his first year in this division. Brothers Jared and Brady Thompson rode 125cc junior and MX II seniors respectively and they too went well. Even though they compete in different classes they like to compare lap times to see who is faster and it was Jared who had the edge this time round.
The Wairarapa Motocross Club have a meeting tonight at the Masterton Services Club in Esses street with all new and existing members welcome to attend.The club can also be contacted their through website on www.wmcc.org.nz while another website, dirtstar.co.nz, is well worth a look.