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Another good turnout of riders took to the start gate for the last Gisborne BMX Club race night before today’s 30th anniversary meet.
Half track and striders
Seven young riders all ended up starting on Turn 3 for some close, entertaining racing. Alex Kelly, Jackson Young, Ben Petterson, Anna Spence and Ada Lasenby were joined by Tenzing McKinnon and Ivy Lasenby by the end of the evening.
Five and under
Reave Nepia-Anderson was again the rider to beat, taking four wins from five starts. Brad O’Connell-Bacon managed to take the fifth win and was able to push Reave hard in the final race of the night. Zavier Iremonger took third overall with consistent riding, while Walker Wallis and Seton McKinnon mixed it up with the other riders.
Six and seven
Matt Hills again took five from five as the New Zealand and North Island No.4 raced ahead in all five motos. Kyran Lasenby led the chase pack from Louie Sanders, six-year-old girls’ 7NZ Aliyah Lardelli and JD Stairs, all finishing close together. Auri Pocock, Jorja Rogers and Leroy Hill were tied on points with Liam Spence not far behind and closing the gap.
Eight and nine
Seth Iremonger and Thora Pocock were the only two riders in this age group and joined in with the 10- and 11-year-olds. They performed well, Seth having third-place finishes in those races.
10 and 11
Dane Berry was too fast for Ruby-Anne Smith, who got closest to the young speedster. These two will be looking for some good results on their home turf today. Brendan Bell and Breanna Iremonger rounded out the group.
12 and 13
Joshua Lardelli was the man to beat with four wins from five, with CJ Ingram winning the last. Hayden Pragnell took third overall, pushing the first two riders hard. Ben McCosh and Noah Warman rounded out the group with five good rides.
14 and 15
Dylan Lardelli claimed five from five but Gemma Hills made him work hard for it, pushing the high-flyer hard to the finish. Taylah Pragnell claimed third overall, putting in some good racing with Gemma. Kate McCosh and Krystal Smith rounded out the group.
16-plus male
Ethan Rogers was the man to beat with three wins from five, Justin Nepia claiming the other two. These two were often side by side jumping the first three straights in some close racing. Troy Greaves put in some solid rides for third overall from Tim Smith and David Parkes.
18-plus male
Jason Lasenby had a good night with four wins in some close racing, pushed hard by Shane Pragnell. Stuart Bell sneaked a win in the second moto. Rob Graham had to contend with David Fox, who was pushing hard in his first race meet for a while. Bryce Kelly rounded out the group, pushing hard to mix it with Rob and David.
Women
Sharyn Lardelli put in five good rides to take five wins as she geared up for the weekend meet. Nadine McKinnon had a good first outing with five second placings, joining sons Seton and Tenzing on the track. Kyla Newton finshed third overall, from Amelia Gower and Leah O’Connell.
Racing today is from 1pm. As this is a national championship qualifying meet, only licensed riders can ride. But with the club celebrating its 30th anniversary, past members and others keen to see BMX racing are invited to the track, and to the Jolly Stockman for refreshments and dinner afterwards.
The next club night is on Tuesday from 5.30pm, with new and past riders able to race. Updates can be checked on the Gisborne BMX Facebook page on race day.