Motorcycle battle lines at Makorori Beach

Beach Racing Nationals - Bryce Norman

IT'S time to shift some sand as Gisborne Motorcycle Sports Club’s beach racing series spins into action at Makorori Beach on Saturday.

Expect plenty of action in round 1 as riders go all out to rack up points in their respective classes.

The senior open and 0-500 class will see the return of ace rider Daniel Fogarty (on a Yamaha YZF450). He will be ready to take on family rival Damian Fogarty (Kawasaki KXF450) and two-stroke stalwarts Peter Krinkel and Nick Wilkie on Honda CR500s.

The popular ATV class will be back. Speed master Ian Newman will return on his Suzuki GSX750-powered Honda. Look out, too, for Alana Andrews (Suzuki LTR450). She may not have the quickest ATV but no one corners as fast as her.

Burt Norman will be racing his rebuilt Polaris 450 and Mike Ramsey is coming from Tauranga with his heavily-modified Suzuki GSX1100 powered Polaris ATV.

The 0-250 class, on a shorter track, should be as competitive as ever. Bryce Norman (Suzuki RMZ250) will have to work overtime to stay ahead of Jonathon Wilkie (Kawasaki KX250).

The club is also running a no points, 0-500 class on the short track for riders who don’t want to alter their gearing or those who simply want to give beach racing a go.

The women’s combined motorbike/ATV class always features good numbers and full-on action. Alana Andrews (Yamaha YZ125) has her sights set on this title but faces a determined Rory Lee Mitchell, who has her KTM125 dialled in.

High expectationsThe junior A (125cc) class is once again looking exciting. Troy Andrews has traded in his Kawasaki for a Yamaha YZ125 and has high expectations on this new machine.

Riley Stanaway could be the one to watch in the junior B (85cc) class although Gabrielle Phillips-Irvine (Kawasaki KX85) could change the script.

Also on the programme again is the trails class for youngsters wanting to try the sport, or juniors on a farm-type bike.

The mini 65 class will be all go, including riders like Luka Fogarty, who can really move.

Stars of the future will be out in force in the mini 50 class. Joel Somersby (KTM 50) and Lachlan Phillips-Crane (KTM 50) are among those likely to feature.

Anyone wanting to have a go at beach racing should head to Makorori Beach tomorrow morning. Club officials will be more than happy to provide more information and put new riders into a suitable class.

Sign-in is at 9am and racing starts at 10am.

The beach racing season dates are — Round 1, tomorrow, 9am; Round 2, June 18, 8am; Round 3, July 23, 12 noon; East Coast Challenge, August 20. 10.30am; national championships, September 3, 10.45am. A spare day (September 17 from 9.30am) has been set aside.