Name: Saya Sakakibara

Date: Sunday 8th July 2012

Venue: Tamworth BMX Track

Race: Tamworth State Series

Class: 13 Girls

Result: 1st

Weather: Warm not too cold sun out and lovely weather for racing

Course condition: Very smooth. The corners were tarred so it was extra fast.

Redline, Blackman Bicycles, Time Pedals, Champion System, Michram Industries, Peabody

 

This was the first race meet I have done since the worlds I was pumped to start racing again and when I heard that the corners were tarred I got even more excited to go up there. There is a 270 degrees corner that we call a whirlpool there, this was tarred as well so it was really fast. I was looking forward to racing.

We left on Saturday morning to arrive at just past one o’clock. We were going to have a bit of practice before racing on Sunday. It was all good.

 

Race day came and we found out we needed to get our transponders on! Wow, I thought transponders are mainly used in bigger events like Aussies or States.

 

The racing started and I went to staging for my first race. I had lane four. And I had an alright start (my gates were not so good all weekend) and came out in front. I power manualed the first table, manualed the next and the last. On second straight I jumped the step up but I went a little bit sideways and cased it. Third straight is up hill and I pumped through the rollers then over the bridge into the whirlpool. I really like the whirlpool because you can be lazy and not pedal but go fast, but what I did was pedalled even more and got even more speed. I finished the race in first.

 

The second race was a bit more interesting. I had lane seven and I came out the front but Jess McCormack was right next to me! I had to try harder to get in front of her so I can get a good line around the corner. Then second straight, I manualed the step up instead of jumping. It went quite well. I wasn’t slacking off in case Jess come up next to me again! on the second last straight, I did a manual on one of the jumps and on the last straight I did some as well. I came first.

 

The third race was same as the other two but when I was leading down last straight, Jess nearly line scabbed me but I came first.

 

The final was I think the fastest lap. I chose lane one and I came out in front. Jess came with me but I was maybe a wheel ahead of her. As I come into the first corner, I had a peak behind me. She wasn’t too far way and so were the other girls. I went around the second corner thinking she may come under me. Third straight was just all about who can get the pedals in or who can pump the best. I really tried hard. Over the bridge I go and around the whirlpool. I pedalled pretty hard in the whirlpool to keep my lead as much as I can. I was so tired at the end of that second last straight but I had to keep pushing because I didn’t want to be line scabbed but I came first.

 

It was a fun weekend getting to see my BMX friends again and I really liked the track.