Name:                          Saya Sakakibara
Age:                              10
Date:                            29th July 2010
Venue:                         Pietermaritzburg South Africa
Race:                           World Championship 2010
Class:                         11 Girls
Result:                        1st
Weather:                     Sunny but not hot, sometimes it was cold.
Course condition:    The track was great! It was very smooth and...... there is no more to say!

Sponsors
Redline, Skins, Blackman Bicycles, Precision BMX, Time, Champion System

Race summary
Today was the big race. Everyone is nervous and so was I. I have been training hard up to this day.........this is the beginning of the World Championships.

Let me introduce this track so you can get a picture in your head as I talk through my races. There was a pretty big start hill with a wooden ramp like there was at Adelaide. And two sharp doubles (I could only jump the first on because the second one was too big). Then another sharp step-up-double. On the second straight, there was a sharp table top, two sharp doubles and a step up (I jumped the first double). There was a rhythm section on the third straight and the last straight..........Sorry I ran out of breath. So on the last straight, there was a step up, double then a roller. Then, of course, a finish line.

Heats
My first race was my scariest one. Looking down that start hill and not knowing what my rival Shanya from Aruba is going to do on this track. She was fast last year. The gate was about to drop. I said to myself “is it already starting?” BOOM! The gate dropped and everyone started to cheer. I jumped the first one clean but I didn’t really get the second one right. That was when Shanya caught up to me. I was panicking and I started to move to the inside. Luckily I got around it pretty well coming out first out of the first corner. I pedalled over the table and boosted the second one I cased a little but not too much. I pumped the other two jumps. On the rhythm section I got a little bit sketchy and lost some speed. I thought I was going to get over taken but I held it to the end. I came first.

On my second moto, I had lane six I and I had a good start. The same thing happened and I shut the lane so Shanaya couldn’t get through the inside. It was fun being at the front and being the only one jumping on the second straight. The third straight was much smoother this time because it I didn’t feel the pressure from behind. I got through the last straight and I had already finished two races. I came first.

On the third moto, I had lane one and I had a great start again. I came out in front but I didn’t see Shanya next to me but I kept going. I knew that she was right on my back wheel. When I jumped the first double on the second straight, I did a little whip. It was fun. I bounced off the next one but it was pretty alright. I pumped through the thirteen rollers and to the last corner. I was winning the last moto! I came first.

Final
The final was the nerve-racking race. When I got in to lane three I could hear every ones heart pumping so fast like lion’s footsteps. The gate dropped hard and everyone started cheering harder than the motos.  I jumped the first one and landed clean then I got ready for the second one so I got that on the best. On the second straight, I jumped the first double with a little whip again. It was fun. Over the step up I go. This is when thought I have got it. Pumping that rhythm section for the last time was pretty hard. After I crossed the line, I knew that the whole thing was over and it was worth coming all this way to come first.  I will miss this track.
 
I loved this event. Jumping and crashing and all that stuff was great to watch after my races. Cheering was fun too. I had a great time in South Africa and I hope I can go to Copenhagen next year.