Long Gulley, Wellington - Second race for the DVteq FakawiBanshee team in New Zealand and the 5th race of the season. The track wasn't as long as the previous track in Rotorua but the track was warp speed! Some bits were narrow and one small mistake and you're falling down a 50 foot cliff.
It was an open track, barely any trees so we had a bit of a problem with the strong wind especially on the jumps. There was a huge step up on the track, the ever famous Long Gulley step up, a really steep shoot about 60 metres that went into an almost vertical that shot you over the back of a hill.
I didn't manage to get much practice done on practice day because I had a really stiff neck from a few days before, popped a few painkillers but didn't work as well. Adam managed to get in 8 practice runs and got up to speed with ease.
Seeding run - I didn't do well on my seeding run because I had a small problem with my brakes. Seeded 3 from last. Adam seeded 10th and was happy with it.
Final run - it was a huge mistake seeding towards the back of the category to my realization. I got held up on the upper sections with a rider in front of me. After over taking him, I thought I'd still be able to make up some time with pinning it harder but I overcooked a corner and washed out. Finished 25th, with a time of 2.43.
Adam however managed to dial a clean run down all the way with a time of 2.26 that put him in 13th place.
It was a good race for the both of us as we learnt quite abit from this race. I definitely came out of the race with a lot more balls, having to deal with the speeds and huge jumps on the track. Hoping for better luck next time around at the next race in Napier this coming weekend.
Stay tunes for more updates!
Aaron
click "read more" for more pics, vids and full results (in pdf)..
Malaysia vs Japan: race video editing. Big thanks to the jpn riders Junya Nagata and gang for putting up with a place to stay tonight, some internet and power to do the video too!
That's one big ass kiwi bird!
