The Motorcycle Trials Club of Queensland proudly hosted the state Championship over the Queens Birthday Long weekend of the 9th and 10th of June 2013. Just an hour from the Gold Coast the site at Undullah was perfect, slow flowing water in the rocky creek, steep hills, large rock outcrops and plenty of space for camping set a venue which catered for riders and spectators alike.
10 sections set over a large loop were welcomed by the 110 riders contesting the various grades of the Championship. A few sections close to the park ferme and then off towards the mountain.
Colin Zarczynski (SHERCO) lead the competition from start to finish. .....
Colin Zarczynski (SHERCO) lead the competition from start to finish. In previous Queensland Championships all entrants in Open Solo contested the same course but this year Colin and Boyd were segmented off into an Expert class which followed the normal open solo line and incorporated extra expert cards. Organisers did a great job on some fresh new sections and separate sections for Juniours, Juniour Women, Classic, Post Classic and Air Cooled Monoshock classes. The event ran smoothly with no major injuries, great support from the local scout group who also supplied quality catering, great support from the trials community, its members and their family members.
At the end of the first day Colin said, “I had a good ride and I am happy with my lead on the competition. I have been on holidays with the family for the past week but I felt confident and comfortable on the bike in the morning practice so I was looking forward to the event. The rain held off all day and there was a good range of obstacles for the various rider skill levels in the open solo class. Disappointingly I fived section 8 on the first lap which had a good rock step and plenty of riding to do within the 90 second time limit. After I rode this section it was modified to greatly reduce the severity of the main obstacle and although I made the officials aware of this the section remained in its modified easier state. I was very frustrated but managed to use this to drive my determination for the rest of the day. With no minder it was just me and my Sherco. The bike was great, I am so comfortable on it and it gives me confidence in my riding”
Day 2 and the rain came down. A cold day with constant rain made for some interesting and exciting sections. Slowly the ground turned to mush and in some cases made it extremely difficult to stop. By lap 2 the event organisers cancelled section 6 and 7 due to the course becoming too dangerous. As the event progressed into the afternoon the rain fell harder and riders looked forward to some dry clothes and the drive home after 2 days of good riding.
Local rider Boyd Wilcox finished second to Colin Zarcaynski on both days and fell further and further behind as each lap progressed. Mark James (Beta) completed the podium with some very confident rides and a noticeable improvement in his riding from the previous year which ended up earning him third place by 1 point over experienced rider, Richard Kent (SHERCO) in fourth place.
Soaking wet at the end of day 2 Colin said, “I was surprised sections 6 and 7 were cancelled as I had cleaned both sections on the first lap, I understood why the decision was made and supported the decision for the safety of the other riders. I had a good weekend riding in conditions that I very rarely encounter, but really enjoyed. The SHERCO team in Queensland were very welcoming and without their assistance the weekend would not have been so enjoyable and it felt great to have their support. Overall I made good decisions until the last lap where I was thinking about other things which included a funeral I was attending the following day, some 5 hours drive away. I am happy with the result and appreciate the effort made by all the officials and organisers of this event. I hope to return in 2014 to support the Championship and its organisers.