Rotorua Downhill Race

The Rotorua race was cool, I got to race on a new line which was fun and challenging. It was quite loose in some parts and a fair bit was off camber stuff, it would have been awesome if I could ride it properly and get the high instead of always ending up on the low lines all the time.

On my first race run, I tried to get on a high line in some of the off camber stuff, ended up slipping in to the low line and getting stuck and slid off, which sucked. During my second race run I stuck with the low line and didn't slide off. Not sure which was faster though, as both felt faster than each other in different places.

I ended up finishing 9th, I think.

Hawke's Bay Downhill Race

Practice day went well for this race, the track was dry and dusty, making some of the corners quite loose (for me anyway). One of the rockgardens was a pain in the arse, as I kept getting bucked on the stupid rocks.

It rained over night so the track was all slippery and I had stuff all grip on my first practice run on the Sunday, I ended up having to walk down the last bit after I came off and couldn't stand back up and get on my bike. I went up for another run and it was quite tacky. I managed to get down the track without falling off, except for the stupid rockgarden I mentioned before.

1st race run was really bad, as I tried to go too fast and came off so many times I lost count, it didn't help that my bike decided to get all caught up in the tape. My next run was good, as I went a bit slower and just focussed on getting my lines right and staying on my bike, didn't crash which was good. I ended up making up over 40 secs on my 2nd run which I was pleased with.
I learnt a lesson that day.

For that race I came 4th.