After a break in 2015, the Fox Rollercoaster Superflow Championships were held at Ourimbah MTB Park in Wyong on the weekend! The local dark horse Brock Newling from Gorokan took out the Elite Men’s title ahead of Blue Mountain’s Harrison Dobrowolski and Jake Newell from Kincumber. In the women’s, Kellie Weinert from Kearns was the only Elite Female at the start – and the fastest of the day winning overall ahead of Vets racer Jane Taylor from North Manly and Expert Female racer Tash Bonney from Holsworthy.
At the beginning of 2016, the Fox Rollercoaster events were re-launched as the “superflow series” by Central Coast events promoter Rocky Trail. Based on the European and North American enduro format, at these races participants ride in neutral to the starts of the three or more tracks and the combined race times will count to the end result. The series events took its more than 800 riders across the entire state of NSW with events in Thredbo, Wyong, Killingworth and all the way up in Kempsey as well as in Canberra in the ACT.
For the 2016 Championship event, more than 150 racers competed at came back to Wyong and the popular Ourimbah MTB Park. There were three race tracks on offer and each demanded different skill sets of the riders – from tricky sections around rocks and tight corners to flowy berms and quick stints that required pedal power and endurance.
Race Director Martin Wisata explained, that his Fox Rollercoaster Superflow events were unique in Australia in that riders could freely choose the order of race stages, “Our very specific timing set up allows us to give our competitors the freedom to pick their race tracks as they want – we can also have participants of different categories to ride and race together all day, which is why we see an influx of really young juniors at the events racing with their parents, which is great to see – the sport is growing!”
Brock Newling lured out of racing retirement
The local club racer Brock Newling is well known among gravity racers in NSW – a highly skilled rider he retired from regular racing for work reasons. The Fox Rollercoaster Superflow was the first race in five years for the 30-year old from Gorokan and he didn’t disappoint the crowds: two out of three fastest times of the day adding up to a overall winning time of 9:29 minutes.
“My strategy was to complete the two tracks that had more flat sections first – I know every inch of the Fox trail, which used a lot of sections of our club downhill track, so I left that one until last”, Brock said of his home track race that he won by 11 seconds ahead of his runner up.
Only one rider was faster than Newling – by one second on one of the three race tracks – Harrison Dobrowolski from Katoomba. It was him who claimed the second place in the Elite Men’s behind Newling in 9:40 min. The only 16-year old young gun from the Blue Mountains is the reigning U17’s Fox Rollercoaster Superflow Series Winner and one of the fastest superflow riders in the Rocky Trail field of racers.
Jake Newell from Kincumber was the next local on the podium at Ourimbah – he clocked in 9:43 min ahead of fellow-club rider Daniel Paine from Macmasters Beach (9:47 min) and Scott Graham from Ascquity (9:49 min).
Kellie Weinert successfully takes on women’s field
As the only Elite Female at the start, Kellie Weinert set herself the goal to be the fastest women of the day – and did so successfully. She was fastest on two out of the three race tracks, winning in 12:21 min ahead of Jane Taylor from North Manly who had the edge on the Camelbak trail. Taylor’s total time was 12:45 min ahead of Tash Bonney (13:56 min), Sophie Challoner (17:06 min) and Colleen Rowland from Newcastle (20:49 min).
“It was a tough race because after midday when the racing started, it got really hot. But I enjoy these trails and am happy about this Championship title”, said the seasoned gravity racer Weinert.
The Fox Rollercoaster Superflow Series, hydrated by Camelbak will return for an even bigger 2017 season with six series events and a Championship event, starting at the end of January in Killingworth near Newcastle. More superflow action at Ourimbah is scheduled in for July 2017.
>> Link to results
>> Link to event photos
Riders can download them for free from the OuterImage.com.au portal, using the password ‘foxracing’.
Photos: OuterImage.com.au
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