On Sunday, 17th August, the SPC team of 14 riders headed up to Akatore (Taieri Mouth) for the South Island Secondary Schools XC.
The track started out slick with a fair amount of moisture on top and some niggly bogs to top things off. The first race saw Annie Sloper, Ryan Coats, and Ryder Karena smash it round and cut some good lines in for the big bikes.
Annie finished with a solid 4th place out of 18 in the Girls Class. Ryder nailed a 6th on the KTM85, and Ryan also finished well for his first ever XC race in 16th out of 30!
The next race was completely stacked with talent from all schools. Not only did they ride for 1.5 hours, but the track had already been cut to bits from the first hour, adding another layer of technicality.
Top accolade definitely goes to Oliver Davie, who smoked the field on his CRF250 and came away with the win and some well-earned school points. He was followed closely by Jud Duffy with a very respectable 11th. Max Abernethy stepped up at the last minute out of the Novice class and straight into the competitive class, finishing 17th. Birthday boy Blake Bulleid finished the 250 class with a solid 24th out of 43 fast lads! Layne Talbot had a mechanical issue and was set back some time while things got repaired, but still completed the race. Baxter Hamilton rode in the Open CC Bike class with some serious grunt on the 350 and earned himself a 6th place. Jackson White was the sole St Peter’s rider in the 125 2-stroke class of 18 riders and smashed it home in 4th.
By this stage in the day, the ruts were as deep as most bikes’ foot pegs, and all the bogs were cut to shreds! This made for some interesting racing in the 85 2T & 150 4T class – these boys did incredibly well to keep up the speed. Luke Davie showed his skill and came home in a well-deserved 3rd. Not long after, Beau Duffy crossed the chequered flag for a 6th! A bit of bad luck saw Eli Kitto DNF with front brake issues, and Devon Williamson stepped up to the start line but unfortunately the chesty flu put an end to his day too.
Ultimately, with the incredible individual results, St Peter’s won the Fastest School Trophy – something the team has been working so hard to bring home! Well done team – it was a brutal and highly technical track!
Massive shout out to our amazing sponsors:
Beven @ Pukerau Engineering,
Justine & Craig Abernethy @ Abernethy Contracting & iHire Gore,
and Dave & Erin Duffy @ HRT Andrews Transport.
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