So, what do you do with yourself, Chooka?
I’m a first year apprentice Builder (Carpenter).
You, among several current members, were part of an injection of new blood to BYR in late 2005.
How much did it mean to you personally to be chosen to be part of such a great team in Bendigo Youth Racing?
It meant a lot to be accepted into BYR because it has given me an opportunity to continue racing HPV’S after finishing school. And to be invited to be apart of such a great team was an honor. But the best part was meeting new people that I otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet. And building some quality vehicles too!
You’ve been lucky enough to have ridden some pretty quick vehicles at the 3 biggest HPV events in Australia. How do Maryborough, Murray Bridge and Wonthaggi compare to each other?
What circuit has given you the best memories?
I have been very lucky to be involved with teams that are at the pointy end of the field. I have enjoyed every race, but without a doubt I would have to say that Maryborough means the most to me because it is the track where I had my first race win. Plus, you can’t beat the atmosphere at the breakthrough. It is so much better than at the other two races.
Now then, tell us about POV racing! Why and how did it happen?
POV Racing was a team that we started up in 2005 to race at Wonthaggi. The name of the team did suggest the size of our budget. We all put in 50 bucks and built a vehicle using BYR’s 2004 Prototype steel frame and slapped the vehicle together in 2 weekends. It was a very heavy vehicle weighing in at over 40kgs which was the most likely reason for breaking 3 different set’s of king pins throughout the race. But it was all good fun.
Were the lessons and character building obtained from the POV experience essential to you and the other POV member’s later success, both at BSSC and BYR?
Yeah there was a lot to be learnt about how important it is to have a reliable vehicle and how vital training is if you want to perform at a higher level. It also gave us a hunger to knock Berwick Secondary off the top because at the time they were the team to beat!
You were a rider in the mighty Bukk, BSSC record breaking 2005 Energy Breakthrough winner (shown right).
How much did it mean to everyone in the team to put BSSC back at the top, after a couple of years of Berwick Secondary College dominance?
This was a very special win and probably the one I remember most fondly because we put so much time and effort into building that vehicle. We arrived at the race not expecting to be all that fast after BSSC had been off pace the previous two years. But as everyone now knows, we put BSSC back on top on that weekend. We did it in style, (not a single rollover or flat tyre the entire race!) beating second placed Berwick by 42 laps and setting a new distance record of 651 laps which still stands. It was the start of BSSC’s return to the top, and hopefully the latest crop can keep it that way.
Now, speaking of Berwick. At Murray Bridge Team Grug (BSSC’s 2006 vehicle - shown below) had a fantastic battle with BSC’s Firetruck, winning the battle by barely 1 lap. How do you go from beating the same team at the next race by 20 whole laps? What was different in both vehicle and riders, if any?
Murray Bridge 2006 was definitely not our best race because we were probably a bit over-confidant going into the race. But at the same time we did have our problems such as running out of time to give the vehicle a thorough check before the race, which resulted in us being stuck in highest gear for 18 hours of the race (derailleur tension spring). But everyone has there own problems, and we still managed to limp it over the line thanks to a strong comeback in the early hours of the morning.
I think the main difference between Murray Bridge and Maryborough was that we knew which faults we had to fix with Grug for it to be reliable. And it turned out that we never had Grug in the pits being repaired at Maryborough. In the long run that was probably how we managed to beat Highview College and take the race win. The time of the year also counted- the team was alot fitter for Maryborough because it is easier to train for. It can be very hard training in the middle of winter, as is the case for Murray Bridge.
Your HPV career has been exceptional, with trial wins at Maryborough and Wonthaggi, as well as the Category 3 win at Murray Bridge 2006. Do you find it hard to keep yourself motivated to train at such a high level after having so much success?
Training has been a bit of a struggle for me at times but you have your high and low patches but you just have to ride through them because it all pays off at the race.
I think the main thing that drives me when training is that I don’t want to let the team down. But towards the end of last year we were all pretty burnt out after such a long year and building two brand new vehicles, BY-06 and Grug. It lost its fun there for a while and I think that is the reason BYR are taking 2007 off. Who knows what the future holds.
With most of the original members having moved on, you now have the job as Team President! How are you coping with your new responsibilities? Does being in this position make you appreciate the effort that past members have put in to make BYR happen?
I really do appreciate what the original members did for the team now I’m in this position. I never realized how much Nigel and Daryl and the other guys did to organize the team! I now have one race as president under my belt, and so far I’m enjoying the job and the challenges it’s thrown at me.
What do you think is more important? The build quality and design of a vehicle, or the rider fitness?
I think it’s a combination of both because its all well and good to have a fast bike but someone still has to push it. The vehicle is only as fast as the person riding it.
What has been your best and worst stint from any of the races you’ve competed in?
I will start with the worst stint. It was my last stint at Maryborough in 2005, about 2 laps into my stint my nose started pouring out blood and I had no way of stopping it so I just let it go for 40 minutes until I could no longer take it. It wasn’t very comfortable and was a good way to wreck a riding jersey. A really good stint that comes to mind would have to have been at Murray Bridge during the night time, because we were having such a strong battle with Firetruck.
Biggest crash you’ve ever had in a HPV?
(BYR aren’t ambulance chasers, but crashes are highly entertaining and part of HPV racing)
I have only ever had 2 roll over’s in a HPV and they were both 3 laps apart at Wonthaggi in 2006 during that torrential downpour. The worst part was they weren’t even that spectacular. We had 7 rollovers in an hour and a half during the rain. I would much rather be on three or at least two wheels than on my roof!
What is the best thing about being apart of Bendigo Youth Racing?
The best thing about BYR would have to be catching up with friends and building some fast vehicles whilst having a lot of fun. There is never a dull moment at the dream factory…
ABOVE: Grug at the Australian International Pedal Prix in 2006
