Hill and Lanigan win at Welli Mills

Jordan Prochyra on his Way to 2nd in Elite behind Sam Hill

The weather could not have been better for the 4th round of the Peel Districts Mountain Bike Club WA State  Downhill Series. One hundred competitors and a large number of spectators were out at the Wellington Mills tracks for what turned out to be the perfect weekend of friendly people, great racing, hot competition, and an awesome track (can I hear someone say hero dirt? Roots? Rocks? Faaaast?). Welli Mills is always a favourite being close to Perth and having several great fun downhill tracks – the bottom sections are always a  favourite for spectators – mainly due to the big jumps and high speeds.

Live timing means the event is able to follow the World Cup format – qualifying was used to seed the riders in each category so that the fastest went down last, hoping to sit in the hot seat. Last rider down gets the pleasure of knowing straight away whether they have done enough. After racing was done the top 30 riders were then sent back up the hill to do one more run – either for the spectators or to try shave another second or two! With World Champion Sam Hill at the event all eyes were on him for a solid win. Sam Payet always does well here with solid local knowledge and Jordan Prochyra was looking fast as always. They were always going to face stiff competition from Series heavyweights Jacob Parker, Ryan Litterick and Mitch Bryant.

Sam Russell giving some advice

Following a poor qualifying Jordan sat in the hot seat until the last rider down the hill. In the end, things turned out the way we expected with Hill (Chain Reaction Cycles) smashing down the track with a time of 1:53.137, dislodging Prochyra from the hot seat. Prochyra (Carine Cycles/ Giant) was the only other person to get under the two minute mark, looking fast all weekend and visibly gaining some confidence over recent months, 1:58.985. A few seconds back saw Sam Payet (Morewood/ Pushie Enterprises) in third with a 2:01.384, bumping him one spot down from his qualifying performance.

Aaron Leagas wins U17’s

Overall Series Leader Jacob Parker (Georges Bike Shop Willeton) continued his solid performances with a fourth place and a time of 2:01.724. Ryan Litterick is always a threat and was once again on the podium, this time fifth and 2:02.687 – further cementing his place in the top end of the overall. In the Top 30 race run, Sam Hill rode his Mega All Mountain bike as his Pulse had a flat tyre and showed everyone it’s all about the rider, going just under two seconds slower than his race time.

Sam Payet 3rd Elite

In the Elite Women there was only two seconds separating Kristie Lanigan and Louise Wallace. With a 3:21.995 Kristie just managed to take the win. Second placed Louise came in with a time of 3:23.076. Both Women looked smooth and in control throughout and with Kristie finally replacing her stolen bike we could see her come into contention for the overall, currently held by Rachel Gaskin.

Unknown looking for some spare change

In the Juniors Bill Carruthers has a strong series lead but this time wasn’t able to beat eventual winner Alex Jaeger, his time of 2:12.298 over two seconds behind Alex’s 2:09.992.  Once again the Single Crowners came down to a battle between Kose Michielsen and Graeme Adriaens – this time Kose took the win with 2:11.832, Graeme just behind in 2:13.183. This win puts Michielsen in touch with the overall series lead, but it’ll take a lot of work to beat current leader Adriaens.

Jackson Davis – Goon air

The next round is the State Championships at the end of August. Held at the Goat Farm, the State Champs are always very popular for both riders and spectators. Racing will not disappoint as everyone vies for the title! Before this there is another Club Downhill event at Golden Grove on the 27^th July – perfect for anyone wanting to get into the sport, or for the seasoned racer.

All information can be found at pdmbc.com