Welli Mills State DH 3 – The Mud Fest

The third round of the 2015 Peel Districts Mountain Bike Club WA State Downhill Series saw racing return to Welli Mills. The venue had recently been logged and this would be the first time anyone got to ride the rehabilitated course. Club member Kelvin Smith did a great job leading the effort, which included some great off camber sections, some slalom berms, lots of Welli Mills famous roots, plus a few jumps to mix it up. Over 120 competitors were out to see what they could do.

The weather forecast had been ominous all week – it certainly looked like it was going to rain at some point. Practise on Saturday saw damp conditions, but things dried out and before the end of the day it was hero dirt – perfect. Overnight, the clouds dropped everything they could which resulted in an absolute mud fest for racing Sunday – most riders went down at least once in the slippery mud, and a good result meant a good strategy – ride fast in the right places and don’t fall off! The mud made it hard but sure made it fun as well, smiling faces all round proving it.

As usual 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.

Following the top qualifying time Jordan Prochyra (Giant Bicycles) was the favourite coming however came unstuck at the top of Slalom and crashed in front of Heckle City. The season has been a perfect start for Prochyra and we expect to see him win again before the season is over.

Mitch Monotti stayed consistent to get 5th position with a time of 2:20.218, and Zak Wilsher got just ragged enough to claim 4th with 2:17.385. Ryan Litterick (Kalamunda Cycles) went slightly faster than his qualifying time to put a big gap on Wilsher, 3rd and 2:12.616. In second place Sam Payet (Morewood Bikes/ Pushie Enterprises) went hard everywhere to claim a time of 2:09.869. But the man of the weekend was certainly Carl Pickersgill – winning his first race of the year with a deadly time of 2:00.153 – four seconds faster than anyone else went all day! This was 15 seconds faster than his qualifier in ever deteriorating conditions – hitting lines no one else did, and looking visibly faster than anyone. The win also meant Pickersgill now takes the leaders jersey in the series points, with Prochyra just behind in second and Payet in third.

The Elite Women’s category is quickly becoming a slug fest with the heavy hitters changing place on the podium regularly. This time Penny Holmberg showed her technical ability once again to win with a time of 3:24.809. This was nearly 20s slower than her qualifying time – showing how much more difficult the course got over the day. Katarina McDowell came into second 3:27.331, and Louise Wallace kept it steady into third position 3:52.965. These three are also the three series leaders – with Katarina maintaining a tiny margin to remain on top. Abi Patterson rode the new bike into fourth (3:55.213) and Christa Capel couldn’t match her qualifying time, finishing fifth (4:11.289).

In the Juniors Jake Marshall won convincingly with a time of 2:19.527 – his time spent racing Elite certainly hasn’t hurt his speed. Nathan Sivec rode well into second (2:29.230) and Nathan Male came third (2:32.310).

Expert Series leader Shane Rosher (Speedlite Cycles) rode the mud like it was easy to win with a time of 2:25.328. In Veterans Dale “Mud Pig Booner Rando” Deery came out of retirement to stomp the course and win with an impressive time of 2:16.863. Paul Fage (Albany Urban DH) continued his winning form and rode strongly to the win in Master (2:50.144). Sport saw Daniel Costello win with 2:37.223. Once again the Single Crowners proved that the smaller bikes can hold their own with Jimmy Pritchard (R&D Speed Shop/ Yeti Cycles) winning with a blistering time of 2:14.636 – only just ahead of Jack Madigan 2:17.489.

The younger riders once again showed us that the future is bright and that these kids can ride! In the Under 17s, Samuel Buchanan continued his strong form with a winning time of 2:27.912. Under 15s Jaxon Sawer kept his series lead, winning with 2:36.621. And in the Under 13s Gus Kyme and Camden Puzey kept the battle going – this time Gus winning on 3:08.730, and Camden in second 3:10.342. Special mention goes to Joshua King – seen jumping off anything in sight and managing to get down the hill with mud on the bike probably weighing more than him!

The club will be organising a maintenance day to get the track back into prime condition for the next event – State Downhill number 4 – back at Welli Mills for another weekend of great racing! All hands on deck will be appreciated.

The event could not have happened without all the supporters of the event and the Peel Districts Mountain Bike Club – special thanks to all the amazing volunteers on the day – Chris, Lindsay, Cathy, Alan and Hamish running the timing through all sorts of conditions deserve a special round of applause – and the Club Committee for their tireless work. Sponsors also deserve a huge round of gratitude – Hanson Construction Materials , Spank Industries, EMR Suspension Servicing, Morewood Bikes, Mountain Biking Adventures, Rock ’n’ Roll Mountain Biking, Carine Cycles, Malaga Cycles, and WAMBA. The club trailer has had a face lift and all the sponsors can now be seen parading around to all the events!

For full results and details check pdmbc.com.