Round two of the State junior MX Championship was held at the Stockton Park circuit in Collie. With early morning fog rolling in from Lake Stockton it was not until the suns intensity lifted to burn it off before the juniors could hit the sandy terrain.
Cody Chittick (Mandurah City Yamaha) was on a mission to close up the point gap in both the 125 & 250F classes as he was sitting in second for both after round one.
The young charger started off slowly but wound things up as the day progress to finish on the podium and stay in contention for both titles.
“I could not find my flow in the morning and was feeling pretty bad as I knew I could do better” Chittick lamented.
“In the first 125 race I suffered from arm pump for the first time ever. It was such a weird feeling and virtually slowed my pace as I was struggling to hold on. We talked it over back in the pits and I refocused for the rest of the racing and got good starts and it never bothered me again for the rest of the day which was a relief”
“Though sitting in second I’m still well in striking range of the title and there are plenty of rounds to go, so I will chip away at it and make every point count”
Jake Turner (Five Star Yamaha) had a breakout ride in Manjimup just two weeks prior and wanted to prove it was no fluke and the Serpentine based rider picked up right where he left off. A few small crashes on the 125 saw him tie with team mate Chittick but be relegated to fourth on a countback.
While it was another fourth in the 250F division which proved he was now in the championship running with the big dogs.
“I felt pretty good today and both my YZ125 & YZ250F got great starts. But I made a few mistakes especially on the 125 which were costly. I know my speed is there and I am now in third overall on the 125 and fourth on the 250F for the championship which is perfect” Turner said.
Jake Rumens (Southwest Yamaha) is still polishing his game and was looking good for podiums in the 85cc and 65cc classes when slight lapses in concentration leading to small mistakes proved costly landing him fourth overall in each class.
“I was so frustrated with myself” Rumens stated.
“I gave away both podiums today with silly little mistakes. I have got some tough competition with two Australian champions in either class which means you can’t allow things like that to happen. However it is good to see where I measure up against the best in the country so a pair of fourth overalls is not as bad as it could be”
Newest member to the team satellite rider Deegan Fort also did well in just his second outing with the team. Fort managed a podium, along with you guessed it another fourth in the younger 65cc age group aboard his YZ65 machine.
“Today was a bag of mixed emotions and we had to do some damage control to keep things moving forward” stated team manager Peter Strickland.
“Cody has never had arm pump before in his life, so to get it was one thing but managing it was another. We shifted his focus and were able to keep it at bay for the rest of the Moto’s which was good because for anyone who has never experienced it the detriment to your riding can be devastating”
“Jake Turner has proved himself now and was unlucky with the few small tip overs he had today. It is really rewarding to see him emerge as a serious contender every week as he is quiet young guy who is very workman like in the way he goes about things”
“To see him come out and back up Manjimup makes a bold statement about his ability”
“Jake Rumens is coming on well and he is smoothing the bugs out in his riding at every meeting. He needs to believe in himself more as he is really a talented kid with huge potential for the future. It will take a little time for him and his family to settle into the vibe of the team but they will get there without doubt”
“Still the surprise package this season is Deegan as he is proving to be a valuable contributor every week which is great. He is on the first step of what could be a long tenure with us and if he keeps impressing like this you never know where it could lead”
“In the six championship classes the boys ride in the worst we sit is top five and the best is second so that is not a bad result. I am really proud of my guys as they put it in every weekend. So we move on to the next round in a few weeks and will come out swinging for the fences like ususual”
