Webmaster posted on April 24, 2009 09:02
Sutto’s KTM Alpinestars rider Geoff Braico has claimed his first A4DE podium with a 3rd in Class 5. (over 290 2 stroke/over 500 4 stroke)
With 4 days of rain leading up to the event, both riders and organisers were hoping for perfect conditions. There was 3 special tests (2 MX, 1 Enduro) and each of them was different. However, there was one thing in common and that was the dust. As the ground was so soft, the tracks deteriorated quickly and became a real challenge for the riders.
When Day 1 started, the tests were in top shape. There was no dust and the only thing that the riders had to deal with was the low morning sun. It played havoc in the first few tests. Geoff started off pretty well. He was in amongst the battle for the lead after the first few tests. He made a few mistakes in the 5th test and that cost him some valuable time but still managed to finish off the day 3rd in class and 16th outright.
Day 2 had a difficult start. There was two tests, back to back, straight off the transport section before the first control. And with the sun being low and the tracks getting rough and rutted, there was plenty of time to be made up. Unfortunately for Geoff, his first test didn’t go so well as he was caught up in the dust behind a fallen rider. He pushed the next couple of tests unscathed until test 4 where he came off in a deep rut. With the mistakes out of the way and day 2 done and dusted, Geoff was still holding on to 3rd in class.
Two of the tests were reversed for Day 3 so riders had a chance to post some new and better times. The sun was also a lot better with the changes so it was a lot more pleasant to ride the morning tests. Geoff took a liking to the new tests and his times were a lot better than the previous days. His total time for day 3 was only 4 seconds off the winner of class 5 and he had cemented himself into 3rd and 12th outright.
All that was left of the 2009 A4DE was the Final Moto. With a perfect track and a decent gap to 4th, Geoff decided to go all out. He was sitting in fifth through the first turn and within three corners, was sitting in second. On the 2nd lap, he made a move for the lead. He held the lead right to the chequered flag to finish 4 seconds ahead of 2nd. And with that finish came 3rd in class 5 and 12th overall.
“I am really happy to have picked up my first A4DE podium. The event was fairly dusty and having only 3 tests meant that we had to deal with badly deteriorating tracks. I managed to ride through all but 3 tests clean so I was really happy with that. My KTM 300 EXC ran faultlessly for the entire 4 days and I was feeling great on it. When I walked the final moto track, I was confident that my bike would go well. I put two new tyres on and away we went. I had a decent start, and next thing I knew I was battling for the lead. Then, I was in 1st. I was so pumped and was just enjoying myself out there. To win the moto in front of friends and family was awesome. It just capped off the 3rd place and made the event a little more special.
I can’t thank everybody enough for all their hard work and effort during the event. All the Oyster Bay MCC crew for their fantastic pit support as well as my parents and my girlfriend, Mel for helping both before and during the race. And also to my sponsors for all their support, it has been great.”
Geoff’s next event is a NSW Pony Express at Gwandalan in 2 weeks.