IT has been a big year of motorcycle racing for Furner’s Dallas Skeer.
Skeer finished top 10 in the Australian Supersport Championships in his first year of competition aboard the 600cc Suzuki, claimed third place in the coveted Master of Mac Park and capped off 2018 with the South Australian Supersport crown on the weekend.
While he did not claim a win on the weekend at The Bend Motorsport Park, he managed two second places, which was enough to earn him the title, despite missing the opening round of the season.
It was the final goal in Skeer’s first year aboard the big Suzuki, which he was pleased to have achieved.
“One of our goals was to finish top three in the state title,” he said.
“We missed the first round so I was not sure what it was going to go like.
“I clean swept all four races as Mac Park in Round 2 and finished second in both races at Tailem Bend in Round 3.
“I clean swept Mac Park again in Round 4 and finished second at Tailem Bend on the weekend.
“I was in front of my championship rival in all rounds I did in the state championship, so it was a good result.”
Skeer said originally the state title was about enjoying the racing more than the Australian titles, but once he started to close in on the SA leader he started to take it more seriously.
“After we missed the first round, we did Mac Park because it was local,” he said.
“I won then we did Tailem Bend because that is a brand new track for the ASBK (Australian Superbike series) – we will race there for the next couple of years so I needed to get as much time there as we could.
“We were only 14 points behind the lead after that, so then we started taking it seriously before the fourth round at Mac Park.
“After Mac Park I was 20 points ahead going into the last round, then we really focused on the championship.”
But that final weekend of racing also threw up an issue which Skeer was lucky to escape from unscathed, after a coolant leak threatened to derail his chase for the title.
“The first three laps in the last race on the weekend we were all right, but after that the rear tyre seemed to be moving around a lot,” he said.
“In the middle of the corner with no brakes and no throttle, the rear tyre was moving.
“I thought it might have been the old tyres, but when I came back in you could see where the coolant had been hitting the back tyre and we had a belly pan full of coolant.
“It probably was not the best way to end, but I still finished second and won the state title.”
Skeer certainly achieved his three goals this season, but it did not all go smooth for the young rider.
At just 16 years of age it was almost a sink or swim scenario.
The Australian title showed how tough the competition is, but Skeer’s consistency throughout the season paid off with the top 10 finish.
His pace on the big bike allowed a third place in the Master of Mac Park against bigger machinery and the experience he gained on the national stage provided the skills to win the state title.
But now it all goes up a gear.
“I need to really start concentrating on my riding now,” Skeer said.
“Now I know how to ride the bike I need to change my technique a little bit to ride it faster.
“We will do heaps of Levi’s days at Mac Park and set clear goals for those days.
“We have to take it real seriously and take it to the next level now.”
