THE 2019 Australian Supersport series did not finish as planned for Furner motorcycle racer Dallas Skeer.
His year ended with a bang, as he crashed out of the first race at Sydney Motorsport Park on the weekend during the final round.
Skeer pushed hard on the opening lap, after a tough qualifying saw him in 13th on the grid for the first race.
That left plenty to do if Skeer was to finish high enough to remain in sixth place overall for the season.
After a fast turn one, Skeer looked to go up the inside of a group of riders to move up the placings, but lost sight of his brake marker.
He overshot the corner and had no room to move, crashing into another rider and was out of the race.
It was a big blow to his season, but he still managed to take to the track for the second race and finished the season off in seventh place.
Skeer said he was still a bit sore from the accident, but it appears his pride was hurt as much as his body.
“I am a bit disappointed,” he said.
“I really wanted to finish in the top five this round.
“The times were close and I probably would have been able to get there.
“It was not good what happened – it was completely my fault and I feel a bit stupid really.
“We wanted to finish off on a good note, but I was still able to get back out there for the second race.”
To return to the track was in itself a gutsy move.
Skeer struggled to move after the accident and the medical staff were ready to cut his leathers off to see what damage he had done.
However, Skeer soon put a stop to that.
“As soon as it happened they told me they were going to cut my leathers off, but I told them they could not because I needed them for the next race,” he said.
“They said I would not be able to get back out and did all the checks on me.
“In the break I did heaps of physio, ice and everything they suggested.
“I was strapped up for the next race and could not really move much on the bike.
“With five laps to go I could not really pull myself back up on the bike, my whole lower back and side were so sore.
“But I was able to ride at a quick pace to finish 10th.”
Skeer said it was the biggest crash he had experienced on the 600cc Suzuki.
He said he felt sorry for the rider he crashed into, who appeared to have a fractured arm from the incident.
Despite the setback, Skeer still managed to move up three positions from his first season, where he claimed 10th overall.
He said he was disappointed, but expects the extra experience to translate into a stronger season in 2020.
“I am not happy finishing seventh – I had the potential to finish fifth,” Skeer said.
“I was expecting to be sixth after this round and got pipped by three points because of the DNF.
“Next year we will try to pull it all together and push harder in qualifying and practice so I know where the limits are.”
Despite his obvious disappointment, it was a strong second season in the national class.
In two seasons Skeer has finished 10th and now seventh, which shows he has the pace to push hard.
Looking to 2020, he will remain aboard the Suzuki and hope his experience sees improved results.
“We will stay with Suzuki because they seem to handle the same as the Yamahas,” Skeer said.
“All these tracks I have struggled at, we have not had much time there, so the extra experience should help.
“Hopefully next year we can podium and finish top five in the championship.”
