IT was all about pump power on Sunday as riders from across the country hit the new Mount Gambier Pump Track for a world championship event.
The Red Bull Pump Track World Championship qualifier showcased local talent at Hastings Cunningham Reserve, alongside international stars making for a tight contest throughout the day.
Limestone Coast riders included Jaiden Bombski, Ben Gartner and Jack Hann who faced off against heavy-weights such as Max Cairns, plus Wade and Bodi Turner with more than 50 riders across the men’s and women’s categories.
Speaking before the event, Melbourne-based riders Bodi Turner and Cairns said they expected a hotly contested event.
“We are really looking forward to seeing how we stack up against the local boys,” Cairns said.
“They have obviously had a bit more time to practice than we have and have been looking great during training.
“When you are going hard on a small tight track anything can go wrong.
“You could have someone who might not be as fast as you knock you out because you make a simple mistake.
“It is a lot of pressure especially once you get into the knock-outs – you have to complete perfect laps time and time again to take the win.”
The event was a thriller from the get-go, with unexpected crashes, devastating disqualifications and excitement throughout.
First up was the time-trial, with riders taking on two laps of the course and the top 32 advancing through to the knock-out heats.
Bombski, Gartner and Hann all sailed through the first stage, along with other South East riders such as Callum Morrison, Justin and Shane de Jong and James Stephens.
Taking to the track on his first run, Bodi Turner had a less-than ideal start, losing balance around a berm and coming off the track.
Despite this, the Olympian came back to set the fastest time of the trial on 19.508.
Wade Turner and Cairns also made their mark on the first round, with both finishing in the 19-second bracket.
The riders then started the knock-out portion of the event, going head-to-head to qualify for the top 16.
Unfortunately, this saw the end of many local hopefuls, with the exception of Hann, Bombski and Jason Dickson who survived the round.
When the final eight were to be decided, the Mount Gambier contingent was all but gone, with homegrown-hero Hann finishing out the day in a respectable 12th place.
The final eight saw just one mountain biker – Duke Millington – up against a contingent of BMX riders who was ultimately knocked out, with the final four to come down to the Turner brothers, Cairns and South Australian rider Matthew Tidswell.
Cairns and Tidswell were then knocked out, leaving the Turner brothers to fight it out for the ultimate honours.
Wade would be victorious over Bodi, with the two brothers separated by 100th of a second, the former setting the fastest run of the day in the final to take the win.
“It is an unbelievable feeling to win,” Wade Turner said.
“I think having Bodi in the final pushed me that little bit harder to win.
“When it came down to us as the final two I knew it was a 50/50 shot, but that competitiveness between us definitely helped.”
In addition to taking home the honour of the first winner at an Australian Red Bull Pump Track world Championship event, Turner also took home an all-expenses paid trip to the world event next year.
“I am stoked to be going to the world championships,” he said.
“The top four boys qualified as well so it will be great to head over with them and see how we stack up.
“Pump track racing is definitely a bit of fun for us, but it really makes a difference in traditional BMX events as well.
“It takes you back to the basics, you gotta learn to pump before you can manual – it helps work on those basic skills.”
Six women also took on the event, with Mount Gambier riders Jemma Heraper, Mercedes Scott and Prue Harvey all finishing in the top four and Melbourne’s Marnie Williams taking home the top spot.
