By Trevor Jackson
McNamara Park will be a major focus for Furner motorcycle racer Dallas Skeer this weekend.
The Mount Gambier Motorcycle Club will host the Easter Cup weekend, with riders from around the country set to converge on the venue to chase the feature cup races up for grabs.
The weekend also includes the opening round of the South Australian Road Race titles, with Skeer set to compete in the Supersport 600cc category.
Originally Skeer was going to concentrate on the Australian Supersport titles in the Australian Superbike Series, plus a possible cameo at McNamara Park, but with a less-than-ideal start in the ASBK season, which included mechanical issues and accident damage in the opening two rounds, his focus has shifted slightly.
While he will still compete in the ASBK events, his chances of a podium finish are extremely remote.
However, with four rounds to run in the SA titles, his chances of victory in that series are far more positive.
His plans for this weekend revolve around a win in the main Easter Cup feature event, plus a new lap record.
While his 600cc machine is clearly smaller than the big 1000cc Superbikes, around McNamara Park it is quite nimble.
“I will do the Easter Cup feature race with the Superbikes and I hope to win that one,’ Skeer said.
“Around Mac Park is like a club race really compared to the level I ride at, even though it is a state title.
“I can keep up to the Superbikes around there so I should be able to hopefully take it out.”
Skeer said the advantages around McNamara Park were not all about power.
“You can always have more power, but sometimes that is not necessarily quicker,” he said.
“There should be a couple of quick Superbikes there but my times are competitive against them.
“I don’t get to race against Superbikes anywhere else so it is good to be able to do it at Mac Park, a track I know, which also makes it a bit easier too to keep up with them.”
As for the lap record, Skeer has held it in his class since 2020, with a 1-minute, 10-second time.
He hopes to change that this weekend.
“I want to get into the 1.09s,” Skeer said.
“My current record is 1.10 flat but I just can’t seem to find that extra to break into the 1.09s.
“Hopefully I can get out in front and bang out some laps, then we will put new tyres on for the feature race and go after it .”
While Skeer’s experience at the national level places him in a good position for success this weekend, he will certainly not have it all his own way.
Other riders such as Ted Collins, and former Australian champion, will compete on a Superbike to add to the challenge.
Other riders such as Tye Lynch and Declan Carbery will be tough to beat, with the latter also chasing the SA title in the Supersport category, providing plenty of competition for Skeer throughout the whole state series.
Skeer is set to return to the ASBK series in the next round at Wakefield Park Raceway near Goulburn on April 22-24.
With recent repairs completed after his recent incident in Round 2 of the series all-but complete, Skeer will have two bikes race ready when the series resumes.
With his main commitment focusing around the ASBK series, McNamara Park was simply going to be used for extra time in the seat.
However, now the chance of a state title is too much for the young racer to ignore.
“We were originally going to do the rounds at Mac Park and maybe one at Tailem Bend,” Skeer said.
“Now we are going to go for the state title because I am so far out of the points in the Australian championship.
“If I can win every race I can possibly get away with missing one round of the state titles and still win it overall, so if it does clash with ASBK we can miss a round.
“Of course our main focus is ASBK but I haven’t won the state titles in a few years, so it will be good to get another title under my belt.”
