By Trevor Jackson
The weather closed in somewhat for the McNamara Park Easter Cup meeting on the weekend but that did not deter competitors from pushing their machines to the maximum to gain the outright honours in the respective feature races, or gain points for the South Australian Road Race championships.
Even the BEARS category for British, European and American defied Sunday’s rain to put on a show for those keen enough to venture out and spectate.
The Easter Cup certainly turned it on, with Mount Gambier club member Declan Carberry showing his continued improvement in the sport with a feature race victory.
Carberry greeted the chequered flag some 16 seconds clear of Furner racer Dallas Skeer after showing plenty of pace across the weekend.
Both riders showed Jamie Banks a clean pair of heels, with an 11-second gap from Skeer to the third-placed rider.
In the SA Supersport championship, Ty Lynch was in a class of his own, claiming three leg wins to secure 75 points for the title fight.
Carberry claimed two seconds and a third place, while Skeer finished with a second and two thirds.
The SA Superbike championship saw Ted Collins in top form as he claimed two wins for round honours on his 1000cc Yamaha, ahead of Banks on a 1000cc Yamaha, with William Strugnell rounding out the podium aboard a 1000cc Suzuki.
The National BEARS challenge produced some stunning machinery on track, specifically in the F4 category where a gaggle of Harley Davidsons were trumped by a lone Laverda for the round honours.
Matthew Edwards rode his 1000cc Laverda to good effect, with three wins to set the scene at the top of the table.
John Williams was second on points on his 1200cc Harley, while David Butler rounded out the podium on the same overall points on his 1200cc Harley.
For young Adelaide rider Tara Morrison it was a baptism of fire on a borrowed 1200cc Harley, as she relished the extra power and torque compared to her 400cc Kawasaki Supersport machine.
She certainly sported a grin from ear to ear and is keen to return on her own machine in the future.
The SA Championships also boasted the bLU cRU Junior Cup, with up-and-coming riders out to show their capabilities on a group of Yamaha 150cc machines.
Rikki Henry proved the most consistent, with three wins for the outright points, followed by Cameron Rende and Ella McCausland.
Henry also topped the SA Junior Championships, ahead of Rende and Ryder Gilbert.
Overall it was another successful race meeting, with plenty of interest ahead in the remaining SA title races for the season.
Round results
BEARS F4: Graeme Koschmann, Triumph, 50 points; John Price, BMW, 47; Adrian Pierpoin, Aprilia, 45.5.
BEARS F2: Paul Nilsen, Triumph, 55; Gareth Deacon, Triumph, 52; Phil Allen, Ducati, 46.5.
BEARS F3: Phil Allen, Ducati, 70; Paul Nilsen, Triumph, 65; Gregory James, KTM, 54.
BEARS F4: Matthew Eewards, Laverda, 75; John Williams, Harley, 52; David Butler, Harley, 52.
BEARS F5: Richard Draper, Ducati, 75; Andrew Smart, Ducati, 57; Sean Oeser, Ducati, 55.
bLU cRU Junior Cup – SA Championship: Rikki Henry, Yamaha, 75; Cameron Rende, Yamaha, 60; Ella McCausland, Yamaha, 54.
Juniors – SA Championship: Rikki Henry, Yamaha, 70; Cameron Rende, Yamaha, 65; Ryder Gilbert, Honda, 54.
Limited – SA Championship: Anthony Stephens, Husqvarna, 75; Daniel Spendlove, Yamaha, 57; David Trotter, Honda, 52.
Naked bike – SA Championship: Phil Allen, Ducati, 70; John Snoad, KTM, 25; Daniel Spendlove, Yamaha, 40.
Pre-Modern 00 – SA Championsip: Luke Patteson, Honda, 75; Mark Boag, Moto, 40; Karlis Gugis, Kawasaki, 36.
Pre-Modern 07 – SA Championships: Brad Miller, Suzuki, 62; Brett Harris, Honda, 54; Glen Marchiori, Honda, 51.
Superbike – SA Championships: Ted Collins, Yamaha, 67; Jamie Banks, Yamaha, 63; William Strugnell, Suzuki, 57.
Supersport 300 – SA Championship: Sam Pezzetta, Yamaha, 75; Nichollas Yfantidis, Yamaha, 56; Tayla Relph, Yamaha, 55.
Supersport – SA Championship: Ty Lynch, Yamaha, 75; Declan Carberry, Suzuki , 58; Dallas Skeer, Suzuki, 56.
