Date: 7th July 2010

Event: Tarawera 100

Track Conditions: Fast flowing farm land and bush tracks with a motocross track section.

Race (DNF – Did not finish): It was a crisp frosty morning and I lined up along with 220 other riders. Standing behind the bike holding the rear guard we had a shotgun gun start. I took two kicks to get my KTM started and as a result got stuck in mid-pack position going through the first corner. I pushed hard through the first moto-cross section making up a heap of places and headed into the bush in 8th position.

I found a good rhythm early and felt good on the bike making up another 2 places to slot into 6th position. I was able to hold out the pressure from Mitchell Rees until my race came to a sudden end. My bike started to miss and wouldn’t rev out then stopped all together. Not being able to get it going, I did the big check over but couldn’t find anything wrong with it. After losing time and a tonne of places I got the bike to go and started back trying to make up some lost time. I still had 20km to go on the first lap and my bike continued to miss and cut out ending my race at the end of lap 1.

I was really disappointed with my day as I felt great on the bike and was riding well, but it was not meant to be this year. I will try again for the third time lucky next year.

On a positive note I managed to take away a new set of Dunlop tyres for the hard luck story of the day – most likely rider not to make the top ten due to DNF.

Thank you for your support!

Scott Birch

Date:     Sunday 25 July 2010

Event:    Rockstar Australian MX Championship Round 8a

Venue:  Coolum MX track, Queensland

Class:    Pirelli Under 19s

Bike:      Honda CRF 250r

Team:   Team Kiwi MX

Format: One 7 lap race then two 6 lap back to back races

Qualifying:  They had prepped the track but we all knew where the lines, holes, berms etc would form and every rider had the same thing in mind – to get as many points as possible from the next three races.  How our lap times stacked up wasn’t available until after qualifying so it was wait and see.  I came in 9th fastest.

 Race 1:  My Pirelli tyres hooked up well and I used the outside line to come round the first corner at the pointy end of the field.  I was sitting comfortably in 5th when I came too hot into the S section and tucked the front, I managed to hang onto the clutch but most of the riders got past before I rejoined the field.  I rode solidly and made up places each lap by railing berms and tripling into the whoops.  I passed the finish flag in a disappointing 12th

 Race 2:  My team mate Kieran was getting away on me on points and 6th place overall was up for grabs so I had to make these last two short races count.  When the gate dropped I was on the gas and kept it wide open.  I was in 5th behind Kieran pushing him hard and waiting for the berms to make my move which I did on lap 3.  I kept my head and rode solidly to the flag to finish in 4th.

 Race 3:  Kieran had dropped it in race two and that put us pretty close on points with him just ahead so again I chucked everything into my start but had Kieran ahead of me, I made the pass on him in the first lap and then on Errol Willis in the second to sit in 6th.  The race was too short to make up enough time on 5th place and I had to settle for 6th place in the final moto of the series.

 General Comment:  When I got back to the pits everyone thought Kieran had the points on me but when they finally came out I was 1 point up on him.  I was stoked with my 6th place overall in the Championship but felt for Kieran at the same time as I know how much he put into it as well.  I was spoilt for choice of mechanics over the weekend as Tom had stayed on James was over and Matt Comisky who had put us up for the week came up from Brisbane.  James did Saturday and Matt did Sunday (but you can’t keep James out of the toolbox). 

The Series

It has been a competitive Pirelli Under 19 series not just between Australia and NZ but amongst us Kiwis as well and although each of us have had bragging rights at some point or another in the series no one used them as we were all aware that the Under 19s is a small fish in a big pan.  It was great that Pirelli got in behind and sponsored the event and a big thanks to them for producing quality tyres that gave me the traction I needed to hit the first corner with the factory guys.  I want to thank my NZ supporters who have taken a personal interest in my racing career, your contribution whether it be physical, financial or whatever it means a lot to me, thanks.

A big thanks also to Stu Dillon who kept the van and whatever it required rolling along, to Robyn Dillon for the accommodation bookings even though it wasn’t till the last two rounds she got to make use of them herself, to Leanne Leigh who took it upon herself to be camp mother and was amazingly impartial in her care and encouragement of us riders. 

Huge thanks too to the people who helped make this happen,

• Michael Phillips for convincing mum and dad that I should be doing the series, I owe you bro. 
• Kevin Williams for convincing MA to open the door a little wider and allow 5 NZ under 19s
• Scott Wilkins and Troy Tipene for getting our bikes across the water and back.
• The McDermid family for everything from accommodation to water blasters
• Matt Comisky for Spannering for me as well as opening up his home as a half way house for kiwis and his garage as a dumping ground for whatever we left behind. 
• Cougar Bourbon Honda for the use of their gear from tool boxes to pit tents and transport to or from the track when my travel plans came unstuck.
• James Morgan who has kept my practice bike going back in NZ and made numerous trips in the middle of the night to and from Auckland airport to come and spanner for me.
• Aaron Wood of Motographic for supplying graphics that had my bike looking factory and for the team banner that let everyone know who (and where) we were, and for helping out at Toowomba
• Last but certainly not least a massive thank you to mum and dad for their blood, sweat and tears and heaps of money that has made this dream a reality. 

May God bless you all, thanks again

Regards,

John Phillips

Rockstar Australian MX Nationals

Event: Round 8 Rockstar Australian MX Nationals

Venue: Coolum MX Track, Queensland

Date: Staturday 24 July 2010

Class: Pirelli Under 19’s

Bike: Honda CRF 250

Team: Team Kiwi MX

Overall for the day: 9^th

Championship standing: 7^th (I lost a place to team mate Kieran Leigh but Luke Armon DNS)

The Coolum track has been used as the last round venue for several years and quite a few Kiwi’s come over using it as an excuse for a bit of warm weather and sunshine, unfortunately the weather wasn’t complying and we had a few showers in the morning during qualifying and first round of racing. I felt sorry for James Morgan my NZ mechanic had come over for the round as each of the previous rounds had come to we had unseasonal bad weather.

Qualifying: The sandy Coolum track was well prepped and I was looking forward to putting some fast lap, unfortunately the timing system wasn’t working again and we got our gate pick on our championship standing, so it didn’t work out too badly for me.

Race 1: I pushed hard into the first corner and was in 3^rd place behind team mate Kieran Leigh, I came into a corner too hot and tucked the front and dropped it, I managed to get going again before the entire field got passed but had to keep the hammer down to finish the first lap in 12^th. From there I struggled to make a pass on Yamaha 2 stroke rider Nick Sutherland and by the time I did I was out of race time and finished in 10^th.

Race 2: Keen make up for the points I lost to Kieran I chucked everything at the first lap passing both Cachia and Willis to take the lead, I felt good on the bike and was perhaps too confident through the S section and started lap 2 allowing Cachia and Matt Phillips to get through. It took a while to get my rhythm back and Harley Quinan took advantage as well. I held onto the back of the pack to pass the finish flag in 5^th.

Race 3: I didn’t get the start I needed and was boxed in on the first corner. I was pushed hard to make up places when I came off on a big gnarly corner which dropped me back into the second half of the field. I was on a mission and got up to 13^th by the end of lap 2. It was hard work from there on and I managed only 9^th by the end of it.

General Comment: The track cut up as expected and there were lines out there if you looked for them, I was a little impatient for points and it ended up costing me big time. I went with brother Mike for a look at the track after racing to find some sneaky lines while James turned my rear tyre around and prepped the bike. I left the track feeling confident I had learnt a lot from the days racing and I could put it to use in Sundays racing.

May God bless you all,

Thanks again

Regards,

John Phillips

 Event: Round 7 Rockstar Australian MX Nationals

Venue: Moore Motocross Track, New South Wales

Date: 18 July 2010

Class: Under 19’s

Qualifying: The Moore MX track was one of the best we have ridden on to date, it was well prepped, wide for the most part and had a good mixture of fast and technical aspects to it. I got out early and put in a fast lap as soon as I could which proved to be my fastest. The track had started to cut up and I couldn’t put a whole lap together to improve on it. I qualified in 7^th.

Race 1: I got off to a good start and was 3^rd round the first corner. I took a bad line in the second lap that cost me a couple of placings. I lost one more through the sand section to finish the race in 6^th place.

Race 2: again, my Pirelli tyres hooked up and I was third round the first corner. I was chasing down second place and had Beaton and Cachia chasing me. There were plenty of lines but I couldn’t make the pass on Sutherland and by the halfway mark both Beaton and Cachia were in front of me. I held onto the back end of Sutherland and finished in 5^th.

Race 3: I got a good start and was in 4^th chasing down team mate Kieran Leigh when half way through the first lap I came into a deep rut and my bike clicked itself into neutral and I dropped it. When I picked it up, it must have nudged back into gear and I stalled it. I spent the next couple of minutes kicking my bike trying to get it going and by the time it kicked over I was a lap and a half down. I spent the rest of the race looking for lines for the next race. I crossed the line with no points.

Race 4: A bad jump out of the gates and getting held up in the first corner meant that I came out of the first corner in about 35^th. I knew I had to turn it up to get dome good points in this short moto so I pushed hard in the first lap clocking in at about 25^th in the second lap. I moved up to 12^th, and chased down11th and made a pass around a berm using a line no one else was taking, I continued to use this line and a line I had found through the whoops to pass 10^th, 9^th and 8^th, lap after lap until I ran out of race and had to settle for 8^th past the flag.

General Comment: A big thanks to my Kiwi mate Tom McNaught for making the trip to spanner for me, I felt good on the bike and was stoked with my starts apart from the last race. I was gutted with not being able to get my bike started in the third race but it will take a lot of positives to get me into the next weekends final two days of the championship. I’m loving the traction my Pirelli tyres are giving me and will keep pushing me to the most of the 150 points left up for grabs.

Thanks for your support

Regards,

John Phillips

Event: Round 6 of the Rockstar Australian MX Championship 

Date: 27th June 2010

Location: Wodonga, Victoria

Class: Under 19

Bike: CRF 250R

 Overall for the day: 8th

Overall in championship: 8th

It had been a month since the last round of Oz nationals.  Michael and I have been training hard back home so I was keen to get back into it and make up for the previous rounds disappointing result.

The Wodonga track was pretty much your typical Australian track as it was flat with berms, tabletops, rollers and whoops, in and out of gum trees.  Most of the track was fairly hard pack but drained well, I thought was a bit short with a one minute fifty seconds lap time.  There had been a lot of rain in the days leading up to Sunday but fine and frosty for race day and that suited the track

 Practice/ Qualifying: I went a bit slow for the first couple laps to get the feel of my bike again and to have a decent look at the track because it was still pretty early and the sun was in my eyes, I soon started to turn it up and link some lines together. When the green flag came out I had a good gap in front of me and managed to get a couple of fast laps in.  I qualified 8th

 Race 1: I spun off the concrete gate but pushed hard into the first and second turns to get inside the top 6 or seven I felt comfortable running that speed but I soon got passed by a KTM rider, I pushed hard and got him back the next lap and caught up to the pack that was in front of me which was Yamaha rider Ross Beaton and Kawasaki’s Luke Arbon. This order stayed the same for the rest of the race as I couldn’t make anything happen. I finished in 6th

 Race 2: I heated my Pirelli tyre up a bit better and it hooked up. Unfortunately I didn’t give the bike enough throttle and stalled just after the gates, luckily the bike only took 3 or 4 kicks to get going but by then the rest of the field had gone around the first corner and some, I knew this was going to be a tough race, I made the most of the riders all following each other and weaved my way through the pack I got into 26th by the end of the first lap and I kept passing riders every lap to get up to 13th by the end of the race.

 Race 3: I spun a little bit on the line but I got off it. I pushed hard for the first lap and got into 4th, second lap wasn’t so good as I mucked up a section and got passed dropping back to 7th behind Dillon Peterson and Josh Cachia, I tried making some passes but had to be careful in doing so as I had my team mate Keiran Leigh behind me. I picked up a spot when Suzuki rider Erroll Willis fell off and I rode the rest of the race out in 6th.

 I would like to thank Dad for spannering for me this weekend, my brother Michael and his mechanic Brad for their help sorting out my bike, Pirelli tyres for hooking up all day, Pod Knee braces for saving my knees time and time again and Krooztune suspension for making it a good ride on a rough track.  To my other sponsors and supporters a big thank you for helping make it happen.

 Rounds 7 and 8 are back to back weekends with racing both days of round 8, with over 200 points up for grabs I intend to make the most of the upcoming school holidays hoping to shave a second or so off my lap times.  (And get a few assignments completed)

 Thanks again for your support

Regards

John Phillips

 Event: Queen’s Birthday MX

Date: 6th June 2010

Venue: South Waikato Amisfield Track

Class: MX 2

Bike: CRF 250r

Placing: 3^rd

It was tipping down Saturday night, we live about 25 minutes from the track and I knew it would be a mud bath. The format for the day was a little different as we had two short back to back motos and then a 20min plus a lap.

The track wasn’t too bad for practice and qualifying considering the amount of rain it had on it, but with only 5 laps all up I was pretty happy to be 2nd qualifier.

Race 1: I got away to a top 5 start, I kept pushing hard and was in 4th and chasing when I came in too hot to a berm and got stuck on the top of it. It took a bit to get off and back on the track, from there I just held it wide and managed to get back to 4th when Ethan Martins bike died and I picked up 3rd past the flag.

Race 2: We had 5 minutes from the first place past the flag to the drop of the gates for race 2. My mechanic Tom McNaught had fresh goggles and gloves waiting for me. My Pirelli mud tyre hooked up well off the line and I was 2nd round the holeshot corner. Jessie Wiki was ahead of me and I was all over his back wheel looking for lines to make the pass. I made time through a boggy section just after the finish line and made the pass soon after. I put the hammer down and pulled a bit of a gap but a couple of laps later I got caught in a boggy rut and Jessie came back at me, making his pass soon after. He pulled a bit of a gap and Michael started to make his move forward, we battled for a bit until he made an aggressive pass, I wasn’t happy so I tried to pass him back by blocking him on a berm but I fell off. We were so far ahead of the rest of the field I had time to pick up my bike and still come in comfortably 3rd past the flag.

The day was called off after two rounds.

General Comment: It was a pretty ordinary day because of the rain but it was fun racing Jessie and Michael. Big thanks to Tom and Big D for helping out.

I head back to Australia on the 25 June for round 6 of the Rockstar MX Champs at Wodonga NSW. I am looking forward to training with Michael over the next few weeks.

Thanks for your support

it is much appreciated.

Kind Regards

John Phillips

 The team comprising of Nathan Sharland (Junior 85cc), Mel Patterson (junior 125cc), Scotty Canham (Junior 250F), Hayden Clark (MX2), Campbell Bailey (MX1), and Mark Patterson (Vets/Team Captain) rode awesome in the first ever Club des Nations in Taupo getting an overall place of 8^th out of 20 clubs.  With the exception of the few riders overseas currently the cream of New Zealand were in Taupo representing their individual clubs in a club challenge.  Rotorua had awesome team spirits with the supporters and all the riders helping each other out during the day. 

 From a team management point of view we could not be prouder of the riders who all rode to 100% all day to get a very strong result for our club.  This event will grow in prestige each year and we have now pre-qualified for 2011 due to being top ten.  Plans are already in the making towards 2011 for RMCC team involvement with stronger club support vital for the success and spirit of the day.  An infield area has been booked for an RMCC committee and supporters tent with refreshments.  Loud horns will be supplied to let our riders know that they have support.  A fundraiser early in the 2011 year will see some team gear supplied to the riders to help create the team culture.

 Special thanks to the riders for their efforts and their individual sponsors who assisted them in participating in our team.

 This event will without doubt strengthen the sport of MX in our club as club championship points will be used as one tool towards team selection in the future.

Regards,

Todd Mountfort & Bryan Patterson
Team Managers

 Event:     Round 8 Rockstar Energy Australian MX Nationals

Venue:    Coolum, QLD

Date:       24^th/25^th July 2010

Class:      Pro Lites

Bike:       Honda CRF 250

Team:     Cougar Bourbon Thor Honda

Overall day1: 6th

Overall day2: 14th

Format Day 1: 3x8lap races

Format Day 2: 1x8lap and 2x7lap races back to back

There was only a week in between the round 7 and the last round so I stayed over with the team in Brisbane.  Friday we went out to the track to set up and sign on. They were having technically two rounds of racing over one weekend to fill in the gap left from the cancelled round 3 event.

The sandy flat track layout had changed a little since the last time I rode there 3 years ago but I knew by the end of the day it was going to be the same old rough technical track.

 Qualifying on Saturday was abandoned after the transponder loop wasn’t picking up the bikes. They went on championship standings instead.

 Moto 1: I got a great start and came out in 2^nd. I was feeling good but on the second lap I washed the front wheel and went down. I picked the bike up quickly and got back into the race. I got stuck behind Suzuki rider Kieran Tisdale and a few riders got by me. By the time I passed Tisdale I only had a few laps left.

I finished the race in 7^th

 Moto 2: Again I got another solid start on my Cougar Bourbon Honda and was sitting in 4^th. I made a few little mistakes that dropped me back a few places. I pushed hard all the way to the finish and ended the race in 6^th.

 Moto 3: I got a solid start and settled into 3^rd. I got a little carried away in a rut and lent it too much and went down. I again picked it up and pushed all the way to the finish ending the race in 6^th.

I wasn’t happy about making so many mistakes but tomorrow was another day and I was looking forward to the last 3 races of the season.

 Qualifying on the Sunday didn’t go that great and I struggled to put a solid lap in until the last lap. I qualified 13^th.

 Moto 1: I got a good jump and pushed my way around the first turn on the inside and came out in 5th. Yamaha rider Cam Taylor got a time penalty for jumping the big jump on the first lap. I moved into 4^th. I held onto 4^th until the last lap when I pushed too hard in a berm and went down. It took a little to get the bike going and finished in 12^th.

 Moto 2: Was the first of the back to back 7 lap races. I got a top ten starts and fought my way into 5^th. I battled with KTM rider PJ Larson but couldn’t hold him off and finished the race in 6^th

 Moto 3: After the 5 min rest we were on the start line again. I got a good start again but straight after the start there was the triple jump that we weren’t allowed to do. I jumped small but another rider jumped a little bigger and came across on me and took my front wheel out. I went down hard and was blessed I didn’t get run over as the rest of the field managed to avoid me. I hit my head and ripped the stitches out of my arm (from the weekend before).  I wasn’t able to carry on.

 It wasn’t the day I had planned and I was again not happy with my mistakes. The team has worked really hard all season and this weekend they worked double time to get my bike prepped and ready for two days of racing. A huge thanks to Brad for all his hard work this season both on and off the track.  I was always confident the bike was the best it could be. 

 Also big thanks to Yarrive and all the Cougar Bourbon Thor Honda team for the awesome opportunity to race for them this season.  In the tough times the sport has gone through over the past couple years they took a chance with me, not having seen me race in Australia for the last few years. I am disappointed I couldn’t put the team on the overall podium. Thanks again Guys.

To all our other sponsors that made this season possible a big thanks also. I couldn’t have asked for better equipment.

 In all it wasn’t the best season in my racing career but I continue to learn a lot about myself, my riding and racing.  I had hoped to do better than 7^th in the championship but for different reasons, many of them simply bad luck, this season just didn’t come together for me.  It seemed the harder I tried to get on top of my game the worse it got.  I believe ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ so as I take time off the bike over the next couple of weeks I’m hoping to find where the pieces fit and look forward to moving on and producing positive results.

Mike Phillips

Event:     Round 7 Rockstar Energy Australian MX Nationals

Venue:    Moree, NSW

Date:       18 July 2010

Class:      Pro Lites

Bike:       Honda CRF 250

Team:     Cougar Bourbon Thor Honda

Overall day: 10^th

 The Moree motorcycle club pulled out all the stops to present round 7 of the championship as an impressive national event.  The track had had a major face lift and the black soil developed well offering plenty of lines in both the fast and technical sections.  The weather was good being sunny but not too hot.  The race format was for two lots of back to back racing, four motos all up.

 Qualifying:  I felt good in qualifying and put in a few good laps to qualify 9^th.

 Moto 1:   I got off to a good start but tightened up and slipped back through the field as my arm pump up and finished a disappointing 9^th.

 Moto 2:   Again a solid  start but as they were back to back  races I was still tight and made a few little mistakes to finish the moto in 6^th

 Moto 3:   We had a break between moto 2 and moto 3 and I took the time to loosen up and walked the track keen to make use of the line choices available.  My Honda hooked up well out of the gate and I came into the first corner close to the front only to nudge the back wheel of KTM rider Ryan Marmont who breaked earlier than I expected.  I went down and it seemed half the field piled in on top of me.  While sorting out myself and the bike I noticed I had put a rather large hole in my arm, the muscle was exposed so I headed to the medic station to be patched up.

 Moto 4:   I was second round the holeshot corner and battling with Marmont, he made the pass and I passed him back.  I was holding second for most of the race but was passed by Ford Dale with 2 laps to go. I finished the moto in 3^rd.

 General comment: I wasn’t happy about tightening up in the first two motos as I knew I had more to give and showed it in moto 4.  I went to Moree hospital after racing where they put two stitches in the muscle using five more to close the hole.  It was a mixed day but I was heading to Coolum (the last round) in a positive frame of mind.

Mike phillips

Event: Dirt Guide Series Round 3

Date: 26th June 2010

Track Conditions: Very muddy bush tracks with deep ruts and constant rain. 

Series Result: 1st place in 0-250cc 4 stroke class.

 Race (3rd place in class, 8th place overall): After weeks of rain we arrived to a muddy entrance and pit area; a telling sign of what was to come for the day.

 We started in bike capacity groups, on a gravel bush road. I got a good jump off the line and went into the first corner in 4th position. After approx 100m I tried to make a pass on my brother but after he changed his line we collided and I went down. I picked myself up, straightened my bike and started to make back some lost places.

 I was having a tough time due to having a worn set of intermediate tyres on, but managed to find a comfortable rhythm and stay on most of the time. 

 Unfortunately I went into a deep rut and my foot peg and gear lever got well and truly jammed underneath a tree root. Loosing approx 4mins, I managed to get my bike out and straighten my gear lever in order to finish the race.

 Overall for the day I rode well in such atrocious conditions. My fitness was good and my bike went well. I was happy with my overall result of 1st in class for the series.

 On another note, I went to a track day in Taupo on Sunday 27th. Riding my Aprilia 550SXV I had a great days riding and managed to stay upright. I am happy with the speed of the Aprilia and looking forward to racing it.

 Thank you for your support!

Scott Birch