Date: 18^th June 2011
Event: Taupo Leatt 4 hour team race
Track Conditions: Rutty forest single track with road sections and grass paddocks.
Result: 9^th position overall and 6^th position in class (0-300cc 4 stroke and 0-250cc 2 stroke)

Race: The event could be raced as either a 4 hour iron man or teams race. I teamed up with my brother Cullum riding his KTM 250. We arrived 2 hours prior to the start to find there were 3 rows of bikes already on the start line (196 bikes total). I managed to make some room and squeeze us on the front row, but only just.

Cullum opted to do the start. It was a dead engine shotgun start and Cullum got away reasonably well heading into the bush in the top 30. Midway through the first 24km lap a rider went down taking Cullum with him. He pushed hard to make some places back and returned to the pits after his first lap in 78^th position.

The bike was looking a bit worse for wear after the crash (Cullum was ok) so we attempted to duct tape all the broken parts back up. I headed out for my 2 lap stint before needing to refuel again. I had a hard 2 laps having a lot of bikes to pass and managed to get us back into 25^th position. The parts we had duct taped up had fallen off and we were pretty much riding a frame – not the prettiest bike there.

The pit crew alerted the race officials that our transponder wasn’t working and we weren’t being lap scored. We made the swap losing some 45 seconds on top of our pit (we were later credited back only 20 seconds of this).

Cullum headed out and put in 2 hard laps and again made further ground to bring us up to 14^th position. I then brought us back in 10^th to let Cullum chase down John Odea on his last lap. Cullum made 30 seconds on John to finish a second behind him however, due to the 20 second credit we were placed in front of John.

Over the 4 hours we did a total of 8 laps and both managed to put in some good lap times to eventually finish in 9^th position overall and 6^th position in our class.

Overall, apart from the bad luck on Cullum’s first lap, we put down some good lap times amongst the top 5 overall. We had a good day and the track was great. I would like to thank Cullum for the use of his bike and teaming up with me and also a big thank you to all the pit crew for the help on the day.

Next event: Taupo 2 hour super-moto race

Taupo Super Truck Race Day, Car Drifting and Super-Moto

Date: 14^th May 2011
Event: Taupo Super Truck Race Day, Car Drifting and Super-Moto
Track Conditions: Cold, dry, road race track

Qualifying: I have just changed my Aprilia engine over to a 450cc, putting myself in the S1 class. I was happy to qualify 3^rd in the S1 class after having not ridden it. I also put it up against the bigger 550cc engines in the S2 class and qualified 2^nd.

Race 1 (S1 0-450cc) – Did not finish (DNF): I got away to a good start sitting in 2^nd place after the first turn. I quickly took the lead but missing a braking point Scott Moir snuck up the inside of me. I pushed hard and tried to make a pass on him around the outside of the sweeper (fastest part of track) but Moir ran wide putting me on the grass at a great speed which ended in a huge high side. I got straight up and going but unfortunately I had smashed my helmet and visor so was unable to finish the race.

Race 2 (S2 451-550cc) – 4^th place: As our races were back to back, I quickly sorted out my bike in the pits and changed my helmet. I headed out for the open class race. I got the small 450 off to a good start rounding the first turn in 2^nd place, but was quickly out powered down the straight moving back into 4^th position. I rode hard but was not able to make any places but was happy to stay right behind the leading 3 till the end.

Race 3 (S1) 2^nd place: After a bad jump of the line, I still managed to head around the first turn in 3^rd place.  After taking a few laps to pass Toby Summers, I set out to catch the leader who had pulled a small gap. I pushed hard and was able to gain the lost ground and make the pass taking the lead heading in to the last lap. I was unaware that Moir was hard on my rear wheel and he pushed up the inside as I braked too early. I tried hard to pass him back but had to settle for 2^nd position.

Race 4 (S2) 6^th place: As I got away to an ok start I rounded the first turn in 4^th place.  I was pushing hard trying to get past 3^rd place, but as I went around the outside of Lewis Waho my handle bar hit his foot and made me run off the side of my front tyre causing me to slide down the road.  I quickly picked myself up and got going losing a few positions.  I pushed hard to get back into 6^th by the end of the race.

Race 5 (S1) 1^st place: I got away to another good start rounding the first turn in 2^nd position. I made the pass on 1^st place, but at the same time was passed by Moir. We pushed hard and pulled a gap on the rest of the field. I managed to make the pass stick and take the race win.

Race 6 (S2) DNF:  I once again got away to a good start going around the first turn in 2^nd position. I tried a few times to pass Casey Bullock who was leading but again was out powered by both Bullock and Moir on their 550’s. I sat just behind them hoping to gain a position if something went wrong. With two laps to go I saw Bullock look at his rear wheel and seeing he had a flat tyre I moved into 2^nd. Unfortunately this only lasted for one turn as I ran out of fuel. As our races were back to back and the last two races longer than the rest I didn’t put quite enough fuel in leaving me to push my bike home.

Overall the bike went well and with this being the first ride I have done on it, I’m confident I will have it running better for the next event. As it has a fair bit less power than I have in the last few races, it’s going to take a little bit of bike time to get used to riding it smoother and to improve my lap times.

Track: ST. Jean D’Angely
Country: France
Date: 4-5 June 2011
Team: Dirtbike-Gym
Class: EMX2
Result: 27^th  and 26^th
Track and weather conditions: The track was made up of clay, a little bit of sand, a few rocks and was on the side of a big hill. The weather was really hot and sunny.

Saturday

Practice/Qualifying times for gate pick of qualifying race: The track was quite slushy as they had poured water on the track the night before. I quickly put down some laps and trying to learn the track best I could and get into a groove. I put down some Quick laps towards the end of the practice session and managed to get 24^th gate pick. There was a bit of pressure to get a top 15 result so I could get strait into the first (proper) moto and not have to worry about having to race B. Final or last chance or however it works.

Qualifying race: I got a pretty good jump off the line then my super fast bike ensured I was up with the rest. I pushed hard into the first turn, stayed strong and avoided a pile up I pushed hard on the first lap and found myself in about 10^th  position, I dropped back to 11^th  on the second lap. I made a mistake on the Third lap and dropped back to 14^th. The next few laps I got into a good groove and gained some positions and caught up to a group in front of me, at this point there were only a couple laps to go and I was on English Honda rider James Cottrell’s back wheel, I tried a few times to make a pass on him but couldn’t make anything stick and finished the race in 12^th.

6.40 pm

Moto 1: I lined up on the inside gate, when the gate dropped I spun up off the gate and got blocked up coming into the first turn. I charged hard for the first couple laps even though the track was pretty dusty, making my way from 34^th  to 28^th  then back down to 30^th  and back up to 25^th  by the mid way point of the moto, I then slipped back a position. I ran 26^th until two laps to go when it poured down with rain, the hard pack track turned slick and I ended up having two silly crashes. I lost a position and finished the race in 27^th.

Sunday

Moto 2: I didn’t get off the line too good and had to push hard in the first turn to make up for it and came around 30^th. I charged hard in the first couple laps and gained a few spot only to have a goggle malfunction and had to come into the pits for my spare pair. I rejoined the race in about 35th position and got back to work passing rider’s right up to the last lap. I finished the moto in 26^th position

General Comment: Once again I learned a lot this weekend, next time I get the chance to do a big FIM event I will have more of an idea what I’m in for. I have to say a big thank you to Rex Michau the team owner for making the trip happen, also Jason for organizing everything, and the rest of the team for being there, doing all the other jobs and supporting me. Cheers

Thanks for your support

Cheers,

John

Track: Landrake
Date: 9th May
Team: Dirtbike-Gym
Class: MX2
Overall for the day: 14^th
Overall in Championship: 11^th

Weather and track conditions: Fast clay track with lots of slate rocks and decent hills, the weather was fine all day but it had hosed down with rain the night before so it was really muddy for practice and didn’t dry up in a couple spots all day.

Practice/Qualifying: since the track was really muddy I waited a bit before going out, I did a look lap then got straight into it, by that time qualifying had started and I got in an ok time in. I tried to put another quick lap in after that and it was going to be a pretty quick lap until a couple corners to the finish line I got swallowed up by a rut and somehow landed on my foot peg giving me a dead leg, I went back to the pit area and caught up with Nigel my mechanic, he gave me a new set of Goggles, cleaned up my foot pegs and sent me back out as I had an ordinary qualifying time. I got two fast laps in and the second was the quickest giving me 29^th overall and 16^th for my class.

Race 1: I got a good jump out of the gates but got swallowed up by the 450s coming into the first corner. I struggled on the first lap to get passed riders and took a couple bad lines. Then coming out of a long sweeping corner I saw fellow Kiwi rider Cam Dillon swap out huge. I tried my best to get out of the way but I clipped his bike and crashed, I got up quick but took a while get my bike going and when I did the rest of the field were half the track in front of me. I managed to get up to 30^th over all and 16^th in my class by the end of the race.

Race 2: I got a bad jump off the gate and got held up on the first corner. I tried to get into a good groove and make some passes but I battled with the track through the race and only made my way up to 28^th overall and 14^th in my class.

General comment: I wasn’t very happy with my day; I struggled with the track all day. I’ll be working hard this week to get my leg right and work on what I struggled with in the weekend.

Big thanks to my team Dirtbike-gym, my mechanics Henry and Nigel for all their hard work.

Thanks for your support

Regards

John

Track: Whitby
Date: 12^th June 2011
Team: Dirtbike-gym
Class: MX2
Overall for day: 8^th
Overall in series: 10^th

Weather and track conditions: The track was hard pack with lots of jumps. It was quite cold and was raining on and off.

Practice/Qualifying: I got a good couple fast laps to get my head into it and get some lines sorted, by the time Qualifying had started I had some good lines and managed to put some fast laps together . I qualified 25^th overall and 10^th in my class.

Moto 1: I spun of the concrete gate really bad, I pushed hard into the first corner but only came out in about 37^th after the first lap I had caught up to 30^th and by the mid way point I had caught up to around 20^th and was coming up behind fellow kiwi rider Kayne Lamont who was struggling to get by a Honda rider. Once I caught up to them, Kayne had passed the Honda rider and with a couple laps to go I did my best to also get him, taking it all the way to the line but couldn’t make that pass. I finished the race in 19^th over all.

Moto 2: I spun off the line again but not quite as bad this time. The first half of race I pushed through really hard, passing riders right up to 12^th by the mid way point. The second half of the race I slipped back to 18^th but within the last couple laps I managed to catch back up to 14th. Finishing 7^th in my class.

General comment: It was good weekend but my starts let me down a bit. Big thanks to my team for all their hard work

Thanks for your support

Cheers

John

Track: Desert Martin
Date: 26^th June
Team: Dirtbike-Gym
Class: MX2
Overall for the day: 22^nd
Overall in Championship: 27^th

Weather and Track conditions: The track was really wide with lots of table tops, a couple step ups and a few drop offs. It was made up of heavy red sand and since it had been raining the day before, the track was a bit slushy in practice. The weather was pretty good on race day and it only rained a couple times.

Practice/Qualifying: I tried getting strait into it and put a couple quick laps in early on to get warmed up, but I struggled to get use to the unique dirt and ended up crashing hard a couple times and didn’t managed to get a good qualifying time in and only came away with 35^th  gate pick.

Race 1: I got a good jump off the start but got blocked coming into the first corner as I was on the outside gate. I held it pinned the first lap getting to about mid pack before I jumped down a hill and landed on a bike that was already down and came off. I picked the bike up and got going from dead last. I rode hard for the rest of the race hoping that I might be able to get a couple points out of the race. Unfortunately I only made it back up to 28^th position by the end of the race.

Race 2: I got another good jump off the line but again got blocked on the first corner. I managed to make my way through the pack pretty good on the first couple laps and found myself sitting around 17^th. By the mid way point of the race I got up to 15^th and held it until the second to last lap when I messed up a couple sections and a Yamaha rider got passed me, I tried my best to get him back but couldn’t make it happen and I finished the race in 16^th.

Race 3: I got pretty much the same start again and I was coming through the pack really good, I was running inside the top 20 when I came into a sandy berm too hot and swapped out coming out of it and went down. It took me a few kicks to get the bike going and by that time I was near the end of the field, I got back into a flow pretty quick and started making passes, making my way up to 22^nd by the end of the race.

General comment: The track like all of the British Champs rounds so far cut up big time so walking away in one piece was a bonus. I was stoked that my starts were a lot better and I feel that I rode the track better as the day went on. Qualifying and crashing wasn’t ideal as it put me well behind from the get go. They are two things I will be working hard on these next few weeks

Big thanks to my team for all their support and my Mechanic Nigel for all his hard work.

Thank you for your support

Regards

John

Round 4 Maxxis British MX Champs

Track: Milton Park
Date: 1^st May
Team: Dirtbike-Gym
Class: MX2
Overall for the day: 22^nd
Overall in Championship: 27^th

Track and weather conditions: Track was really tight with lots of jumps, it was muddy in practice as it had been ripped and watered the night before because it was sunny.

Practice/qualifying: I took a new approach to learning the track this round, I Rode one slow lap then I got strait into it and put down 3 or 4 fast laps getting really warm for Qualifying. When qualifying came around I put down my fastest lap in lap one, I tried a couple more laps but couldn’t beat it. I qualified 13^th.

Race 1: I got off to a bad start but pushed hard on the first lap getting up to 18^th but dropped it in a rut on the second lap, this dropped me back a few placings but I got back into attack mode and got a lot of those spots back before I came off in another rut half a lap later, this dropped me back to around 30^th. At this time I knew that there was still a lot of race left so I started chipping away at the riders in front of me, hoping that I might be able to get one or two points out of the race. I managed to get to 21^st with a couple laps to go but couldn’t catch 20^th. I crossed the finish line in a disappointing 21^st.

Race 2: I got a mint jump out of the gates but came too hot into the first turn and drifted wide losing a few spots, I pushed hard after that and gained a few spots before My front wheel got taken out coming into a rut. I got going pretty fast and over the next 3 or four laps I found myself in 19^th and I was all over 18^th, I took an outside rut to make a pass on him and it blew out and the guy behind me crashed into me too. I took a bit longer to get going this time but I was able to make my way to 21^st again before crossing the finish flag.

Race 3: I got an ok start and came out in about 16^th after the first lap, I pushing hard all moto and got up to 13^th only to get passed in the last lap dropping back to 14^th. I finished in 14^th

General comment: I was a bit disappointed with the first two races as I was feeling really good. My qualifying and an awesome start in the second moto would have to be the highlights.

Thanks for your support

Regards

John

Track: Albury Motocross Track, Albury Vic
Date: 3^rd July 2011
Class: Pro Open
Bike/Team: Carlton Dry Honda Thor CRF 450
Place: 3^rd, 8^th, 5^th, 4^th.   4th Overall
Race Format: 2×10 lap motos back to back x2

Qualifying: I felt pretty good in qualifying and thought I was going fast. It turned out I was back in 13^th and not going that fast at all. I was a little bothered about my qualifying place but I couldn’t do much about it and focused on the 4 motos ahead of me.

Moto 1: I got off to a good start and came around the first turn in 2nd behind fellow kiwi Cody Cooper. I was soon passed by a hard charging Jay Marmont. I settled into 3^rd and was on the back wheel of Cooper when I had some pressure from fellow kiwi Josh Coppins. I held Coppins off all the way to the end of the race to finish 3rd.

Moto 2: After a 5 min break we were back on the line ready for moto 2. I got a great start again off the concrete start gates and pushed into 3^rd around the first turn. I pushed hard into the 2nd turn but the two riders in front turned a little sharper than I was ready for and I washed the front wheel trying to stop. I picked myself up off the ground in last place and put my head down and charged through the pack. By the end of the moto I had caught up to 7^th place rider Dan Reardon but couldn’t get close enough to make a pass. Finished in 8^th

Moto 3: The weather had packed it in by the afternoon and it was starting to drizzle. I got another top 3 start and settled into 3^rd. I had pressure from team mates Todd Waters and Cheyne Boyd. They both got passed me and I fought to get them back. I wasn’t able to get them back and I finished the race in 5^th

Moto 4: Another solid start on my Honda CRF 450 and I came around the first turn in 3^rd. I battled with Coppins but couldn’t keep him from passing me. Cooper got taken out when Coppins passed him so that moved me into 4^th where I rode out the rest of the moto.

I wasn’t happy about getting passed in the last two Moto’s but with the track conditions turning bad I was pushing it as hard as I could without throwing it down the track. The track was very poorly prepped and didn’t make for very good racing with only and few lines around the track. My starts were solid all weekend and the boys at Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing have the bike going great.

I have a 3 week break before the last 2 rounds at the end of the month. I have a few little things to work on but I feel confident in the way I’m riding and will take the positives from the weekend and look forward to making the most of the last two rounds of the series.

Big thanks to the Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing team and all our sponsors.

Mike Phillips

 Location: Toowoomba QLD
Date: 22^nd May
Bike/team: Honda CRF 450 Team Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing
Class: Pro Open
Overall day: 7^th
Race format:  2×10 laps x 2

After spending the week testing at the new Coonabarabran track it was good to get back to civilisation. We had a good week and got to know the 3 min long track pretty good. Coonabarabran is the 6^th round in the championship and is new to the series. The Toowoomba track was one of my favourite tracks over the series and walking the track Saturday afternoon it looked like it was going to rut up nicely. I woke up in the morning to the sound of rain. I knew out of all the tracks this one was going to be the most difficult in the wet.

Qualifying went ok after it started off pretty bad. 1^st  lap of practice I was taking it easy down one of the big down hills when I hit a lump near the side of the track and went over the bars. Covered in mud I was not happy. I put in a few good laps when the green flag came out and managed to be placed 7^th.

Moto 1: It had stopped raining in the morning but the damage had been done. I got a bad start but stayed out of trouble and settled into 7^th behind Yamaha’s Matt Phillips. I was having trouble with a few lines but wasn’t game enough to take different ones just incase I got stuck or it lead me into a drain. I managed to pass Matt on the last lap to finish in 6^th

Moto 2: I had a better start and got away clean but still at the back of the top 10. I tried to hold off a charge from Jay Marmont but wasn’t able to hold him off. I finished the race in 8^th

Moto 3: It was much like the first two. Clean start and rode my own race in 7^th.

Moto 4: By this time the track was a mess and it was just hard enough to get around let alone race. I got an ok start and settled into 6^th behind fellow kiwi Josh Coppins. I tried taking some of his lines but in one of the laps I got a little stuck and he was gone. I had a little moment on lap 4 and let KTM rider Louis Calvin pass. I caught back up to him by the last lap but had Jay Marmont on my back wheel and wasn’t able to try anything to get by. Finished the race in 7^th.

All and all it wasn’t the best day but it wasn’t the worse either. The track was tricky and even though it dried out during the day it made it harder to ride. I still sit in 6^th in the championship with 4 rounds to go. The goal is top 5 and I believe I have the speed and team to do it

The next round is in a month’s time at the new Coonabarabran track.

Will keep you updated.

Mike Phillips

Rockstar Australian Motocross Nationals Round 4

Date: 8^th May 2011
Location: Murray Bridge, South Australia
Race Format: 2×10 laps 6 min break between x 2
Result: 1^st Billy Mackenzie
2^nd Dean Ferris
3^rd Michael Phillips

Qualifying: The half sand, half clay track hadn’t roughened up much and the lines hadn’t formed that good buy the time we hit the track. I managed to put a few good laps in and qualify 8^th

Moto 1: I got a good jump off the line and came around the first turn in the top 5. They had just watered the track before our race and it was dodgy. Two riders went down in front of me and that moved me into 3^rd. Josh Coppins and Cheyne Boyd passed me early in the race but I wasn’t too bothered. I followed their lines and caught back up soon after. I passed Lewis Woods and Boyd half way through the moto and caught up to Coppins. I wasn’t able to get close enough to make a pass and finished the race in 3^rd.

Moto 2: Again I got a good start and quickly pushed my way into 3^rd. I had Billy Mackenzie and Dean Ferris in front of me and I wasn’t going to let them get away. We all had different sections of the track we were better at but none of us could make a pass. I finished the moto again in 3^rd

Moto 3: It started off the same as moto 2 but this time Mackenzie was in 2^nd and Ferris was out front. There was nothing between us again. I got really close to Mackenzie with two laps to go and made a pass but half a lap latter went a little wide on a fast section and he got me back. I then pushed it a little hard into a soft berm and went down. Coppins got by me but I still managed to ride home in 4^th.

Moto 4: Another good start saw me sit in 5^th. I managed to pass fallow NZ riders Cody Copper and Josh Coppins to settle into 3^rd. On the 4^th lap I made a mistake and washed the front in a tricky berm and went down. Getting back into the race on that same lap I had a big crash through a roller section at the back of the track. Picking myself up off the ground in 14^th it took me another few laps to get my head back in the game. I put some good laps in and managed to work my way back into 7^th by the finish.

General Comment: It was a tough weekend and the team gave it everything. After missing out on the podium at round 2 only by a few points it felt good to be on the box. It feels like all the hard work both the team and I have put in over the last few months is paying off. We have two weeks until the next round in Toowoomba Queensland. In the mean time I’m staying in Australia for more testing and development.

Big thanks again to the team and all my supporters both in Australia and New Zealand.

Mikey P