2012 PRO TOUR

[just for fun]

Pro Tour
The PRA are proud to announce BMX RACER our first sponsor for the PRO TOUR 13, we received great support for TOUR 12 and it's great to have them on board again next year.
At this moment we are looking at a 6 round series from TRACK ATTACK to the New Zealand worlds.
This is to ensure the Vic riders get the highest quality racing possible, the PRO TOUR will be in partnership with the SS for all 6 rounds.

[Mossy]

PRO TOUR FINAL; SHEPPARTON BMX CLUB.
Round 5 of the Pro Tour was to be the final of the series for 2012.
It was held at the Shepparton BMX Club on Sunday 6th May.
We were very fortunate that the weather was in our favour, the track started off a little soft some of the pros were saying but the sun and the wind dried the track out and out elite athletes were in full flight and flat out come finals time.

So it has been a week today since the battles that raged in all the four classes, AA Men, A Men, Vet Pro and Pro Ladies over the five fantastic rounds of racing which started all the back at Wyndham Warriors on the 26th February and proceeded through racing at Eastfield, Park Orchards & Geelong has come to a successful end for all involved with the Pro Tour at Shepparton.

The guys from the Pro Tour would again like to thank the following sponsors for 2012;

-BMX RACER MAGAZINE.
-MD PRINT.
-UNITED EQUIPMENT.
-BRICKWORK DIRECT.
-FIXRITE CONSTRUCTION.

FINAL RESULTS FOR THE SERIES:

AA MEN: 1ST OLIVIER HOARAU (132), 2ND JORDAN MORGAN (104), 3RD MATTHEW DUNSWORTH (96).

A MEN: 1ST JAKE SVERNS (125), 2ND LUKE SMITH (86), 3RD COHEN GOODEN (85).

VER PRO: 1ST GARRY MORGAN (126), 2ND ROBERT SLATTER (113), 3RD TIM KIDDLE (92).

PRO LADIES: JACLYN WILSON (140), 2ND EMILY RICHARDSON (108), 3rd ANTONIA RICKETT (104).

PRO CUP: 1ST JACLYN WILSON (140), 2ND OLIVIER HOARAU (132), 3RD GARRY MORGAN (126).

RISING STAR AWARDS 2012: LADIES, AMANDA MORGAN & GENTS, THOMAS FREEMAN.


Well Shepparton had it all, great pro racing, huge crashes, massive airtime, rider penalties and riders missing their finals, sticker give always, pro signing session and presentation!

In the AA Men the racing was as furious as ever as team mates Olivier Hoarau and Jordan Morgan looked anything but team mates on the track as I don’t think Trevor Stamford has issued team orders, both riders taking no prisoners in their quest to be the inaugural AA Men Pro Tour Champion. They didn’t have it all their own way as Dunsworth, Habitch, May, Collins, Cairns, Mahuika and the rest of the boys kept them honest.  The Tomahawk had an ordinary day by his usual standards due to suffering from that knee injury he sustained at the Aussies, Lautier looked very sharp in practice but seemed not to have his head in the zone come racing.
Most positive moment; great thing to see is young Brandon May stepping it up! He was fast, very fast and if he had any doubts or fears regarding this track it definitely was not obvious.
Scariest moment; was when Mahuika and Collins clipped going flat out over the third pro straight which caused a serious flow on effect landing poor Levi upside down on his head and neck, thankfully the young man was wearing a neck brace and reports through the week indicate he is fine.
Best save has to go to Habitch who unclipped over the last jump into the first turn but was able to keep himself from hitting the bitumen, Travo and I had a joke with the “Cabbage” after the near miss.

In the A Men there were two notable omissions, Cohen Godden and Dane Pangallo, this was great news for young Luke smith who snuck into 2nd overall by just 1 point over Cohen! 
Riders to keep an eye on Haydon, White, Jurrjens, Sandlands, Freeman amongst many others also but these boys can definitely race, no doubt about it as all stepped up and had some ripper motos and finals.
JS, well he had a clear lead for the finals honours so from our point of view we could see that he kept a cool head all day and made sure he stayed on track and upright so he could lead the boys onto the top step of the podium at the end of the day.
The depth in this class has been outstanding all series long and very entertaining to watch as a spectator and heaps of fun to call for us blokes at commentary.

The Vet Pro class was a hoot to watch, I cannot believe some of the airtime these guys were getting!
Gazza had it in the bag if he kept it upright and consistent and hold off a rampaging Rob Slatter, but Gazza did anything but play it conservative. He was super fast and spent almost as much time in the air as on the track, for all his efforts Rob just didn’t have Gazza’s measure and had to settle for second overall.  What a surprise for 3rd place with Geelong’s Tim Kiddle taking the honours, he was consistent all series long and proved to be a work horse keeping the other chargers like Main, Anderson, Rogers and Stamford at bay. Rumour has it that some of these boys will be stepping up to A Men ?! Yes that is correct, received that from a solid source indeed I did.
Well if that is the case that should open the door for riders like Rob Saunders, Glenn Harding, Jason Hartley, Neal Searle and the like to get out of age classes and step up into Vet Pro next series!

Pro Ladies, well what is there to say? Jaclyn Wilson dominated the series and was a comprehensive winner end of story, and it was no different at Shepparton for the final round of the Pro Tour.
There are many young ladies who are getting faster and faster, and in time may be able to challenge Jackie for top spot but at the moment her professional approach to her racing is what sets her apart from the rest.
The overwhelming positive is watching the ladies race in the mid pack battles which rage thick and fast with Richardson, Rickett being the top of that bunch, followed closely by Morgan, Sobotka, Lyon, Penglase who have all shown times of brilliance.

The pro rider signings were a huge hit with the kids and we appreciate the time the pro riders gave so that the junior riders and their fans could get up close, have a chat and receive their autographs.
You know it means a lot to some kids, as they were coming out of the signing they were comparing who got who’s signature and which pro rider they spoke with, a little bit goes a long way.

The presentation was a lot of fun with the top three riders in each class receiving their plates, and had non-alcoholic bubbly to give it that whole GP feel as the riders got to spray each other and anyone close, hmmm that reminds me Jordan Morgan; yes young man there will be payback, lol.

We hope that all the riders, spectators and officials enjoyed the Pro Tour series as much as us blokes up at commentary  and we look forward to your support in 2013 as there is a planned 6 round series starting through Track Attack leading up to the New Zealand Worlds.

And a huge thank you to Travo and Tyson as the boys do an undoubted ripper job on the mic!

Thanks Mossy.

[just for fun]

Just checked out the new addition of BMX RACER there are some great pics and write up about the 2012 PRA Pro Tour aswell as  other stuff.
thanks guys great job!
Get your subscription for this great magazine supporting victorian bmxing .

[just for fun]

For the PRO TOUR 2013 season the Wyndham warriors track is undergoing some track changes  including a Pro straight added to the back straight (3rd), a single jump on the second straight replaces the two jumps as off today with taller berm's to carry more speed this will make the Pro racing even more spectacular for spectators and riders!

[white]

So dose this mean that the pro tour is not going to be shared by the clubs that missed out this year?

[just for fun]

Hi White
Not sure which club your from.
The idea of the PRO TOUR  was to get as many Pro riders as possible to turn up and showcase top quality racing on tracks that can take the speed.
we needed support which we struggled to get from all concerned at first, the Wyndham club backed the Tour from day 1 100% and several of the members make up the PRA who were totally responsible for the driving of everything that happened.
So for the success of the 2013 Tour we need to keep the same formula and Wyndham are building up the track for this reason too many tracks are being left behind in design and club's need to keep up with the times.
Did you know bmxv grade tracks in to a A & B category (because i didn't until recently) ask them what yours is and why, we need tracks that showcase the Pro side of the sport i.e.: SHEP, PO , WYNDHAM, as they have pro sections and hopefully other tracks will make changes to help this course .
Im not against sharing things with clubs but yet the vics aren't shared around nor the track attack rounds! my concern has to be for the highest possible standard of Pro racing if sponsors are to be found to further the level of Vic Pro's on a national and world stage.
We got something started in 2012 we need to build on it for next year, clubs have time to make any improvements there track may need, the alternative will be fast guys in single file not a good look for spectators, sponsor's, youtube etc.

[Greg]

You do not have to have a pro section at your track to have good pro racing.
Just have a good track  . 
Watching a pack race around a track is far better than watching a train of riders going through a half arsed pro section.

[just for fun]

which half arsed pro section are you on about? thats an issue for the club/track builder its not just because its a Pro section.
why do you think we have pro sections? perhaps the rest of the worlds top tracks have it wrong with PRO only level section's and we should hold back the standard for our Pro's by keeping them on easier slower tracks! Don't think it will help their cause when they travel anywhere out of victoria.
A Pro section allows technical or large jump sections to be added without a large portion of amateurs suffering as a consequence.
The reality is thats where the sport is heading like it or not, compare the majority of Vic tracks to Mount gambier even the am track was a lot harder then most Vic tracks.

[pkaye]

I'm going to back up Just For Fun here. I have given a link the the latest Silver Nationals from the USA. Look at their massive gate, huge jumps and pro section to die for 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXumT6liNYw


My tongue is firmly in my cheek 

[Greg]

    Yeah good one Phil.

No pro section in particular "just for fun"
Good on the clubs that get a Pro straight right.

The pro tour was good for the riders as it finaly got them to race each other consistantly. It had nothing to do with the tracks, It would not have mattered what tracks it was.  It was about the guys knowing that they were all going to do the series and have some good racing against each other leading into the nationals.

[white]

I agree with you Greg.
There was some great racing at Geelong in A & AA men, no pro straight.

[just for fun]

You need to speak to the Pro riders as your comments are not the same as their's most vic tracks are 5/10 kms down on what these guys are capable of so this alone hold's back the development of these riders,
Geelong was good racing but the first corner was an issue for Pro speeds

[Greg]

Of course my coments are different to the Pro's as they are my comments!!! not comments of the Pro riders. Please do not associate anything I have said as comming from Tom or any of the pro's in Victoria or else where. They are all big and ugly enough to speak for themselves.
Just a foot note I am a little over hearing that the boys are suffering because of our tracks. The only guys that are faster than our boys are the ones that ride full time and overseas. They dont have to work, go to school or uni. They just train and ride. That makes a bigger difference than riding a pro straight every now and then.

[Hearnie]

Check out racing in the States. Little Hills and no Pro sections. Sam is world champ and he spends the majority of the time racing there. I'm with Greg. A well laid out track can be challenging for both the Elite and joe average. Beefing up tracks and upping start hills may be great for the 2% who can ride them but will the sport be still around after the other 98% have given up . Just remember where the money comes from.

[just for fun]

100 % of riders rode the gambier start hill as they will at sleamens not 2% ! and most riders went there several times before the aussies to race or practice because there isn't one near them!
As for Sam you do mean the super cross racer don't you? most american amateurs we spoke with at the worlds are trying to get bigger start hills and more tech tracks to practice on as they struggled with the track at birmingham.
  The money comes from good turnouts usually due to good pro racing you only had to see the ghost town at mount gambier when the cruisers were on compared to the day before when the Pro's were racing.
which tracks do elite and joe average race on?