The first night of track season was held on Friday night with riders enjoying good weather conditions and some close and exciting competition. For 4 riders it was a new experience. It is a great time for any other young riders to come a have a go and grow the numbers. The racing saw a junior A field and a junior B field racing over the evening.

First race of the night was a 4 lap scratch race for junior B riders. Club coach Tony Smith was a nervous spectator on the side lines but the 4 new riders handled it without incident. In the dash to the line Mitchell Gin flashed home around the field to grab the win ahead of a smooth riding Thomas McFarlane followed by Jarrod Donohue and Riley Smith. The junior A 6 lap scratch race, there was some attacks by Morgan Clark to tire the sprinters legs however in the run to the line Tom Dudley proved too strong to claim the bunch sprint win ahead of Morgan, Elliot Gin and Ben Paterson.

The riders then had a 1 lap time trial. In junior B the times were Thomas McFarlane 41.53 sec, Jarrod Donohue just adrift in 41.59 sec, Mitchell in 42.16 sec and Riley in 46.05 sec. For the junior A, the times were Tom Dudley in a smart 34.59, Elliot in 35.16, Morgan 36.39 and Ben a close 36.59 sec.

The time trial times were used to help handicap the riders for a 1 lap handicap however, Tom Dudley was having trouble asthma with the cool air and effort so had to retire for the night. The Junior A handicap went to Morgan Clark with a flashing finish just overhauling a strong Ben Paterson before the line. Elliot also whizzed home to snatch 2nd right on the line. The junior B riders saw some generous handicaps for the first race and Riley Smith sensed he was a great chance as he lead from start to finish. Mitchell closed the gap and claimed 2nd and managed to stay ahead of the hard working scratch marker Thomas McFarland who just edged out Jarrod for 3rd. The follow up handicap saw a reduced mark for Riley but once again he rode well for another win. Mitchell claimed second and Jarrod 3rd but the field was much closer in the dash to the line.

With several young spectators shouting encouragement over the night, club referee Lindsay Love decided to get then involved as he organized a run and bike relay. The runners ran from the track to the central cricket pitch and back to tag the riders who then completed a lap. This proved to be a close event. The win went to Mtchell Gin and Julian Paterson, just ahead of Thomas and Jordan McFarlane, with third to Riley Smith and Eleanor Paterson with Jarrod and Matt Dudley taking 4th.

With Ben Paterson also not feeling fit enough for more exertion it was left to Morgan Clark and Elliot Gin to ride a 1 km pursuit. This event saw the endurance rider (Morgan) up against the sprinter (Elliot). The early pace was even but over the last 400m Morgan pulled clear to win by around 30m in a time of 1.34 to 1.36.

The junior B riders had a 2up sprint event. The first heat had Mitchell against Thomas. The smart move was put in by Thomas but Mitchell had enough power to run him down at the line. In the second heat, Jarrod Donohue played it safe by leading all the way against Riley. Last event for the night was a junior B elimination race. This saw Thomas claim a hard run win over Mitchell with Jarrod in 3rd.

The club is always keen to see new riders out and about. They can join other riders at Leongatha, Inverloch, Wonthaggi and also now at Kernot on a Sunday morning. Rod Cheyne has riders using the quiet roads at Kernot from 9.00am of a Sunday. Alternatively, younger riders can join in the training at the Leongatha Velodrome with club coach Tony Smith of a Wednesday evening at 6.30pm.

Race report by Lindsay Love