Amateur Motorcycle Road Racing
Riding a 70cc and 80cc Moriwaki, the two young sons of Wayne Gardner had an exhilarating weekend of racing at the significant Phillip Island Circuit this weekend.
Competing in Round two of the MRRDA National Championship and the Victorian Road Racing Championships, 11-year-old Luca Gardner went one better than his last result at Mac Park to finish 2nd overall in the Nippers class, whilst his 13-year-old brother Remy Gardner produced some intense battles to take 3rd spot on the podium for the 80cc two Stroke Junior class.
Both Wayne Gardner boys rode hard, proving they have the goods to be at the top of their class. Luca took his first road race win on day two in the wet, and Remy came close to winning in the same conditions but was beaten by a nose after leading most the race.
Their dirt track background was evident in wet conditions and Luca even performed a rain dance before the next race to pray for another wet track! All Nipper and Junior classes ran in the same race, although scored separately, and this provided a great challenge for Luca to put his skills to the test against the bigger 150cc four strokes and 80cc two stroke bikes.
The rain didn’t come in time for the final race, and although Luca was able to ride around the outside of a group of four or five riders in some corners, he would lose time on the straights. Remy experienced the same problem against the newest bikes in the field.
And the RMUs finished 1st and 2nd with Matt Barton and Zac Zanesco piloting them. The final race of the day sealed Remy’s fate on the bottom step of the podium after his exhaust manifold broke on the first lap. He managed to finish the race to get points, while going backward through the field.
Luca Gardner says: “Hopefully I can have the chance to race at Phillip Island again really soon. That is the most awesome track and I can’t wait to race it again.”
Remy Gardner says: “I had great fun but was a bit disappointed with the result. It was tricky conditions though and it made me work hard so I learned a lot. I’m looking forward to going to Spain on Tuesday so I can try and get a good result, and really just want to get back on the 125 in the CMV again.”
Luca’s full results for the weekend were 2nd in race one; 2nd race two; 2nd race three; 1st race four; and 2nd race five. Overall event winner for the weekend was Lawson Walters followed by Luca in 2nd and Mitch Simpson in 3rd.
Remy’s results were 3rd in race one; 3rd race two; 2nd race three; 2nd race four; and 5th in the final race.
Wayne Gardner says: “We got off to a bit of a rocky start after I forgot to check the tyre pressure on a new over inflated tire before qualifying and Luca came off on the second corner of his very first lap of the circuit. He didn’t even get a full lap in the qualifying/practice session and started from the very back of the grid for every single race. He did an incredible job to finish in 2nd, and even win a race.” Talking about Remy’s performance Wayne added, “Remy also made a great impression this weekend. His corner speed was evident and he rode in a measured but aggressive style, improving with each and every race. I’m incredibly proud of both boys.”
The MRRDA ran in conjunction with the Victorian Road Racing Championships, and the boys were surprised to take home two trophies for each series.
Team Gardner also took some time out for fun at the Phillip Island Go Kart Track over the weekend. Wayne clocked the best time of the session, putting both boys in their place and showing them he’s still got it.
