school league race Tuesday at Speedway-riding coaches wanted

[Lister Farrar]

Experienced group riders are wanted to help school league riders understand a few basic safety practices before their races.

Before the races, groups of 4-6 students will be sent around the speedway with an experienced rider to show how to keep their line, draft a wheel without overlapping, exchange the lead, and pass safely.

Time commitment is short. Arrive at 3:45, and the the clinic period is 4:00 to 4:30, so you could do this as part of your after work ride. The riding coaches are welcome to also assist with the races, by riding along at the back and helping weaker riders to discover that drafting sweet spot.

A new format is being used, with heats and finals for all riders so they get a chance to try riding with a group, can rest up, and ride again in a final.

The league sponsors AFD petroleum are providing a results system, numbers and prizes.

[Lister Farrar]

Thanks to Tripleshotters Brenna Pauly and David Brown who came out and coached 8 races of middle and high school students at western speedway. Also to Clara Mackenzie, Brenna's team mate in the PISE Talent Development program who joined them.

We tried the new format and it went down well. We also tried a variation on the oval, and had a chicane in the back straight, where the race left the oval briefly, and then back on. Just enough to strong it out a bit, but not shatter the field. Might want to consider for the VCL?

We had success with heats and finals format. We split the field into two 5 lap heats, and top half of each heat went into the A final, bottom half into the B final of 10 laps, later shortened to 7 laps because we were running out of time. Made for some cracker races, with breaks, cases, catches and close sprint finishes. Definitely saw kids applying what they learned from mistakes in the first heat.

TS winners include Lockie Fraser (boys middle school a final), Sarah Van Dam (girls middle school winner, and fourth in the open middle school a final) (followed by TS's Casey Garrison and Toria Kaleniuk in 2nd and 3rd), Sage Parikh (Boys middle school b final), and Erin Attwell (open and girls high school b final).

Brenna, David and Clara rode at the back and helped the newer kids hold onto the bunch or organize a chase. It was noticeable that one grade 11 novice rider got the pace line thing after the first heat and finished second in the mixed high school b final against several boys. Thanks to Brenna's coaching.