EIGHT Dubbo Cycle Club riders contested the annual five-day RAW Christmas Carnival at Sydney from December 27-31 and there was plenty of success.
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Kurt and Dylan Eather, Danny Barber, Zac and Zara Fuller, Luke Ensor, Jason Farr and Sam Fitzgerald took part in the carnival, which saw 156 senior riders and 65 junior riders from across Australia enjoy five days of track racing.
The carnival sees racing at Sydney’s four velodromes - the banked Dunc Gray (250m track) and Tempe (333.3m track) velodromes and flat Lidcombe (429m track) and Hurstville (400m track) velodromes.
Dylan Eather dominated the Junior RAW Christmas Carnival and was the overall winner after four impressive days of racing.
Such was Eather’s dominance, the handicappers ultimately gave the talented young rider a minus handicap in the junior Wheelrace on the final days racing at Lidcombe, though it was not enough to stop the Dubbo junior who rounded up the front markers.
Danny Barber upstaged Eather on the first day of racing at Dunc Gray Velodrome and took the lion’s share of victories and staked his claims for a spot on the New South Wales track team for the upcoming Junior National Track Championships in February.
Zara Fuller showed her strength in finishing ninth overall in the very strong Junior Division One field and was the fourth highest female rider, while her younger brother Zac finished third overall in the Junior Division Three and looks a promising prospect for the NSW Under-13 State Carnival at Dubbo in February.
Kurt Eather and Luke Ensor performed outstandingly in a very strong A-grade, which included Australian under-19 omnium champion Stephen Cuff, Western Australian Sprint Champion Ben Young and UCI Track World Cup medalist, Tirian McManus as well as a number of the state’s best track riders.
Eather and Ensor, despite only being first year under-17 riders, both scored a number of wins and placings throughout the five days of racing, as well as combining as a potent team in the Park Bikes Madison series during the carnival.
Jason Farr finished second overall in B-grade and roared into contention for the NSW Masters Track Championships in February, by beating some big names over the carnival.
Farr was dominant in the sprint events and upstaged World Masters Track Champion Gav White and was locked in a tough battle with Australian Masters Sprint Champion, Hamish Wright, who went on to win the overall B-grade title.
Cruelly, Farr was leading his division by one point coming into the final scratch race of the carnival however a touch of wheels on the sixth last lap saw the Dubbo rider crash, ending his bid for the overall title.
Sam Fitzgerald scored a number of top three and top five placings in the men’s C-grade division, with his best results coming in the keirin and sprint events.