Off-Road: Woodstock Honda's Boyle finishes on Hattah podium
WOODSTOCK HONDA:
The Woodstock Honda Thor team has successfully completed the gruelling off road Honda Hattah Desert race, with both rider groups finishing inside the top five in their respective classes.
Peter Boyle finished 3rd outright, and 2nd in the up to 450 4-stroke Ironman class while Yarrive Konsky and Brodie Waters together finished 4th in the pony express class and 15th outright from a record field of over 400 riders.
The popular Honda Hattah Desert Race is held annually in north-west Victoria and consists of eight 35-kilometre laps over vastly changing natural terrain that includes sandy hills, open paddocks, tight technical sections and fast straights.
Peter Boyle conceded his preparation had been compromised by his commitments to the off road enduro series and motocross championships.
“I didn’t manage to do any testing prior to the race, and in particular test the capability of the long range fuel tank, so I had to refuel every lap which wasn’t ideal and probably cost me some valuable time,” said Boyle.
Despite a hampered preparation the reigning Australian E1 champion did a tremendous job to finish 3rd outright and beat home some seasoned desert racers.
“Although my preparation was far from perfect, I gave it my all on the day and I know what I have to do next year to give myself every chance at winning the event.”
Woodstock Honda Thor team owner Yarrive Konsky was happy to finish 4th in class in his first competitive desert race.
“The Honda Hattah Desert Race is recognised by many of Australia’s top riders as more demanding, both physically and mentally, than the Finke Desert Race,” said Yarrive Konsky.
“It was the toughest race I have ever competed in. For our first time out, I was happy with a top 5 class finish.”
The unique nature of the Hattah race meant that there was no opportunity for practice on the course or any sighting laps. Some rain in the area prior to the weekend had settled the hard packed sections, meaning dust was much less of an issue than during last year’s race.
It was a tough start for Brodie Waters and Yarrive Konsky in the pony express class. Waters crashed on the first lap and Konsky survived a high speed collision with another competitor to rejoin the race and fight for second place.
The pair settled into a rhythm and then spent most of the race fighting for a top three class position, but a couple of small mistakes meant they had to settle for fourth in the closing laps.
“We have taken some positives out of this race. Our lap times were very competitive, and next year I’m planning to come back and compete in the Ironman class.”
The Woodstock Honda Thor team would like to extend their gratitude to the Waters family, who helped the riders immensely with their local knowledge.
The team is now preparing for Round 7 of the Australian Motocross Championship in Lakes, NSW on July 26th.
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