Zarczynski Wins Brisbane's Southern Cross Challenge Indoor Trial

Reigning national Trials champion Kevin Zarczynski lead home the cream of Australasia's trials talent to win the inaugural Yamaha & Australian Dirt Bike Sales Southern Cross Challenge indoor arena trial, held at Brisbane's South Bank Piazza on Saturday night 1st August. Promoted by Motorcycling Australia Queensland (MAQ), the event brought together the best trials riders from NSW, Victoria, Queenland, South Australia and New Zealand to compete for the title and the A$1000 winners purse.

The competition was held over a man made indoor course comprised of 8 sections, which were scored under the FIM Indoor World Cup rules, with the inclusion of a extra match-racing speed section. Montesa mounted Team Fox Trials rider Colin Zarczynski won the four round qualifying event to go through into the final. The evening event would take in 12 riders for the first lap, with the 6 best scorers moving into round two, then the top three for the next round, before the two rider final and match-race to decide the eventual champion.

The starting order for each round was drawn in a ballot in front of the crowd, with Colin Z overcoming his draw of first rider on the course to make the second round. Joining him would be New Zealand's Warren Laugeson, Queenslands Kale Reed and Lee Driessens, and NSW's Rob Jones and Kevin Zarczynski. It was these final three riders who made the third round.

A six minute time allowance for each rider saw Jones head out first in the semi-final, which saw the final concrete pipe and culvet section made harder. Jones and Driessens couldn't make the bike stick on the tricky downhill jump, while Zarczynski cleaned the jump only to fail at the very end of the section. It would be hometown favourite Lee Driessens in the final, to ride off against Zarczynski, the only rider not to have practised the course during the qualifying event.

Driessens won the toss of the coin for the final, and elected to go second on the course. The time limit was reduced to five and a half minutes as Zarczynski set out on his final lap. The inverted skips bins, earth moving tyres and raised log hop-scotch of the first three sections were taken clean. Section four contained the Splatter, a twelve-foot high platform that riders jumped up the side of with the aid of a small ramp. Zarczynski skimmed the back plate as he crested the top, which is scored as a one in FIM indoor rules.

Section five was the pipes and tilt tray with the bell at the raised end to ring, which along with the pipes and earthmover of sections six and seven caused no concerns to the scorers. Into Section 8, Zarczynski was clean to the top of the culvet. This time he jumped off and dabbed once, before turning along the smooth concrete pipes, and just making the 90 degree turn and exit with another dab for a lap of 3 points.

Driessens was riding well and clean up to sections 8, and the tension, pressure and excitement was just brilliant entertainment for the crowd. Driessens took a one in leaning on his sump plate to crest the culvet, then tried the jump down onto the lower level. Again the bike would not stop in time, and as he toppled over the bars to the ground, the five points would not be good enough to take the win.

Zarczynski then came back out for the final match race, which was over the VW Beetle, across the staggered pipes, over the pallet mountain, turn and back through to the start finish. Both riders were neck and neck as they turned for the run home, but Driessens caught his bike on the pallet mountain, and Zarczynski rocketed through the section to take the race and the event by a margin of three points. Second was Lee Driessens, followed by Jones, Reed, Colin Zarczynski and Kiwi Laugeson.

Final Points for the Yamaha/Australian Dirt Bike Sales Arena Trials

    Lap One Two Three Four  
Kevin Zarczynski NSW 3 1 8 3 1st
Lee Dreissens QLD 1 1 5 6 2nd
Rob Jones NSW 11 2 16   3rd
             
Kale Reed QLD 1 3     4th
Colin Zarczynski NSW 13 11     5th
Warren Laugeson NZ 6 11     6th
             
Richard Kent QLD 14       7th
Adrian Harry SA 21       8th
Jason Baker NZ 23       9th
Matthew Dalgleish QLD 27       10th
Lyndon Turner VIC 32       11th
Simon Van Baalen VIC 33       12th