A weekend to remember for Jayden
3 July, 2022 – Collie Motorplex, WA
After a week of less than perfect weather in WA we had two good days for the HCMC Rd 3. There were several standout performances throughout the day but none more so than that of 14 year old Jayden Martin, who surprised not only himself but the entire paddock with his outstanding performance on the 'Turn 1 Motorsport 1989 Honda NSR 125GP'. Besides riding in the 150 Production Juniors he had been invited by David Manson (Turn 1 Motorsports) to ride his 1989 Honda NSR 125GP bike. The Historic Club sought an exemption from MA and MWA to allow him to compete in the class which was granted.
Martin had not seen the bike prior to Saturday morning. Practice on Saturday was uneventful, and he was looking forward to race day Sunday. During the morning Warm-up/ Qualifying he blew up the motor on the 125 which was promptly replaced with a fresh engine by Dave Manson, John Holmes and Jay's Dad Grant with the final touches being done as the '2 minute notice' was being called for the first race. As he hadn't raced in the class previously he started from the rear of the grid and wore a 'blue vest' as a beginner. That didn't stop the youngster from winning the race in a time of 6:44.8663 seconds with a fastest lap of 1:18.9400 seconds. He went on to win the next two races each in a faster race time than the first race and in the second race broke the 125GP lap record held by his good mate and mentor Sam Clarke, set in 2019 at the Australian Titles with a time of 1:17.9720 seconds, taking almost a second off the existing record.
Jayden also rode in the 150 Production Juniors. In Race one he started from Pole and crashed on the first lap on cold tyres as the field had been held on the grid for a considerable time. He remounted and worked his way back up to fifth in the race won by Lauchy Williams. Race two he won breaking the existing lap record with a time of 1:27.4840 seconds. In the third and final race he again took the win and broke his lap record with a time of 1:27.2560 seconds. Not a bad day's work!
In the P5-750, P5-Unlimited, P6-750 & Pre-Modern Paul Smith (RetroMoto 1990 Suzuki) took three wins from as many starts. Second in each race was Vince Thomson (1987 Yamaha 1000) and third in each was Shaun O'Neil (1994 Honda 900).
Smith also took the wins in the first two races of the P6-500, P6 Formula 1300. Thomson, O'Neil and Tony Hynes (Gelorup Motorcycle Repairs 1988 Suzuki 750) were the only riders who figured in the minor placings with Thomson winning the final race after Smith elected not to start.
In the 125GP/Moderns/Modern Lites/Thunderbikes the day belonged to Paul Joshua (Dave the 125 Maestro 2008 Yamaha R6) who took three very convincing wins, second in all three races was Sammy Lloyd-Cox
(SJS Moto 2010 Suzuki GSX-R600) with three different riders each having minor podium placings. In Race 1 it was Lachlan Thornton-Weyrich (2002 Suzuki 650), in Race 2 it was Martin Monahan (2010 Kawasaki ZX10) and in Race 3 it was Jordan Sceresini (Ward Racing 2007 Kawasaki 1000). Full results available on Natsoft Timing. ■