As if Saturday’s national series at Launceston BMX club wasn’t competition enough, a Westbury family is preparing to follow it up by competing against South Australia’s best next weekend.
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Patrick O’Callaghan and his daughters Hayley and Sarah make up three of five Tasmanians preparing to compete 1400km away from home at Kadina’s Copper Coast BMX Club.
A national championships regular and former Australian no.1, O’Callaghan will compete alongside Hobart’s Graham Rogers in the over-55 class.
“It’s the first South Australian titles we’re going to and they’ve actually got an over-55 class this year - most places are just 50 and over so I’ll have a proper age class this year and the girls are racing in the nine and 12-year-old divisions,” O’Callaghan said.
“I’ve only got about five (in my division) so I should get top three easy enough and with any luck I might take it out.”
Saturday’s national series round in Launceston comes at the perfect time for Hayley and Sarah, who will compete against fields of nine and five respectively in the lead-up to their interstate trip.
O’Callaghan said the duo would only benefit from exposure to the country’s best young riders.
“They’ve been doing extra riding at night time and extra gate starts at home and they’ve got the state series on at the moment and a round of the national series this weekend at St Leonards.
“They raced in the second round of the state series last weekend at Wynyard and then in a month’s time we’ll head over to the Victorian championships.
“We’re trying to get a bit more experience for them, a lot of the kids around that age over the mainland race so it makes it a bit hard for them if they don’t go away and have a go at them.”