Bikies ride in POM’s toughest track

THE Port Moresby Motorcycle Club completed its last race for this year, the PNG’s toughest off-road event – the Boroko Motors Bamfield six-hour enduro at Mt Erima, Bomana just outside Port Moresby last weekend.
Off-road motorcycle riders arrived to compete in Sunday’s grueling event which saw them tackle steep rocky terrain, muddy creek crossings and log strewn flat lands in an attempt to clock up as many laps as possible in a six-hour time frame.
The event started at 8am in an attempt to beat the Port Moresby heat with around 11 riders roaring off the start line.
The event had two categories, the Iron Man class in which a single rider takes on the course for the entire duration, and the Pony Express class in which two riders team up to do a lap each over the duration.
Boroko Motors sponsored the event again this year, offering K1,000 plus trophy to the first winner and K1,000 plus trophy to the first Pony Express Team.
With last year’s winner Andrew Edwards out of country, Yamaha rider Jason James stepped in as hot favorite for this year’s event in the Iron man class.
James was not to be without company at the sharp end as fellow Yamaha rider Daniel Hargreaves while Honda riders Chris Pevey and  Max Beagrie paid him close attention through out the day  .
Port Moresby Motorcycle  Club president Peter Jackson was pleased with the event and so were the competitors.
 “It was the hardest race we’ ve had, some riders pushed themselves for the whole six hours, one fellow had his helmet thrown off at one stage ” Jackson said .
Mechanical issues were more of an issue than crashes, as Lae Team Daan Van Pletzen and Peter Boyd contended with a smashed rear sprocket, while stalwart Mal Woods was seen jogging back to the start  line in full riding gear to replace a snapped chain.
Everyone finished the race.
 The idea of the Bamfield enduro is that it always get’s harder every year, with plans to run next year’s enduro as an eight-hour event.