bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup recap from Queensland Raceway

ASBK 2023

Round Three – QLD Raceway

bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup

Since 2019, the OJC class has continued from the junior programs that went before, to now be the kindergarten of the Australian Superbike Championships. Like all those previous initiatives, the philosophy has always been identical. to unearth road racing talent and future champions.

Each year there are graduates that ascend to the larger capacity ‘Junior school’ class of the 300s and as such there is a new intake of youngsters to take their place. About half of the field of 20 remain for a further one or two years, depending on the individual’s age when they first commence in the class.

Every winner of the OJC – and many others – have made the transition to the larger capacity classes and succeeded.

On the weekend at Queensland Raceway, another name came to the fore with the dominance of Bodie Paige as he took pole position and converted that feat into three hard-fought wins after extremely entertaining duels with a bunch of youngsters with the same aim.

Paige is fronting for his third year, although his first year in the class in the covid interrupted 2021 saw only three rounds take place which curtailed his learning curve.   He was 16^th in 2021 and last year finished eighth overall. For 2023 all those above him on the points table have moved on so he is one of the heir’s apparent to battle for glory

His efforts on the weekend have seen him leap-frog from fourth to the top of the table and Bodie now leads the Cup chase by 10 points.

There’s every possibility that at the next round – at Morgan Park (Qld) in July – that another name will shine brightly, but at the moment, Paige is the one that can bask in the spotlight after such an impressive performance.

That’s not to take away from any of his competitors as there are another 19 riders that have the same aim, but Paige demonstrated some very impressive race craft, no doubt a reflection of his dirt track prowess with his attention to detail and timing in his racecraft.

On paper, Queensland Raceway doesn’t really float ya boat but riding the ‘paper clip’ is entirely different. Getting a fast and competitive lap is one thing, but trying to take half-a-second out of your time is a major achievement. It is so easy to overcook the entry in the three heavy duty braking zones. If you get in too hot, your mid corner speed is wrecked, and subsequently getting on the gas earlier to take advantage of the next drag race – especially on those mega-frantic, last laps.

bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup Qualifying Results

bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup Race One

The first leg was its usual frantic self that saw Paige drop to seventh after the first lap as Riley Nauta led the early running but the lead changed constantly Paige fought back to see saw the lead with Nauta and Archie Schmidt but there were others like Valentino Knezovic, Rikki Henry and Ella McCausland. McCausland was high as third for a couple of laps before getting shuffled back in a mid-corner traffic jam that saw the second bunch drop off to have their own duels.

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The race became two groups with Nauta, Schmidt, Paige and John Pelgrave in a breakaway group with Hunter Corney, McCausland, Rikki Henry, Knezovic and Jake Paige, the younger of the two brothers in another.

In the final drag after the usual last corner scuffle, Paige arrived at the 0.026 sec before Schmidt, with Nauta a further 0.221 sec away on third and Pelgrave a similar distance away on fourth.

bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup Race One Results

bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup Race Two

Race two on Sunday morning was a case of over exuberance with a few of the kids’ enthusiasm causing them to come unstuck that caused a couple of red-flags and two restarts before the race was reduced to a three-lap sprint.

The first red flag was for Nixon Frost who went into the beach on the first lap. He was not hurt but the bike was in a precarious position.

The second red flag was for McCausland and Alexander Codey who had a coming together in a typical racing incident when they went for the same bit of tarmac fighting for the lead and crashed at Turn 4.

Third time lucky as the trio of laps provided more insane entertainment but condensed!

The intensity was reflected in the distances at the finish line as a tear-off could have covered the top four as Paige claimed win number two by just 0.029 sec from Knezovic with Henry 0.076 sec adrift in third. Schmidt was right beside them over the finish line, the quartet split by 0.158 sec and Paige’s winning gap just 0.003 larger than leg one!

bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup Race Two Results

bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup Race Three

The final leg went the full distance, uninterrupted, and as usual the kids were not going to leave anything out there.

After three laps, just 0.776 sec separated the top seven with a conga line that consisted of the top 10 covered by a second with positions changing between. Unfortunately for McCausland she crashed out on the fourth lap at the same corner as the previous race as she attempted a very ambitious move that didn’t quite come off. McCausland is a talent, and it won’t be too long before she is a regular finisher in the top five and will grab a podium or two before the season is out – along with a few others that haven’t quite managed the feat yet.

There were five different leaders at the end of each lap, not to mention the countless times the leading positions changed from one corner to the next the slip streaming and lap braking were very impressive to watch as they gave each other room.

Paige led across the line only once during the six laps and that was the most important one to claim a his first hattrick in the class. It was Bodie’s largest winner margin of the weekend – as like his racing number of 74 – he was 0.074 sec in front of Henry with Schmidt third.

If you attend an ASBK round this year, be sure to take the time to have a gander at the OJC class. The bikes might not be the fastest bits of kit in the universe but the action, the racecraft and the antics of these aspiring champions is out of this world. They sure know how to entertain.

bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup Race Three Results

bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup Round Points

bLUcRU Oceania Junior Cup Championship Standings

2023 ASBK Calendar