Putting greens and fairways are not usually the things you associate with mountain biking.
Nevertheless when visiting this unlikely venue this is exactly what you are confronted with on arrival, a venue that has given birth to what is the first AIR DH event in Australia. While Air DH isn’t common in the Australian racing scene, there has been an increase in the number of tracks in Australia that are being designed and built off the “A-line” model- Mystic Mountain Bike Park’s Hero Trail is one such example. With the increasing popularity of the Air DH event in the Crankworx series, it was only a matter of time before the Australian racing scene followed suit.
Enter Boomerang Farm Bike Park.
Run by Outlook riders Alliance, Boomerang Farm or ‘Boomers’ as it is known by locals has been quietly building a reputations for serious gravity trails in South East Queensland. Located approximately 15 Minutes from the Pacific Motorway, the Venue resides in Mudgeeraba along Mudgeeraba creek with the tracks residing on the property behind the Golf course.
Beautifully crafted switchback turns line this track top to bottom, ready to be slashed!The Replica jumps
Currently with several freeride lines (including the Big Freeride line with a 50ft Double, a Flow line and several DH lines, Visitors can enjoy a day out with a wide selection of trails to suit the gravity oriented rider. On a more practical side, the venue also has plenty of parking for big events while a bar and café await riders keen for a feed and a beverage during or post ride.
The track itself has an abundance of technical features including Tabletops, Doubles, Berms, Hips, Shark fins, Timber berms and Timber drops, all to test riders, skills and commitment. In additions to this, to ensure participations is maximised, All features have B lines, meaning less experienced or confident riders can still tackle the track at their own pace and when ready build up to more advanced features.
Hours and hours have gone into these perfectly shaped berms.The Club House TablesOrchy’s Ramp Drop“Jaws 1” – Shark FinThe Quarry Hip TransferThe Quarry Hip Transfer
Unofficial Practice
With many riders unfamiliar with the track, ORA ran an unofficial practice day on Saturday with shuttles running riders to the top all day. For many riders, this was a first glimpse at a track that is far different to those on the racing calendar. Gone were the rock gardens and rooted sections of the other tracks and in were the shark fins, hip jumps, wall rides and ladder drops along with the various doubles and and tables tops along this feature riddled course.
Lachlan De Laine hitting the Pallet DropJerry Armstrong searching for that fast inside line on the Quarry Hip.Hard packed berms provide lots of speed in the lower section of the coarse.Tobias Van Oeveren showing serious steeze over the clubhouse tabletopsOne of ORA’s track builders Matt Campbell keeping it tucked of Robbo’s RisersNSD Riders Harry Donald sending the Replica JumpsThe Whip TransferHarry Donald styling Jaws ThreeSeries leader Andrew Cavaye looked to maintain his lead in the series with another win, but with a host of fast local riders, it was never going to be an easy feat.Local rider Rob ‘Kiwi’ Cook sending Orchy’s drop.Matt Campbell landing his first ‘three’ on the last hip in the forest. Beyond stoked didn’t begin to describe his reaction..
Fresh off landing a spot in the Junior Australian team, Nik Barber was out to show some pace with a solid result.The notorious ‘Big Line’
Race Day
On race day, 128 riders tackled the course across 12 categories with times tumbling throughout the day. With 21 riders in the Under 15 category and 22 riders in the under 17 categories, a huge contingent of young pinners saw some tight racing in both categories and proved there is a bright future for DH racing in Queensland and Australia. With a course designed for maximum airtime, finding those extra few seconds was going to be tough.
Clancy Johnston laying it over the tables for 3rd place in U/15’sMaximo Campbell sending the top timber drop into 2nd place in U/15Remy Meier-Smith pumping it into 1st place in U/15’s with a time of 02:14.2 – A time that would have seen him place in the top 20 overall riders. A big future lies ahead for this pinner.Sacha Mills was quick all weekend and her strong background in BMX racing shone through as she took a monumental win in U/17 females with a lead of 33 seconds.Tobias Van Oeveren throwing one of the meanest whips over the race weekendTobias Van Oeveren showed serious speed and style all week, putting on a show for the crowd. With a 3rd place in U/17’s, this sneaky seat grab didn’t slow Tobias down.Ben Jenkinson has been putting together a string of solid results in both DH and Enduro as of late. A solid second place for Ben.Luke Meier-Smith first caught our eye at the National round in Coffs Harbour earlier in the year where he took the win. Luke again took the win in U/17’s with a time of 02:09.3 placing him in the top ten overall.Caleb Mallyon taking 3rd in U/19’sORA racer and local pinner Caleb McNeill Robert with 2nd place.Jordan Holzworth scrubbing Orchy’s drop into 1st place with a time of 02:11.2Shuttles were running no-stop all day allowing riders to get plenty of runs before the race – a big thanks to all the volunteers for their time!The wall-ride was one of the more intimidating and technical features on the course. Neil Gabb showing us how its done.Jayme Dawson taking top spot in the Enduro category with a time of 02:15.2Many would argue that this man is the heart and sole of the Outlook Riders Alliance. The countless hours he put into putting together this race cant be counted. Cheers BobLast minute minute changes saw the need for a new Commissaire. Local racer and all round legend Rory Whitelaw stepped up to the plate and took the challenge in his stride. Rory still managed to find time for a practice run and nailed 4th spot in Masters 3/4.Shane Flower, trail designer, the main man behind the trails at boomerang farm. Without his hard work, dedication and vision (and that of the rest of the ORA crew) this race and these trails wouldn’t have been possible. Shane snagged 2nd in Masters 3/4.Nathan Cole took top step in Masters 3/4 with a time of 02:19.4, placing him squarely in the top 20 times of the day.Reece ‘Risky’ Carter living up to his name on his race run. 3rd in Masters 1/2 on his short travel P slope. Reece was out to prove that the P slope wouldn’t be a disadvantage.Everyone’s Favourite Downhill video blogger Downhill Damo took top spot in Masters 1/2 with this turnbar and a time of 02:18.9Lachlan De Laine taking it low and fast into 3rd place in Mens expert.Mathias Butcher sporting what appears to be fresh kit, was looking very smooth and confident on the bike all weekend. 2nd place for Mathias in Expert Men.Conrad Petzsch-Kunz with top spot in Expert men with a time of 02:13.6, just outside the top ten times of the day.While competing in not the most stacked of fields, Alessia Abrami Leutton put down a red hot time of 03:03.6 to take top spot in Elite women.FTR rider and Everyone’s favourite red power ranger Tim Abbott sending it off the final drop into the finish.Still fresh back from injury, Ryan Leutton backed up a recent enduro podium with a solid 8th place in Elite men, showing a good measure of speed and style.Junior pinner racing in the Elite field, Nik Barber scrubbed his way into 7th place.Cameron Allonby with a matching 6th place.The ever so stylish Sam Fraser back flipped the Clubhouse table mid race run to land 5th place in Elite men.Throwing mean whips all weekend, Harry Donald proved he had the speed to mix it up with the best. 4th place for Harry.Only 1.23 seconds off the win on his enduro bike, Bryce Stirling took 3rd place with a time of 02:06.9Jeremy Armstrong’s never fails to disappoint the crowd or the photographers, and his seeding and race runs were no different. 0:00.32 off the win will be a confidence boost for the FTR rider.Continuing his strong form of late, Andrew Cavaye took the win by whisker with a time of 02:05.6, maintaining his lead in the overall for the series.Race run finished and with everyone headed to the podium Shane takes a moment to work on the trails, he is dedicated to his craft and his passion shows through the time and effort that goes into the trails. Only great things to come in the future.This was the vibe all weekend, endless stoke from both the crowd, the riders and all the volunteers. A huge amount of time has been put in by all involved including volunteers and the club and it showed. A huge thanks should also go to the Boomerang farm golf club and the Sponsors. Without their support, this event would not be possible. Thanks for a fantastic weekend of racing!
