AFTER 8800km, across four states, and facing some of the worst conditions he’s ever had to ride, Scone’s Sam Noonan has agonizingly missed a national crown.
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Following a busy year on the track, the Upper Hunter Motorcycle Club member finished the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) in second place.
But, despite that setback, he continued his journey recently with another 6800km trek to Jimboomba, Queensland, for round one of the Australian Supercross Championships.
And, before Noonan jumped on the again, he faced a couple of hurdles, according to his father, Andy.
“Sam hadn’t trained on a supercross circuit for the duration of the AORC,” he said.
“So, he was more than a little rusty when he got on the highly-technical track.
“Furthermore, his bike was water-logged from the Penshurst round (AORC final) and we found ourselves having to remove the spark plug and tip it upside to remove water that was inside the engine.
“However, it didn’t take him too long to start feeling comfortable.
“He had a few good rides with second-place finishes before the final night race.
“Sam always lifts for those races – he finds another gear so to speak.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t go to plan, losing his rear brake during the final and putting him way back in the pack after a few laps.”
Nevertheless, Noonan mounted a charge after the early leader, Tyler Darby, crashed.
But it wasn’t to be; he finished the Jimboomba round in second place, with three second place results.
“I had a pretty good round going,” Noonan admitted.
“My starts weren’t too bad and I was able to get to the front pretty quickly in the first two races, but a rear brake malfunction kept me from capitalising on Tyler’s mistake.
“I was pretty happy with second as I’ve mainly raced enduro this year.”
Round two took place at Toowoomba a fortnight later.
A few mistakes during the day races saw Noonan claim third in both.
In the final night event, he was out of the gate slow, but soon moved into second and secured the lead mid-way through the opening lap.
He rode a solid couple of laps before errors crept in.
This allowed Darby to regain the ascendency while Noonan struggled with traction, resulting in a second finish and third for the round and overall in the series – 12 points behind the leader.
“I was a bit disappointed after the Toowoomba round,” he said.
“I really liked the track, and the atmosphere at both these Queensland rounds has been great, I just couldn’t get it done.”
During the short break, Noonan did a bit of testing on a 450cc machine, which didn’t seem to hurt at all when he got back on the 85cc bike at the third round in Adelaide.
He had a shaky start after falling in the whoops during practice.
But, he qualified well and was the first 85 over the huge Dunlop triple jump.
The opening race was a cracker and Noonan returned to form for the first time.
He jumped out of the gate and took the lead right away and never looked back, winning his first race of the season by 15 seconds.
The second was much the same.
He really gelled with the track and rode flawlessly, wowing the crowd, hitting the massive triple jump every lap and, again, winning easily.
Race three proved to be a tough one with nerves setting in along with the Adelaide heat.
Noonan was sick on the start line after not being able to hydrate properly following the two hot day races.
The gate dropped and he had another great start, but couldn’t control the first turn and was pushed wide, running off the track and rejoining at the back of the pack.
Within three laps, he was in his groove and up into second position.
However, he couldn’t do anything about the race leader Darby and had to settle – winning the round with his 1-1-2 scorecard for the day and pulling back vital championship points.
“The track was so good tonight, the layout and the dirt really to my liking,” Noonan said.
“I’m a little disappointed with my start in the final as I’ve had the speed all day.
“But, that’s racing.
“I still have the round win and gained some valuable points to move into second place in the series.”
A week later – and the fourth round took place at Melbourne’s Avalon Speedway.
Noonan was fastest qualifier, then went about his business, winning race one after leaving the track twice due to miscalculations brought on by the swirling wind.
In the second, he looked to have the win, but was possibly a bit too cautious in the sand section.
And, young Darby grabbed the chance to pass him, trying to get back into the lead.
Noonan wasn’t able to jump the finish line double, which handed Darby a nice cushion with only a few laps to go.
He would settle for second, again.
Race three and the last of the season; Noonan had led night races but was yet to win one, and he narrowed Darby’s lead to five points.
He was very confident and lapping up the atmosphere.
The gate dropped and it was Darby with the lead and Noonan in second.
The pair then set a fast pace.
On lap three, Noonan had moved right up on Darby’s back wheel and made a really smart pass.
The young rider tried to retaliate but then wasn’t able to jump the finish line.
This allowed Noonan to ride his own race, launching the big triple every lap pulling away from Darby and taking an easy win.
“I had a really good time tonight,” he said.
“The track suited me and my bike has been running so good.
“I struggled a bit at the first few rounds but got it together towards the end.
“It’s a shame they didn’t have a junior program for the AusX in Sydney as I had narrowed the championship points down to two, so that’s disappointing.
“But, I’m really happy to get another round win and to finally win one under lights.
“I’ve had a lot of help this year and my bike is the best it’s ever been.
“I have to thank mum and dad for believing in me and taking me to all the rounds; and the Dickson family for taking me to Melbourne.
“I also have to thank Adam and Ross for the strong engine, Nick for the best suspension on the planet, Nicky and Steve for all their support, Mossy, and Morgan for the late night engine rebuilds.
“Also, I’d like to thank all of my family and friends for their support and the Upper Hunter Motorcycle Club and committee for all their help and providing a great track for me to ride and train on.
“Thanks to Scott Bannan for his great promotion of Junior Supercross, too.”
