LORNE’s Callum Norton collected some well-earned and very valuable title points at the opening round of the M2R Helmets 2016 Victorian Junior Motocross Championships Presented by Honda Parts & Accessories at the Korumburra Motorcycle Club on March 12-13.
Callum finished first in the Bridgestone 100-125cc 2-stroke A Grade class at Outtrim on Sunday, March 13 and finished second overall in the Honda 250cc A Grade class on Saturday, March 12.
“It was a really good weekend. On Saturday, it was the 250cc A Grade class where I raced against Cody Dyce, Taj Marshall and Caleb Grothues came all the way from Western Australia so that was awesome,” Cody said.
“There was a lot of other competition from Victoria and New South Wales as well. It was nearly like an Aussie title having everyone there. It was really, really though,” he added.
Callum recently finished third in the both the 13 to 15-year-old 128cc-150cc and 200cc-250cc classes at the 2015 KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championships in Western Australia last October.
“In the first race on Saturday, I struggled with the start and finished fourth, which we were pretty happy with. In the second race I got second, which was awesome finishing behind Cody so that was good,” Callum continued.
“In the last race on the 250cc, I didn’t get a bad start, there were a couple of mistakes but finished with a fifth which wasn’t too bad. It was pretty solid. I ended up coming second overall on the day which was really good,” Callum, who is only 14 points behind Maffra-Sale’s Cody Dyce, added.
Callum was likewise really happy with the way he rode in the Bridgestone 125cc A Grade class on Sunday. “I got a pretty bad start in the first race, but rode through the pack pretty well and got third, which I was really happy with,” Cody recalled.
“I improved my start in the second race a little bit and got away a little bit. I was battling through the pack with Ryley Dukes and Caleb and a few of the other boys and got into second-place but by the time I got through Cody already had a pretty easy lead,” he said.
He is now 8 points clear ahead of Colac’s Bailey Malkiewicz and Riley Dukes. “I’m really happy with that result. It was good to come away with the overall win.
“The next two rounds (Round 2 in Warrnambool on April 9-10 and Round 3 in Ararat on May 7-8) are in the Western MX Regions-side of Victoria. Warrnambool’s not far from home so hopefully I can go well down there and get some more points on the board,” Callum said.
“I definitely want to finish on the podium in both classes by the end of the season. I would love to win both, but at least win one but it should be good,” he added.
Callum would like to thank his sponsors Husqvarna Australia, Pod Knee Braces, Road & River Motorcycles in Geelong and his parents for all their help during the season.
Round 2 of the M2R Helmets 2016 Victorian Junior Motocross Championships Presented by Honda Genuine Parts & Accessories takes place at the Shipwreck Coast Motorcycle Club in Warrnambool on April 9-10.