I would like to thank my sponsors for their support throughout 2011, unfortunately it is with great sadness that I write this post that states that injuries I have sustained to my wrist has put an end to my 2011 season. Under instruction from Specialists I will have an operation on my left wrist which will stop me from riding for the next 3-6 months.

I hope that I have been able to show my sponsors what their support has meant to me by the number of podium finishes I have already accumulated for this season on both the MX and Enduro tracks. I am hoping for a speedy recovery and the ability to be back on my bike and into training for next seasons racing as soon as possible.

A huge thanks to everyone that has supported my 2011 championship quest...Can-Am, BRP Australia, Willunga Hotel, Darrell Knight (from 47industries Coaching Clinics), QuadSquad, CRC, Sidchrome, e-sticky, Ringworks International, Tripp industries and my family for their patience and support this year.

Chelsea

For the second round of the Enduro series I teamed up with Dean McMillan as my usual partner Donna was unable to make it to this round. The track was a short 8km loop with lap times expected to be around the 12 minute mark for the faster riders, because of the length of the track we were going to be up for a few more laps in the 3 hours than last enduro. As Dean was the faster rider of the team we decided that he should do the first lap to try and get us in a good position for the day.

After a sighting lap first thing in the morning, I was confident with the set up of the bike for the soft sand track. The tyres were high enough to get me through the train-track course that was going to appear later on in the day. There were a few spectacular hill climbs, tight forest sections and tricky drop off's littering the course, not to mention a couple of rock sections thrown in for good measure.

We were the last teams riders off the line again, in what turned out to be quite a challenging track. Because the laps were going to be shorter and there were quite a few riders, we were sent off at 30 second intervals. Dean had a fantastic first lap, we had passed one team already and were closing in on the other two teams up ahead.

The track was physically demanding and my only concern for the day was trying to keep myself out of the softer sand sections and trying not to get bogged. I had a good first lap, but on the second lap I got myself stuck and was unable to pull the bike out for a good 2 minutes.  Luckily my X-Team mate Lisa Hoyle (who was competing in the 4x4 class on her 400 Outlander) came along and helped me get the bike out and me back on the track.  I had lost quite a bit of time with two teams riders passing me while I was stuck, we needed a huge effort if we were going to make it back up to podium for the day.

It turns out that this was only the beginning, Dean got stuck behind a mess of riders who were deadlocked on a hill, and I got stuck on two other occasions (thanks to those who helped me out). We could only hope that other teams were averaging the same luck as we continued to push as hard as we could to try and make up lost time. When the 3 hours was over we were wet, covered in sand and exhausted.

Adding to my Enduro Podium list, our efforts paid off and we came 3^rd in the Teams Class.

The track was fantastic, a huge thanks to those who marked it the day before, it was challenging and exhausting. A huge thanks goes to my team mate Dean McMillan, my husband Trent who pitted for us all day. I would also like to thank my sponsors for the 2011 season... Can-Am, BRP Australia, Willunga Hotel, Ringworks Industries , 47Industries, Thumbpump.com, QuadSquad, CRC, Sidchrome, e-sticky, 47Industries Coaching clinic and Tripp Industries.

There had been some major track preparation done on the Quadriders home track of Acusa Park, Harrogate, and after a quick early morning walk of the track, I felt confident that it was going to be a good day of racing.

I had a clear race plan for myself and after a quick chat with fellow team mate and 47industries coaching clinic instructor Darrell ‘Bullet' Knight I re-sharpened my focus on what I was there to achieve.

The Women's class was a stand alone class, which meant that we didn't have any other classes to contest with on the track during our races. I was especially nervous about my starts because they hadn't been ideal lately so I chose my gate wisely and settled myself ready for the gates to drop.

The First race saw me fly out of the gates and to the first corner at a cracking pace, I normally would have backed off with competition being tight but I kept the throttle down and came out of the corner leading (much to my amazement); both Yamaha riders Donna and Danelle were breathing down my neck. I made my way around the track pushing my DS 450XMX through its paces, the bike felt great and I felt really comfortable; I lead for the entire race and took out first place.

In the second race I got another great start coming out of the first corner in second place, I was looking all over the lead rider for possibilities to pass and was presented with a chance very early on in the first lap. I pushed my skills to their limits and overtook out of a corner before a small jump on the track. The pass wasn't text book but it got the job done and I moved into first place and quickly pulled away from the other riders. Before the end of the race Donna Newman was coming hot and fast behind me, I was just hoping I could stay ahead and keep pushing myself, and I did!

After two great races I was feeling a bit nervous hoping that I could hold it together to take home the clean sweep for the round. When the gates dropped I had another awesome start, lifting my wheels slightly out of the gates but keeping the throttle down, pulling away from the other riders. The race was going well but on the 2^nd lap I was tapped by another rider and went over the berm, which allowed two other riders to cruise on by into 1^st and 2^nd place. I was able to remount the bike after some help from the flag marshals and only managed to lose two positions. I wasn't able to take back first place before the race finish, but managed to hold onto 3^rd.

The three races combined gave me 1^st place in the women's class for Round 3 of the Quadriders Motocross.

This weekend at Acusa was very exciting and the win was a long time coming for me. I've been working really hard on my practice track with some private coaching, and by this result, it seems to be coming together nicely. My bike was set up really well  and I was able to pull a few holeshots and take home the win for the round.

A huge thanks always to my husband Trent DeBoo and my sponsors for the 2011 season... Can-Am, BRP Australia, Willunga Hotel, 47Industries, Thumbpump.com, QuadSquad, CRC, Sidchrome, e-sticky, 47Industries Coaching clinic, Ringworks Industries and Tripp Industries.

For the first round of the Enduro series I teamed up with Donna Newman to tackle the 24km course, on what turned out to be the toughest SA Enduro tracks yet. Being a new track, and fairly rough, we did not know how many laps we would complete in the 3 hours. I was keen to race and decided to do the first lap of the day.

The Riders were released at one minutes intervals and I was the last team member off the line.

About ½ a lap into the race I passed the team in front of me which helped to boost my confidence.   Although the track was incredibly rough and tight in sections the bike felt good and I was able to stay energised and confident for the entire race.

This was a physically demanding track and I stayed up there with the top riders considering most of them had after market shocks, pipes and steering dampeners. The bike performed well and at the end of the day the results show how competitive the Can-Am DS450 XMX is straight out of the box.

It turns out that we were fast enough for me to have to run that extra 5^th lap, which put us into 2^nd place at the finish line.  I couldn't have had a better race, my bike ran strong all day and my hard training has paid off. It's a great start to the Enduro series for 2011.

A huge thanks goes to my team mate and mentor Donna Newman, my husband Trent and daughter Kirrily who pitted for us all day. I would also like to thank my sponsors for the 2011 season... BRP Australia, Willunga Hotel, 47industries, Darrell Knight (from 47industries Coaching Clinics), QuadSquad, CRC, Sidchrome, e-sticky, Ringworks International, Tripp industries and Thumbpump.com.

 

The first round of the 2011 Quadriders Association of South Australia Motocross kicked off at our home track at Acusa Park. The competition was tough and everyone was really eager to show how they were going to attack the new season and to take home the win for round one.

The track was brutal, but the top of the women's class stayed very close and competitive throughout the day. I did not get good starts and in the extremely dusty conditions, working through the field to number one was very difficult.

In the first race I had a bad start, but managed to pass into 2nd position early on in the first lap. I pushed my Can-Am DS450 XMX through it's paces but wasn't able to work my way up into the top position before running out of time.

My bike setup was pretty good in race one, but a few adjustments to my Can-Am DS450 XMX's suspension and tyre pressures by X Team technician, Bullet made the rougher sections of the track more manageable. In the second race I had a great start only to follow it by missing 3rd gear and I was passed by the other riders leaving me in third position out of the holeshot corner again. I raced as hard as I could, but the poor visibility was hampering my efforts.

In race three I came back mentally focused and had a reasonable start out of the gates, moving my way into 2nd place mid first lap. The track was at its roughest and the suspension on the bike performed well all weekend. Building confidence in my set up, I was the only rider of the day to double into the dreaded whoops. I showed that I have what it takes with some tough overtaking, and took out 2nd place in the final race for the day.

Everything is coming together really well, I was glad to finish on the podium in a very close 3rd position with good points for the start of the season.

Thanks to Darrell Knight (from 47industries Coaching Clinics) for his pointers and set up tips. I would also like to thank my pit crew and husband Trent DeBoo and my sponsors for the 2011 season... BRP Australia, Willunga Hotel, 47Industries, QuadSquad, CRC, Sidchrome, e-sticky, Ringworks International and Tripp industries.