Stroud’s 6-Hour: The ‘Category’ Winners

The 2017 Transmoto 6-Hour at Stroud isn’t just about the podium place-getters in the Ironman, Pairs and Team classes. So to recognise the other standout performances in the 400-strong field – which covers a broad spectrum of age, ability and gender – we also dish out awards to the winners of the ‘Mixed Team’ (at least one female rider), ‘Young Guns’ (all riders under 23) and ‘Wise Wizards’ (collective age of at least 150) categories…

MIXED TEAM

Just a month ago, we had a record of four Mixed Team entries at the Queensland-based Transmoto 6-Hour. But for reasons not clear, the fairer sex hasn’t been well represented at our NSW-based 6-Hour in Stroud over the past three years. And sadly, we only had a solitary team entered in the category at the 2017 Stroud event – the ‘KTM Newcastle Mixed Team’ threesome of Shane Place, Courtney Rubie and Courtney Lambert. As KTM Newcastle’s Dealer Principal, Shane Place, facetiously noted at the preso, “I guess it’s pretty hard to lose when you’re the only team in the category.” But it should also be pointed out that this team placed a very respectable 22^nd in the Team class and 36 Outright, with Courtney Rubie’s lap times keeping her two male counterparts more than honest.

WISE WIZARDS

Leading home the Wise Wizards teams (collective age of at least 150) was the ‘Chris Watson Motorcycles Old Boys’ trio of Chris Watson, Paul Dean and Darren “Lamb Shank” Lamb. Spearheaded by Watson – widely regarded as the winningest dirt track rider Australia has ever seen – the ‘Old Boys’ ran 19^th in the Team class and 25^th Outright. Seeing as there were 170 teams, that’s not bad for three characters on the ripe side of 50. Watto and co beat home the ‘Ragers Crew’ team (Glen Taylor, Steve Semkin, David Lambert), with the Dirt Riders’ trio of Phillip Hannam, David Bradshaw and Byron Rynehart completing the Wise Wizards’ podium.

YOUNG GUNS

Winning the Young Guns (all riders under 23) category was a trio of local lads from the ‘Chris Watson Motorcycles Team’: Wes Keeley, Hayden Keeley and Ethan Baillie. These blokes – who’ve stood on the Stroud podium in the past – also ran fourth in both the Team class and Outright. They were followed home by the ‘Taree Motorcycles Team’ (Billy Wilson, Daniel Germon, Jacob Hook) and the ‘Full Piss Racing’ line-up of Lochie Vella, Kurt Langley and Jared Vermeer.