The 8-Hour @ Mackay: 10 Talking Points

On the eve of the third annual running of the Transmoto 8-Hour at Conondale, we reflect on the inaugural running of its Central Queensland-based cousin back in late May, the Transmoto 8-Hour at Mackay. It was one helluva sweet weekend in “sugar country”, and here are 10 standout storylines from the countless thousands created on that weekend in Mackay…

1. HOWARD’S LOOP

Any dirt bike event is only as good as the track it’s run on. And the 18km race loop put together by Howard Zelenka and his crew from the Gum Valley Club was an absolute cracker. Entrants got to sample the world-class hallowed turf that is the Gum Valley MX circuit, but only as a reward after they’d navigated the race loop’s incredible variety of terrain that preceded it – its wooded hillsides, undulating grass paddocks, scrub country, creek crossings, rainforest sections, and vast sugarcane plantations that will always be synonymous with Mackay’s 8-Hour. All things considered, the Mackay loop was one of the best tracks on record at a Transmoto event.

2. GROMS WITH PROS

When 20 young riders rocked up for Saturday’s non-competitive loop, little did they know they’ve be sharing the track with KTM and Husky Pro riders, Daniel Milner, Lachlan Stanford and Fraser Higlett. These three champions – in the literal and metaphoric sense of the world – gave the juniors all the time in the world that Saturday arvo. They helped the less experienced ones up hills and out of bogholes, and talked line selection and throttle control with the gifted groms. And the look on these kids’ faces at the end of the day? Priceless!

3. THE DASHING DIVAS TUTU TRIO

It’s not often that three character in fluoro tutus win a dirt bike race, but the “Dashing Divas” trio of Kane Hall, Angus Roughan and Matt Murry did exactly that at Mackay. Exemplifying the fun spirit of Transmoto event, these three locals ran their tutus before, during and after the race, and their bikes sported rear-guard tassels to join the glitterati party. For the record, the Dashing Divas punched out 20 laps of the gruelling Mackay course in eight hours to win the Team and Outright crown, almost eight minutes ahead of second place. And in a refreshing show of candour, the tutu boys weren’t afraid to show how excited they were about the win either.

4. A PAIR OF SHAKE ‘N’ BAKERS

We love it when people rock up at several of our events each year, but it’s even more gratifying to see newcomers lap up an 8-Hour experience for the first time, especially when they’re motocross riders having their first crack at this enduro caper. Riding in a Pairs class called Shake ‘n’ Bake two 17-year-olds from Rockhampton called Mitchell Dark and Jaymie Warr had an absolute ball at their first Transmoto event. Not only that; they took the Pairs category win and ran a very impressive sixth Outright!

5. THE BOYS FROM BULLET BIKES

The crew from the local KTM dealer, Bullet Bikes in Mackay, were a huge help when it came to promoting Transmoto’s first time event in the region. So it was kind of fitting that they won the Mixed Team category. Joining the Bullet Bikes team’s sole female rider, a Queensland MXer called Ellyse O’Connor, were Simon Currie and Aaron Hutton and Jacob Shields. The winning Mixed-team foursome laid down 16 laps and finished 20th Outright.

6. IRONMEN ON A MISSION

There may have only been eight starters in the Ironman class for the inaugural Mackay 8-Hour, but don’t let that take anything away from Reece Hoffman’s winning performance. Hoffman completed 14 laps and finished 38th Outright, before casually driving back to Brisbane (10 hours away) that night so he could show up for work on Monday morning! He was followed home in the Ironman class by Byron Williams and Ironman regular, Dane Brooks. Honourable mention also needs to go to Clancy Dixon, who was running a strong third in the class all day. Sadly, thinking he was more than a lap ahead of fourth-placed Brooks when the ‘Last Lap’ board was thrown, Dixon returned to his pit rather than completing the lap to meet the chequered flag. A hard lesson learned!

7. LOCAL TALENT

The Outright winners from the Dashing Divas teams weren’t the only locals at the pointy end of the Mackay field. The Mackay-based Norman brothers – Riley, Ashley and Wilson – also showed a clean pair of heals and plenty of riding talent, a couple of them aboard screaming 125s. Under the “Raw Racing” team banner, the Norman bros ran a very impressive third Outright.

8. THE RELUCTANT WINNER

One bloke walked away from that Mackay weekend even happier than everyone else because he won himself a 2018-model Husqvarna simply for entering the event. His name is Jordy Gilmore, a 23-year-old Mackay local who couldn’t believe his ears when his name was drawn out of the hat on Saturday arvo. “I wasn’t really paying attention when you blokes drew the winner for the bike there at Gum Valley,” admits Gilmore. “But when all my mates started hooting, I knew something was up. Initially, I felt a bit weird because my old man owns Redline Motorsport, the Honda and Husqvarna dealership in Mackay. But I paid my 8-Hour entry like everyone else and won the bike fair and square, so I got comfortable with the idea pretty quickly [laughs]. After flowing me free bikes when I was really young, my old man knocked that on the head pretty quickly, which is fair enough. So at age 23, it will be funny to rock up at Redline and wheel out a free bike again. I’ve been a Honda guy for a while now, but I’m looking forward to riding my new Husqvarna TE300,” Gilmore went on to explain.

9. THE SCRAP FOR FASTEST LAP

If you can’t win the race, setting the fastest lap is the next best thing, right? Well, that’s what Pro riders Daniel Milner and Lachlan Stanford appeared to think in the back half of the 8-Hour, when it became apparent they wouldn’t be on a winning team. All afternoon, the fastest lap bragging rights were traded between Milner, Stanford and Kane Hall. And despite the fact Milner tells us he was robbed of the fastest lap honour by running out of fuel on his hotlap, Kane Hall took the Fastest Lap title fair and square – in spite of the fact his YZ250 had virtually no compression by the end of the eight-hour race.

10. ALL HEART

Seeing as it was our first of many events in Mackay, we decided to give away a free entry to the team who convinced us they were more deserving than anyone else. And how could we go past this response from 14-year-old Jordan Health, who entered the comp on behalf of his stepdad: “I would love to win this for my stepdad and his team to show my appreciation to him for all the advice he has given me and support with my moto racing. And for stepping up and supporting me even when he didn’t have to, but that’s the man he is. It is my 14th birthday on May 26 when the event is held, and I would love to share this with him on my special day. He so deserves this.”

Jordy’s stepdad, Phillip Gray, and the rest of the “Heart A Tack” Mixed team (Andrew Phillips, Tony Auld and Georgia Murray) sure appreciated the $860 entry fee refund, but not as much as they enjoyed the event itself. The foursome ran second in the Mixed Team category and a very credible 30th Outright. Take a bow for the part you played in this great story, Jordan.