LORNE’s young gun Callum Norton is closing in on the state’s top motocross titles for juniors at the M2R Helmets 2016 Victorian Junior Motocross Championships Presented by Honda Genuine Parts & Accessories as the third round took place at Ararat MC on May 7-8.
Callum is just 24 points behind Honda 250cc A grade leader Cody Dyce and is 16 points ahead in the Bridgestone 100-125cc 2-stroke A grade class with one exciting round to go at Mildura on June 11-12.
“I started off not too badly on the 250cc on Saturday. I was pretty keen for the first race. I did well in practice but I struggled with starts all day. I came through the pack pretty well. I thought I rode pretty decently.
“I got two fourths and a fifth which gave me equal fourth overall. The track was challenging. It was really hard to pass, everyone was going at almost the same speed, but it was good racing,” Callum said.
“Everyone thought we were going to be in for a muddy one on Sunday, but it wasn’t too bad. The rain held off. In the first race, I got off to a good start. I battled with my teammates for a while, fought with Caleb Grothues for a bit, but he came away with the moto win,” Callum added.
“I came away with a second so I was really happy with that. In the second race, I got another good start which I was really happy with. I was right behind Caleb for about five or six laps and I eventually got around him and had a win by about half a second. That was great,” Callum continued.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Callum, unfortunately, as his bike decided to stall in the last race: “I was there on the starting-line, just about to take-off but the bike just stopped on me.
“I was there for about 40 seconds or so when I finally got it going again. The bike ran a bit average for a few laps but I managed to get back into seventh-place which I was still pretty happy with. It was still a solid day,” he added.
“I’ve got one more round in Mildura left to go and hopefully I can come away with a title or two, but we’ll see how I go,” Callum added.
“I haven’t ridden Mildura before. I hope to be able to take part in a practice day beforehand. I’ve heard it’s a good track,” he said.
“I’d really like to thank Husqvarna Australia, Thor, Pod, Belray Oils, Road River Motorcycles, Globe and everyone else that helps me throughout the season. It’s greatly appreciated,” Callum praised.
Current Standings – 2016 VJMXC
Honda 250cc A grade championship
Position- Name-Points
1. Cody Dyce-288
2. Callum Norton-264
3. Mason Semmens-242
Bridgestone 100-125cc 2-stroke A grade championship
Position-Name-Points
1. Callum Norton-282
2. Caleb Grothues-266
3. Cody Dyce-247