BILL NERLICH, father of rising road racer Peter Nerlich, is adamant that Broadford’s Junior Development Days are perfect for aspiring riders who want to learn the sport the right way from a young age.
“We found out about these days about four years ago and got Peter involved when he was doing some dirt bike riding. We hired some 50ccs when he was ten-years-old before we bought a bike for him and he started racing after that,” Bill said.
“We still go to them because they are a great way to get practice and at the same time he is getting great input from coaches who have a lot of experience. We really enjoy them. They’re a fun day,” Bill continued.
Bill said Peter has got a lot out of JDDs: “When he first started he was learning how to ride on a road race track and he learnt a lot from coaches who were teaching him how to ride properly.
“Now he uses the days to improve his skills from things like track walks where they actually show the kids how to take a corner properly, which also helps him focus on his braking. There’s still real value in going to these days,” Bill added.
Peter is now competing in the 300 Supersport in the Australian Superbike Championships, the Hartwell Motorcycle Club Championships and the Victorian Road Racing Championships. “As we can, we’ll keep attending these days. They’re just fantastic. It’s friendly, it’s non-pressured, and we have a lot of fun.
Bill says people like Ann-marie Upton and Trevor Upton as well as all the marshals and coaches who give up their time to be there is why the JDDs are so well-run.
“It’s great to see a lot of new people enter the sport through the JDDs. It’s a little daunting to get into the sport initially. A good point to note that you can hire bikes and there are leathers available. A lot of people appreciate the fact that they don’t have tow buy a bike or leathers to give it a go. Have they not had that we probably wouldn’t have gone to one but because they were we thought there was nothing to lose,” Bill continued.
“Peter got so hooked to the JDDs that in the end,” Bill said.
The next Junior Development Day takes place at Broadford’s State Motorcycle Sports Complex on Sunday, February 26.
To enter Contact Ann-Marie Upton at broadfordadmin@motorcyclingvic.com.au or (03) 5784 4163.