Phil Drummond has been a part of the Macleay District Motorcycle Club from the very beginning and in his time he has seen watched some great riders compete for “The Hat”, but he says this year’s assembly of talent is a match for any he has seen.
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Phil gave us the lowdown on the runners and riders for the 2014 Akubra Classic.
“From the visitors you have to start with Troy Bayliss who I know really wants an Akubra in his trophy cabinet,” Phil said.
“He has been pretty dominant in dirt-track this year and he is coming to Kempsey to win no doubt about that.
“One to look out for I reckon is Jason Crump.
“Crumpy has taken a bit of time to get up to speed on the dirt-track (he is a former Speedway World Champion) but he is starting to find some speed and he could spring a surprise.
“Then there’s Luke Richards (winner of the NSW Senior Dirt-track title and the prestigious West Wyalong Cup earlier this month) and of course you can’t go past Wauchope’s Mick Kirkness who will be right near the front.”
Phil said that 5-time winner and 2013 champion Kempsey’s own Mick Booth would again be up the front along with 2012 winner Jarryd Oram.
He also rated Ian Hamilton and Kempsey rider Carew Dickinson as strong chances for a good result.
“Carew went pretty well out at West Wyalong and he is another rider who is in form,” Phil said.
The feature race this year will again be over a 10 lap distance, giving the riders a real test of stamina and time to recover from a mistake, particularly at the start.
Phil said that the sponsors of the event really deserve a lot of credit and support from the town.
“A lot of them either rode here themselves or have kids that do,” he said.
“They are big supporters of what we do and even after we hosted the NSW Junior titles earlier in the year they still put their hands in their pockets to support the event so make sure you support their businesses like they support us.”
