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Introduction to Track Racing - What's a Wheelrace? - Introduction to Six Day racing
Tasmanian Christmas Carnivals
Tasmania, December 26, 2004 - January 1, 2005
Latrobe Carnival - December 26
Tasmanian carnivals kick off at Latrobe
By Rod Morris
The Basslink Tasmanian Christmas carnivals start tomorrow in Latrobe with a day of racing that features one of the Australia's richest wheelraces in Australia, the $12,500 Patrick Latrobe Wheelrace.
With only four heats in this year's Patrick Wheelrace, expect the qualifying races to become a mad scramble. Only the first five riders in each heat will advance to the final, but it's unlikely the scratchmen will get everything their own way.
Ten riders have been afforded the elite scratch mark, but the dilemma facing new Tasmanian Senior Track Handicapper Michael Grenda, was the genuine lack of riders between scratch and 100m. Only nine cyclists are handicapped from 60m to 90m, meaning the scratchmen will have plenty of chasing to do, just to qualify.
The plus side for the backmen is the lack of depth at the front of most heats, so if they can tack onto the rear of the fields with enough laps and energy left, then qualifying shouldn't be so difficult.
Obviously the entire field want to win the race, as the Latrobe Wheel is one of the most prestigious track events in the world... but there can be only one winner!
Scratchmen Graeme Brown, Jame Carney and Darren Young have all said they want the Latrobe Wheel. Brown won this year's Burnie Wheel and has excellent credentials. Carney already has a Devonport and a Burnie victory on his palmares, as does Young, and both want to complete the set of 3000 m wheelraces.
Nathan Clarke is the homegrown Latrobe favourite and after a second placing in 1994 and consecutive thirds in 1995 and 1996 wants to go better. Publicly Clarke has declared nothing, but on the track is showing genuine form. His performance in last Tuesday's Latrobe Trial Wheel suggests he is a real chance. But there are some middle markers who might just spoil his party. Jarrod Harman, Kaidan Homan, Will Robinson, Cameron Wise and Ben Price have all shown exceptional early season form and have announced their intentions of winning one of Tasmania's major wheelraces this summer.
Let's now peer through the crystal ball at the rich Latrobe Wheel.
Heat one contains four scratchmen - Graeme Brown, Jame Carney, Christian Lademann and hometown hero Nathan Clarke - but they will be chasing 105 m to the nearest riders. Not a lot of depth out the front, although Jamie Perry (240 m), Jason Bellchambers (210) and Wes Sulzberger (180) have been in good early season form. The unknowns are Japanese rider Takashi Kawamura (105) and American Mike Friedman (105). The scratchmen will have to use a lot of energy just to qualify and two might miss out.
Prediction: 1 Nathan Clarke; 2 Graeme Brown; 3 Wes Sulzberger; 4 Jason Bellchambers; 5 Francis Ransley.
Heat two will be a little bit easier for the scratchmen, having to chase "only" 60 m. The backies will include Mark Jamieson, Ben Kersten and Darren Young. World Under 19 champions Michael Ford and Matt Goss (both 60 m) won't hang around for the scratchmen, while Victorian Cameron Wise (195 m), Devonport's Jarrod Harman and Launceston's Kharne Hammersley (both 210 m) look the best of the frontmarkers.
Prediction: 1 Matt Goss; 2 Michael Ford; 3 Jarrod Harman; 4 Darren Young; 5 Cameron Wise.
Heat three will see the three remaining scratchmen - Ashley Hutchinson, Stephen Rossendell and Todd Wilksch - line up and have to chase 75 m before having the rest of the field in their sights. Rosebery Wheel winner, Bobby Lea (USA) will start off 75 m, while talented Queenslander Grant Irwin is off the same mark. Ben Price and Matthew Atkins (both 150 m), John Rayner (210), Will Robinson (225) and Aaron Jones (255) form the best chances here. This might be the heat where the scratchmen miss out.
Prediction: 1 Bobby Lea; 2 Will Robinson; 3 John Rayner; 4 Ben Price; 5 Aaron Jones;
Heat four has no scratchmen, but still some talented riders to start at the rear of the field. Daniel Cutting won the recent George Town Wheel and Gareth Atkins is a perennial major wheelrace finalist. Both Cutting and Atkins will start from 90 m and shouldn't have too much trouble in qualifying for the final. Strong road rider Karl Menzies (135 m), Kaidan Homan (210), Ben Laskey (270) and Alex Lyons (270) loom as the biggest threats.
Prediction: 1 Gareth Atkins; 2 Daniel Cutting; 3 Karl Menzies; 4 Kaidan Homan; 5 Ben Laskey.
FINAL: Now that we've established the field for the 3000 m final, finding a winner becomes a real headache.
Predicted Latrobe Wheelrace final field: Darren Young (scr), Nathan Clarke (scr), Graeme Brown (scr), Matt Goss (60 m), Michael Ford (60 m), Bobby Lea (75 m), Gareth Atkins (90 m), Daniel Cutting (90 m), Karl Menzies (135 m), Ben Price (150 m), Wes Sulzberger (180 m), Cameron Wise (195 m), John Rayner (210 m), Jarrod Harman (210 m), Kaidan Homan (210 m), Jason Bellchambers (210 m), Will Robinson (225 m), Francis Ransley (225), Aaron Jones (255 m), Ben Laskey (270 m)
With only three scratchmen expected to qualify, their task will made a little easier with the "stepping stones" along the way with the next pair out on 60 m. That however could work against them, if Goss, Ford and Lea work together with Atkins and Cutting. Those five riders could destroy any chances the backies have of getting up. But its the front markers group who look the most dangerous, particularly the likes of Homan, Robinson and Harman.
The Latrobe Wheel has a history of throwing up surprises and I'm tipping that 2004 will be no different. If the scratchmen are switched on, then it could be a fight between Clarke, Young and Brown, if not, then expect a frontmarker to upstage them. The dark horse is visiting Victorian Cameron Wise.
Prediction: 1 Darren Young; 2 Nathan Clarke; 3 Jarrod Harman
Patrick Latrobe Wheelrace
Heat 1 1 Graeme Brown (Aus) Scratch 3 Jame Carney (USA) Scratch 4 Christian Lademann (Ger) Scratch 5 Nathan Clarke (Aus) Scratch 20 Takashi Kawamura (Jpn) 105 21 Tommy Nankervis (Aus) 105 22 Mike Friedman (Aus) 105 31 Wes Sulzberger (Aus) 180 32 Andrew Loft (Aus) 180 35 Jason Bellchambers (Aus) 210 44 Grant Fraser (Aus) 210 47 Stuart Keep (Aus) 225 48 Francis Ransley (Aus) 225 50 Jamie Perry (Aus) 240 51 Peter Smith (Aus) 240 65 Trent Deacon (Aus) 285 66 Adam Heron (Aus) 300 67 Julian Clayton (Aus) 300 Heat 2 7 Darren Young (Aus) Scratch 6 Mark Jamieson (Aus) Scratch 2 Ben Kersten (Aus) Scratch 11 Matthew Goss (Aus) 60 12 Michael Ford (Aus) 60 16 Kouji Yoshi (Jpn) 90 19 Joshua Kerkhof (Aus) 90 33 Cameron Wise (Aus) 195 34 Callan Taylor (Aus) 195 36 Tim Walker (Aus) 210 39 Kharne Hammersley (Aus) 210 42 Jarrod Harman (Aus) 210 54 Troy Sait (Aus) 270 55 Daniel Furmston (Aus) 270 59 Ethan Marciano (Aus) 270 68 Tim Bryan (Aus) 300 69 Cullen Dwyer (Aus) 315 71 John Franklin (Aus) 330 Heat 3 8 Stephen Rossendell (Aus) Scratch 9 Todd Wilksch (Aus) Scratch 10 Ashley Hutchinson (Aus) Scratch 13 Bobby Lea (Aus) 75 14 Damien Keirl (Aus) 75 15 Grant Irwin (Aus) 75 26 Ben Price (Aus) 150 27 Matthew Atkins (Aus) 150 28 Carlo Barandello (Aus) 150 43 John Rayner (Aus) 210 45 Will Robinson (Aus) 225 46 John Forrest (Aus) 225 49 Michael Maine (Aus) 240 52 Dwayne Smith (Aus) 240 53 Aaron Jones (Aus) 255 63 Carl Holleman (Aus) 285 64 Andrew Clapham (Aus) 285 70 Bradley MacKenzie (Aus) 330 Heat 4 17 Gareth Atkins (Aus) 90 18 Daniel Cutting (Aus) 90 23 Gui Nelesson (USA) 120 24 Karl Menzies (Aus) 135 25 Grant Young (Aus) 135 29 John Abblitt (Aus) 165 30 Daniel Vogels (Aus) 165 37 Andrew Swatton (Aus) 210 38 Kaiden Homan (Aus) 210 40 Adam Hartley (Aus) 210 41 Jiri Jezek (Aus) 210 56 Alex Lyons (Aus) 270 57 Ben Laskey (Aus) 270 58 Colin Barnes (Aus) 270 60 Paul Wilson (Aus) 270 61 Brendan Harris (Aus) 270 62 Simon Van der Aa (Aus) 270 72 Thomas McDonagh (Aus) 330 73 Ian Morwood (Aus) 330
AJ Clarke & Sons Handicap
Heat 1 1 Graeme Brown (Aus) Scratch 7 Darren Young (Aus) Scratch 10 Ashley Hutchinson (Aus) Scratch 16 Kouji Yoshi (Jpn) 60 17 Gareth Atkins (Aus) 60 23 Gui Nelesson (USA) 80 28 Carlo Barandello (Aus) 100 29 John Abblitt (Aus) 110 42 Jarrod Harman (Aus) 140 44 Grant Fraser (Aus) 140 50 Jamie Perry (Aus) 160 51 Peter Smith (Aus) 160 59 Ethan Marciano (Aus) 180 60 Paul Wilson (Aus) 180 67 Julian Clayton (Aus) 200 69 Cullen Dwyer (Aus) 210 72 Thomas McDonagh (Aus) 220 73 Ian Morwood (Aus) 220 Heat 2 4 Christian Lademann (Ger) Scratch 9 Todd Wilksch (Aus) Scratch 13 Bobby Lea (USA) 50 14 Damien Keirl (Aus) 50 15 Grant Irwin (Aus) 50 27 Matthew Atkins (Aus) 100 30 Daniel Vogels (Aus) 110 33 Cameron Wise (Aus) 130 38 Kaiden Homan (Aus) 140 39 Kharne Hammersley (Aus) 140 46 John Forrest (Aus) 150 47 Stuart Keep (Aus) 150 52 Dwayne Smith (Aus) 160 53 Aaron Jones (Aus) 170 54 Troy Sait (Aus) 180 62 Simon Van der Aa (Aus) 180 65 Trent Deacon (Aus) 190 66 Adam Heron (Aus) 200 Heat 3 3 Jame Carney (USA) Scratch 6 Mark Jamieson (Aus) Scratch 8 Stephen Rossendell (Aus) Scratch 18 Daniel Cutting (Aus) 60 19 Joshua Kerkhof (Aus) 60 24 Karl Menzies (Aus) 90 25 Grant Young (Aus) 90 34 Callan Taylor (Aus) 130 40 Adam Hartley (Aus) 140 41 Jiri Jezek (Aus) 140 43 John Rayner (Aus) 140 45 Will Robinson (Aus) 150 48 Francis Ransley (Aus) 150 49 Michael Maine (Aus) 160 57 Ben Laskey (Aus) 180 58 Colin Barnes (Aus) 180 64 Andrew Clapham (Aus) 190 68 Tim Bryan (Aus) 200 Heat 4 2 Ben Kersten (Aus) Scratch 5 Nathan Clarke (Aus) Scratch 11 Matthew Goss (Aus) 40 12 Michael Ford (Aus) 40 20 Takashi Kawamura (Jpn) 70 21 Tommy Nankervis (Aus) 70 22 Mike Friedman (Aus) 70 31 Wes Sulzberger (Aus) 120 32 Andrew Loft (Aus) 120 35 Jason Bellchambers (Aus) 140 36 Tim Walker (Aus) 140 37 Andrew Swatton (Aus) 140 55 Daniel Furmston (Aus) 180 56 Alex Lyons (Aus) 180 61 Brendan Harris (Aus) 180 63 Carl Holleman (Aus) 190 70 Bradley MacKenzie (Aus) 220 71 John Franklin (Aus) 220
