Two Sunbury BMX riders claimed national titles at the 2017 BMX Australia National Championships last month.
The club had 34 riders head to Queensland to compete in the tough competition, with some classes having more than 60 riders competing.
Six Sunbury riders made finals and claimed a converted “A” plate for finishing in the top eight of the Australian titles.
Rob Slatter had a day out with a win in the 35-39 cruiser event and finished third in the men’s race for the same age group.
Harvey Dale took out the 39 and under retro event.
Ben Simmonds finished eighth in the 30-34 men’s cruiser competition, Lily Corbett finished seventh in the 8-13 girls retro class, Jagger Govic finished fourth in the under-39 retro class and Josh McDermott finished sixth in the 14 boys.
Sunbury BMX’s Corey Sztama said the club, which is one of the biggest in the state, was thrilled with the results.
“Three riders with massive classes who also almost made the finals were Tyla Hall in the eight boys, Sam Todd in the 10 boys and Harvey Dale in the 16 boys,” he said.
“These are some of the largest fielding classes so to only just miss the final is a feat in itself.
“Lots of aerial antics ensued, with many hitting some massive jumps and railing huge berms, many of which make even the most experienced riders really step up their game.
“One of our own elite riders James Lautier, who took the win at the Sunbury Stars Cup last year, unfortunately didn’t quite make it out of the heats the competition level was so high.
“Overall it was an amazing field of competitors with one of the elite men throwing down a backflip mid race run in the biggest jump section of the track.”
Slatter, who coaches at the Sunbury club, will now compete at the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina, US in July. Sztama said the club hopes he will be able to achieve a “W” plate for finishing top-eight in the world.
