Success at The Bend 8 Hour
Pedal Prix
On Saturday 6 August, the Norwood International High School Pedal Prix Racing Team took to the 3.41km Bend Motorsport Park at Tailem Bend for 8 hours of exceptional racing. This event proved to be our most successful race since the Pedal Prix commenced at Norwood right back in 1993.
Our students have been training intensely since our last event in late June, with our Year 7, 8 and 9’s taking to the gym under the guidance of Mr Coles and Mr Olsson, and engaging in training for 60 to 90-minute stints at Victoria Park each weekend.
The 8-hour event meant that students needed to be up bright and early to arrive at Tailem Bend for an 8.00am start. After completing a track walk around the circuit, it was time to grid up as 180+ teams took to the track in the largest pedal prix race since 2019. NIHS had six trikes on Track 3 in the Senior School division - Years 10-12 (1 all-female) and 3 in the Middle School Division - Years 7-9 (1 all-female). Through the race each team had their riders rotate every 30 to 90-minutes, with speeds averaging between 36 and 49kmph.
Some interesting battles developed through the race with our Middle School Boys’ "Astro" being challenged by Unley HS and Glenunga HS for second position. It was a tight race all the way to the chequered flag, with “Astro” narrowly missing a second in the final laps, but coming away with a very impressive third place. Our Middle School All Females "Enigma" were locked in a tight battle through the day with Walford and Holy Trinty (Victoria),with some impressive riding from students Willow and Julissa, seeing the girls hold onto third position. Our Year 7’s "Protege" raced exceptionally all day, with lap times improving by more than one minute for some riders compared to the last race in May. Competing against riders up to Year 9, it was impressive to see the Year 7 boys hold onto tenth position.
Our Senior Teams again set a high standard for the younger riders to aspire to. Team “Focus” managed fifteenth in Category despite having a limited number of riders available and working through tyre blow outs and a roll over. “XP8” pushed the top of the field all day with an exhilarating battle against St Peters Boys and Pembroke School. They edged out Unity College, to clinch third with some exceptional stints from students Thomas and Igor, who both held 45km per hour in over 70-minute stints. The Senior Girls "Spurls" rode exceptionally all day, with a tough battle occurring with Wudinna's "Wonder Woman." The girls had to find something a little bit extra to hold onto their winning streak and after 7-hours of hard racing, they managed to pull away in the last hour to take a one lap victory!!
Congratulations to all of our riders and all helpers for their exceptional work at the event and the many weeks leading up to the race. A big thank you to all Team Managers, including parents Matthew Brinkley (Protege), Phil Duncan and Ben Cox (Astro), David Watts and Troy Flower (XP8) and staff members Kimberly O'Brien (Enigma) and Jo Hess (Spurls).
The day could not have run without the support of the whole NIHS pedal prix community, and it was fantastic to be a part of.
A big thank you to our incredible supporters - Trump Trikes, Trump Trailers, Blackchrome Cycling and Ergo Fitness