Anita Savin for Matakana Coast App
26 May 2022, 7:00 AM
To read our first story on Tyler LOCAL BOY - Tyler King’s need for speed – his journey to Grand Prix
Last Saturday Tyler competed in the 3rd and final round of the Victoria Motorcycle Club Summer series at Manfield Racetrack, Fielding.
Conditions were less than perfect with a damp track from rain the night before. His first session was on dry tyres which saw him qualify 2nd fastest! A Wellington local, Rhys Lindsay, beat him to qualify in position 1. Leaving Tyler in position 2 of the front row for the day. A great start!
Due to changeable weather - tyre changes and how to deal with them became the theme of the day. Five minutes before Race 1, saw a massive downpour leaving his team to scramble changing over to wet tyres. Unfortunately, Tyler’s mechanic couldn't make the trip, so his dad was pit crew for the day. They ran out of time fitting the rear tyre. An issue Rhys his top contender also experienced, instead he chose not to race.
When it was GO time, Tyler dropped the clutch and instantly lost traction in the rear, due to it being super slippery! He recovered well and managed to come through the pack to finish in second. A great learning lesson for him to experience the slide going into corners. This new skill will come in handy for him no doubt!
Race 2, Tyler had both wets fitted and had a clean race. Rhys came in 1st and Tyler 2nd . The last race of the day was dry (finally!), but the track was cold, so they chose to run wet tyres again. This was nervous decision they didn’t know would pay off as they were the only ones with wets on.
Well, it paid off, booyah!! Rhys took off leading the race, but Tyler managed to pass him. After 6 back and forwards, Rhys’s rear tire let go and crashed out. Tyler won the race by about 800m! His race results of the day were 2,2,1. Which gave him the overall win for the day! A very happy result! He won 3rd place overall in the Championship, despite missing the first round.
Tyler would like to give a big thank you to his dad and team behind him:
Moto Benzina
Bramble Cafe Matakana
Mackisack Contractors
M&M Adventures
Arai NZ
Pirelli NZ
Titus Transport
Mad Mike Motorsport
R&R Powersports
Sloan Frost
The Matakana App
To follow Tyler
https://www.facebook.com/TylerKing128
https://www.instagram.com/mxtyler128/
The Matakana App will get behind any kid/teen/young person that has talent, energy, and drive to get to the top and needs promotion or a helping hand. We will be following Tyler’s journey with regular updates here on the Matakana App. Join us!
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