Thanks to a dry summer on the South Australian coast everyone's nose, ears and mouth were full of dust at the first desert race for the season. Jamalka 360 Off-Road race track is situated right next to the beautiful coastline of Tumby Bay, however conditions that greeted racers were similar to what a racer expects from racing on the Finke desert race!
Grabbo decided to ease into the VIP Race Experience season by kicking off with Jamalka 360 Off-Road after coaching there for the first time last year. This race was the perfect desert race to start the 2024 race season with challenging terrain and with 3 laps at 60 kilometres each over 2 days, a great way to test bike set up and fitness levels ahead of the season.
The question everyone wants answered - how did the switch to GAGGAS go?
‘I have been saying since we finished testing the all-new GASGAS EC 500F on the Finke track late last year, this bike has made me pretty excited and motivated for the year. It's nice to finish up with a win and confirm my good feeling with our setup in race conditions. Personally, I like the Jamalka track as there are sections where you race past the beach at 180 kilometres per hour, then weave in and out of the salt flats in second gear. It was a lot of fun to ride a track that required so many different riding skills,’ says Grabbo.
The VIP Race Experience racers were a mix showing the appeal of Grabbo’s VIP set-up, including VIP’s first ever junior racer, 15 year old Billy Ryan (NSW) finishing 3rd in junior class, Greg Jackson (QLD) finished outright 1st in the Masters class and Shane Robinson (SA) cruised on the track happy with having a whole lot of fun and passing a few bikes. Marty Convey (NSW) is one to watch, racing in all five of Grabbo’s VIP races this year. You heard that right! Keep an eye out on Grabbo’s socials for Marty’s journey as he embarks on this amazing feat. Anyone jealous?