Pavich perseveres to take first placing

SD PICS/Nelson Mail

WINNING WAY: Karel Pavich puts down the power during the Phillip Island Classic.

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Nelson motorcycle racer Karel Pavich overcame some early engine problems to eventually record a first placing at the recent Phillip Island Classic in Australia.

Thursday's practice day didn't start well when the engine on Pavich's Yamaha TZ350 seized at the end of the main straight after only four laps.

Team mechanics Lester Ferdinand and Craig Longhurst quickly rebuilt the engine to get her back onto the track for the afternoon session. However, the engine lasted only three laps before it blew again, causing considerable damage to the engine cylinders.

Ferdinand and Longhurst worked into the night to do a full engine strip down and rebuild - having apparently discovered an ingition fault.

Friday's first practice went well with no hint of any seizure or other problems. Pavich completed two practice sessions followed by two qualifying sessions in the 350 Forgotten Era class which was combined with the 351-600cc class.

She qualified in seventh place outright from a field of 36, behind Australian motorcycle racing legends Robbie Phillis, Mal Campbell, and Jay Taylor.

Pavich proved too keen off the start line in Saturday's first race and was penalised for a jump start. She had an excellent race to finish in second place, but due to the 10 second penalty for the jump start was relegated to third. She also set a personal best lap time.

"It is such a fast track," said Pavich.

"You are shifting up through the gears while you are still cranked over in the corners, and you come onto the main straight flat out in fourth gear - so you really need to have the bike handling well."

For Sunday's racing the weather was cloudy but there was a headwind coming off Bass Strait onto the main straight.

Pavich finished third behind Campbell and Taylor in race two but didn't start well in race three. It required some hard work to get to the front of the field after dicing with fellow Kiwi Brett Grice. However the bike had good top end speed down the straight to finish second.

Race four began well with Pavich getting the holeshot into turn one before she was passed by Taylor who then appeared to have bike problems, allowing Pavich to get past.

She led the race for the next three laps to finish in first place and take the chequered flag.

The meeting attracted over 200 entries from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and various other countries, with Pavich again the only female competitor in the solo motorcycle events. "This racetrack is the best I have ever raced on - it has uphills, down hills, banked corners - it really challenges the bike and rider," she said.

Go to www.kpracing.co.nz for more information.

- © Fairfax NZ News