Sensational Schmidt wraps up Oceania Junior Cup at The Bend
Another breathtaking year of bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup competition came to an end at The Bend circuit in South Australia on December 3, with teenage sensation Archie Schmidt winning the title emphatically after a trio of victories.As the intensity grew in every race – the lap record was broken on consecutive occasions – Schmidt was equal to the task as he completed the title on 327pts ahead of Bodie Paige (297) and Haydn Fordyce (277).THE BEND OJC RESULTS AND FINAL STANDINGS
As usual, there were thrills, some spills and wafer-thin winning margins, all on the free-flowing circuit where the diminutive and bulletproof Yamaha YZF-R15s were stretched to their limit.Race one on Saturday saw Schmidt best Jake Paige and Rikki Henry, with the latter then finishing on the tail of Schmidt in Sunday’s two instalments. Bodie Paige and Valentino Knezovic also scored podium finishes on Sunday.
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Dunker creates history as Hamod and Swain also score bigJake Paige was the first rider to set a new lap record, which was then lowered by Bodie Paige and Knezovic in the following two races. Knezovic’s new benchmark sits at 2m29.820s.
The bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup will continue in 2024 – sans South Australians Schmidt and Henry, who have been selected to compete in the prestigious Asia Talent Cup alongside another former OJC campaigner, Hudson Thompson.The selections are yet another nod to the extraordinary pathway provided by Australia’s elite road racing academy which, like the Asia Talent Cup, is an integral pillar of Dorna’s official Road to MotoGP program.
