By Rod Morris
Devonport teenager Jarrod Harman remains in the lead in Cycling Tasmania’s fifth annual Rider-of-the-Season award - but the cavalry is coming! Harman, who won the Devonport Wheel last Friday, added further points to his tally at the postponed Burnie Carnival when he won the B Grade Scratch.
He was joined on 28 points by Canberra veteran John Forrest, who throughout the Tasmanian Christmas Carnivals won four races and placed in four other events. The Devonport rider however took the lead via countback, courtesy of five race wins, compared to Forrest’s four.
South Riana’s Karissa Ling extended her lead in the women’s championship after winning the Burnie Wheel and finishing second in the B Grade Scratch. Ling has now scored 33-points and leads by seven over Sarah Cure, with Laura McCaughey and Grace Sulzberger sharing third place on 20-points. Outside of Ling’s Burnie Wheel win, her other victories have included three B Grade scratch races.
In the junior championship, Ulverstone’s Luke Ockerby maintained his 10-point lead over Scottsdale’s Ben Grenda after both won two races at the Burnie Carnival. Ockerby has 65-points, Grenda, 55 and their nearest challengers are Izac Guest and Sam Brett, who are a further 14-points away in equal third. Ockerby and Grenda have been the dominant riders in the junior age groups with 11 and 10 wins respectively. Grenda is unbeaten in the eight Junior 1 scratch races, which have been held to date.
