RIDER INFORMATION

So you have done your Kick Start course, got your license, what’s next? Here you can find out about what your first race day looks like, scrutineering, safety gear. You name it, you will find it here.

Rider safety is No.1 when riding at our club. All riders must adhere to the clothing and protective gear requirements set out by Motorcycling Australia.

It is important for the safety of the rider that all gear is well maintained and in good working order. Helmets must have a functioning chin strap, no obvious cracks or gauges, and cannot have stickers or action camera mounts stuck on them. It is not mandatory for kids to wear elbow or knee guards, however it is highly recommended.

Looking after your bike and always maintaining it is very important.

Safety is number one at Blacktown Junior Minibike Club. This means every minibike must pass scrutineering before you can ride. Making sure it is always cleaned and regular maintenance is performed after riding will help your bikes performance and reliability.

Our Scrutineers on the day will go over each bike, checking that is in a safe and ridable condition. Use the list on the right as a guide to know what will be checked.

NOTE: Your bike and gear MUST pass scrutineering or you CANNOT RIDE.

Overall bike condition is good, no loose or broken plastics or parts
Grips are intact and handle bar ends are blocked so you cannot push a screwdriver in
Brake lever and foot control are fully functional
Foot pegs spring back freely
Wheel bearings are good and have NO sideways movement or wiggle
Throttle springs back and doesn’t stick
Helmet is checked for Australian Standards tag, NO cracks, No stickers, No GoPro mounts

NOTE: Once you bike has been scrutinised, it is then parked int he pits and cannot leave the pits until the end of the day. If it leaves the pit earlier it will not allowed to be ridden until it can be re-scrutinised.

Riding within your abilities instills confidence on the bike

Riders are divided into different classes depending on the size of the bike they ride and their age. This ensures that riders are on the appropriate size bike for their age, size and skill set. When you begin your minikhana journey, you automatically start in ‘C Grade’. Each year you race, and depending on how you have progressed you move up A grade. It is important that all riders feel comfortable riding within their limits and not pressured to compete against faster, more experienced riders. At our club, we run 2 groups – Group 1 for experienced riders (~A Grade) and Group 2 for our newer members.

Not every bike of a certain engine capacity can be used. If in doubt, reach out to us and wqe can advise if the bike you have (or are looking at) will fit into one of the approved categories.

How do you get a Rider Number?

The next thing you need is a race number for your bike’s number plates and your rider jersey. If you have a favourite number in mind that’s great. Just remember though that it could already be taken by another club rider and numbers cannot be shared by multiple riders. So it is a good idea to have a couple of numbers just in case. Numbers 1-5 are reserved for club champions and not available.

There are plenty of great events to teach on how to be a better rider.

There are 17 events in Minikhana. All these events are specifically designed to help young riders learn how to control their minibike. From slow events to help teach balance, tight space turning events to help rider learn control and racing on the Minicross track where kids learn to manage speed and jumps. Please read the brief descriptions below.

NOTE: Each event has specific rules and it is important you know and understand them before you compete. All event rules are found in the Manual Of Motor Sports or MOMS. To view them, visit Motorcycling Australia’s website by clicking the link below.

View MOMS

ORANGE

The object of this event is to get around all 5 cones as quickly as possible. Riders learn throttle, braking and clutch control, as well as being able to turn a bike around in a confined space. You are allowed to put your left down on the ground in this event.

RIGHT-HANDED ORANGE

Here you have the same goal as Orange, however this event is run turning the opposite way. This makes using your back brake slightly more challenging to use as you now use your right foot to put on the ground.

LOOPING

Looping really tests you ability to balance a minibike. Following the same course as Orange, except this time you cannot put a foot down on the ground which makes this event more challenging, especially for bigger bikes.

RIGHT-HANDED LOOPING

This is the reverse way from Looping where you now turn to the right. Looping really helps you learn balance and control of the bike. Definitely an event you will want to practise!

RING RETURN

Following the same course as Orange, Ring Return has an added twist. At each cone you need to grab a rubber ring off a short pole, then ride down to the No1 cone and place ring on it. This event teaches you clutch control and how to manipulate the bike with one hand.

BENDING

As the name suggests, this event is about weaving through the cones without touching them or the ground. You can only put your foot down at the top of the course to turn your bike around. A fun event that helps your balance and turning skills.

SLOW

Our slowest event in Minikhana where the goal is to ride down a narrow straight as slow as you can. Last one across the line wins! This is a greta event for balnce skills as well as throttle, clutch and brake control. You can practise this anywhere too. just ride slow!!

CLOVER

This event gets it name because you ride a course that makes a three leaf clover. First you loop left, then around to the right, up to the top gate, then back across the finish line. One of the faster events where you will learn how to use the throttle and brakes in a tight space.

NON FOOTING CLOVER

No surprises here, this event is the same as Clover however you can touch the ground with your feet. So along with throttle and brake control, you will require more balance to steer your minibike around the tyre gates.

ACCELERATION & BRAKING

This is all about speed and braking. A timed event where you accelerate 50m down the course, turn around a cone and accelerate back and stop in small marked out box. This event is all about know when you need to get off the power and onto the brakes!

FIGURE 8

On the same course as Accelerate and Braking, with an extra cone added. On the return leg you cross lanes, turn around another cone, back to the top cone, then flat out to the braking box and finish. More challenging and again, this event is timed. Fastest time wins.

SPIRAL

This event utilises the Clover course but follows a very different pattern. This event feels more challenging because of the number of turns kids need to remember, but once you get the hang of it, you will enjoy it. You will learn throttle and brake control in this event.

NON FOOTING SPIRAL

Yes the non footed version of Spiral, is slightly more complicated by having to keep your feet on the pegs, but teaches riders how to balance the bike at a higher speed while making turns. Throttle control and braking are also a big focus in this event.

BENDING ORANGE

Possibly one of the most challenging events, Bending Orange combines two events into one. This event is all about balance and being able to tun the bike around quickly. Sometime it is the rider who rider slow and steady that does the best in this event.

MINICROSS

Minikhana's version of motocross all about racing on the track. Here riders learn how to do race starts, corner at speed and of course hit those jumps. Races are controlled and have up to 8 riders per race. This is where all the learning from the other events can come together to teach kids how to ride and race their minibikes.

MOMS

Remember to download and read all the rules for every event in the MOMS so you know exactly what to do and what not to do in each event.

View MOMS Here

Our standard club days consist of both coaching and competition. We normally aim for at least 6 different events per day.

Each class of bikes (bike sizes) is in a group and taken to each event. After a period of coaching/practice, a competetive event is run before the groups move to the next event. Points accumulated for each event are used for club awards at end of year.

At the end of the day, riders are free to practice events and gain additional one-on-one coaching.

Standard club day timetable.

Gates open: 8:00AM

Sign on & scrutineering open: 8:15AM

Sign on & scrutineering close: 9:15AM

Rider briefing: 9:15AM

Riding start: At conclusion of rider briefing.

Lunch: 12:00PM – 12:45PM

Riding finish: 4:00PM