By KATH GANNAWAY
SKATEBOARDERS from around Australia are oiling their wheels for the Australian Downhill Skateboard Racing Championship in Warburton on Sunday 16 November.
The championships are the drawcard event for the Victorian Skateboarding Association’s Yarra Ranges Downhill Festival to be held over a three kilometre track from the top of Mount Donna Buang to the 10-Mile car park on Sunday 16 November.
Event organiser Al VanDenBerg and some of the competitors were at the opening of the Warburton Skate Park two weeks ago, after practising on the mountain.
Mr Van Den Berg said the event had been hugely successful over the past three years in Monbulk, and, with the track now three times the distance, they were expecting as many as 60 competitors for the down-hill events including state representatives.
He said the event was a great sporting spectacle and that two special areas had been set aside for spectators.
VSA president Bernard Griffiths, said the main attraction would be an elimination race where competitors could reach speeds of between 85 and 90km/h. Participants wear full motorcycle helmets and leathers while racing.
“It is a bit of an extreme sport, to stay on a skateboard at that speed without wobbling or flying off – they have to be at peak fitness,” he said.
He said the section of road used for the event will be closed off to traffic for the day and that safety would be a priority.
Yarra Ranges Youth Services will be at the event with a mini-market, slalom competitions and free-rides also taking place on the day.
The Yarra Ranges Downhill Festival will be held from 9am-5pm on Donna Buang Road, Warburton.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/yarrarangesdownhillfestival
