Select Junior School teams, Category S1, will race in this weekend’s 24hr Australian International Pedal Prix at Murray Bridge.
The event at the riverside circuit of Sturt Reserve, is the jewel in the crown of the UniSA Australian HPV Super Series. It is the grand finale of the season and it’s challenging 24 hour format a strong drawcard for all.
The event had been unable to be held since 2019 due to Covid, and with its return in last year, did not include Junior School teams. The decision was made in the interests of safety on the basis that none of the Junior School competitors would have ever raced there before. What’s more, all of them would have had limited HPV racing experience, and the grueling 24 hour format, incorporating night-time running and significant speed differentials, created a scenario where extra care had to be taken.
For 2023 it was resolved that Junior School teams could return to the event, with certain criteria. In the interests of safety, provision was made for up to ten vehicles in the Junior School category to receive an offer. The ten teams were decided by the entrants’ provisional standings in the UniSA Australian HPV Super Series Junior School category (S1) at the completion of round five at Geographe Bay, Busselton, on 20 August, 2023.
Teams accepting the offer and returning to the event this weekend are:
31 Crafers Primary School The Comet
4 Brighton Primary School Thunder
54 Westbourne Park Primary Airbourne
193 Highgate Primary Schools Hotrod
46 Holy Trinity Lutheran College Thunder
176 Murray Bridge North School The Beast
137 Brighton Primary School Bolt
Series CEO Marcus Lacey elaborated just how significant the development is. “The return to Murray Bridge for Junior School teams is long overdue. Some four years will have passed since they last raced at Sturt Reserve. We are thrilled to be able to again provide the opportunity for Junior School teams to race at this iconic event.”
