A selection of street luge speedsters from Batemans Bay have taken to the track at Mount Panorama on the weekend as part of the Newton’s Nation event.
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Jayden Hodge and Nick McKirdy were among a group of riders from the South Coast who travelled to the extreme sports extravaganza, which acts as the first round of the International Downhill Federation circuit.
It was the first time competing for Hodge, who only took up the sport three months ago.
He said nothing could have prepared him for the rush of racing down the iconic mountain.
“In my training, I was hitting speeds of around 60km/h, but there you get up to around 90km/h, so it was definitely a bit of an adjustment,” he said.
“I crashed three times during practice, but made it through my heat alright.”
In my training, I was hitting speeds of around 60km/h, but there you get up to around 90km/h, so it was definitely a bit of an adjustment
- Jayden Hodge
Riders had the Friday to practice going down the 1.3km course before qualifying on Saturday.
Hodge was eliminated in the first heat to finish 18th in the field of 23, while McKirdy progressed to the third heat to finish 11th.