When James Sawdy was a lively five-year-old he was already a fan of motorcycling, but after coming into contact with a stump, he came off, fracturing his hip.
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The family soon decided that maybe he should give them a miss for a while.
And he did, for nine years at least.
"Dad bought me a bike when I was 14 and then when I saw flat-track racing without any jumps, so it's a bit safer, I decided to give it a crack," he said.
What it lacks in jumps is certainly made up for with speed with racers reaching up to 170kmh on some of the faster tracks.
"That's what gives it the edge," he said.
"When you're travelling at those speeds if you have a crash, it's going to be a big one."
With the support of his parents and his employer Blayney Motors and Bathurst's Tim Tobin, Sawdy is heading to Quirindi this Friday to take a stab at the NSW Senior Long Track Titles over the weekend.
"It's an old horse trotting track which they've prepped for bikes and added a few wooden boards and hay bales in case someone goes into the wall," he said.
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As for his biggest supporters, they're changing their views the faster he goes.
"At first dad was chill and mum was nervous, now that mum knows how safe it is she's fine, but dad's getting worried," he laughed. "And he's the one that got me to where I am now."
Mark Logan
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
