NEWHAVEN College Head of Senior School, Mr Brett Torstonson, was honoured to be invited by Chris Townsend and his son, Baylin, to attend one of Baylin’s National Motocross Championship events recently at Loy Yang, near Traralgon.
“One of the most extraordinary sporting events I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Not for the sport itself, but for the exhilaration and meaning that this sport brings to the life of so many, but in my world, to the lives of three of our current students, and one of our past students.
“Now I am not a motorsport fan. I am the proud owner of a fully electric BMW I4 and very much enjoy touting the joys of “going electric” and being able to fully charge my car overnight at home for a little more than $13.50 for a full charge. I was entering a world that was foreign to me,” said Brett.
The event was astonishing as the track itself changes with every race, indeed every lap, with the dirt shifting around the track making a racing line useful in one lap and dangerous in the next. Each rider had to adapt to the conditions as the race unfolded.
There to watch the U18 race, Brett saw Baylin Townsend flying around the track.
“I later found out that in his first race of the day (the first race I watched), Baylin fell from his bike twice, and yet managed to finish the race in 14th place,” said Brett.
After taking in the sights for a while after Baylin’s first race, Brett eventually found the Fockertown Racing Team at their base – an exhausted Baylin resting and the team looking at his and other bikes.
Baylin’s dad, Chris, welcomed Brett into their base, where he also caught up with Newhaven College Year 9 student Nelly Fox, the only female rider to race on the day in any category, and her older brother Oscar (a former Newhaven student), who races in the same category as Baylin.
“Nelly and Oscar’s mum immediately cooked me lunch and invited me in so that I could better understand what I had been watching. Baylin’s younger brother, Lawson, I didn’t see, but he was there – not a rider, but a worker in the Honda Racing Team’s hospitality and engineering trailer.
“What amazed me most on this day was the commitment required by not only the young racers in this sport but also their families.”
Baylin, Oscar and Nelly’s families commit considerable time and finances to ensure they can compete in the sport that they very clearly love.
“I cannot thank Chris Townsend, Steven and Megan Fox enough for their hospitality and generosity on this wonderful Sunday. The joy that this sport brings to both families, not just the riders, was palpable. Baylin himself is a modest young man who does have professional aspirations in the sport, and he may well succeed in this cutthroat arena; he is that good.”
