Oriana Fraser continued her impressive dominance of the motocross rankings through to the end of the season, defending her provincial title as well showing some true grit on the way to claiming the Island championship despite being injured.
The Ladysmith teenager hurt her knee during a VIMX Island Championship Series race in Port Alberni earlier in October but still crossed the line in first despite being in serious pain.
With a healthy lead in the points standings, Fraser sat out the first day of racing during the Island series finale in Port McNeil and then went 2-1 on the Sunday to finish first overall and claim the series title.
“It wasn’t fun to miss the first day there that weekend but it’s a risk that I didn’t have to do it to still get the championship,” she said.
Earlier in the summer she was given a number 7 ranking after her finish at the Rockstar Energy CMRC Western Canadian Ladies Nationals,. She then took a second place finish in the Grand Amateur Nationals in Kamloops and was awarded by her peers as the most improved rider.
Fraser also repeated as the B.C. champion in the Ladies division and proved up to the challenge of racing in less than ideal conditions in series finale in Quesnel on Sept. 24.
“It was a tough weekend,” said stepdad Dale Gisborne. “The weather conditions were pretty wet and it’s a sandy track so it made it kind of soupy but she did well and held up and was very consistent.”
Fraser, who captured three out of a possible four overall wins in the series, added that she was happy with the result and not phased by the conditions.
“That race went pretty good. It was really muddy so it was a lot of fun for me,” she said. “My competition was struggling a bit in it but I was having a blast.”
Fraser said she’s made big gains over the past year, from working on fine tuning her technical skills to better ground speed, as well as maximizing gains in her nutrition.
“In every section I’ve improved,” she said.
Now her focus is on strengthening her knee and possibly racing in the upcoming arenacross season.
“It’s completely different,” she said. “I’m going to improve my technical skills…not just the corner…but there’s also a lot bigger jumps so it’s more aggressive but in a much smaller space.”
Fraser’s sponsors include: Mile Zero Motor sports. Speed Merchant. GNB Builders Inc. KONQUER The Dirt. Ride Industries. RMR Suspensions. CTS Racing. Atlas Brace Technology . Ryno Power. Swabbies Bike’s Magik. Ladysmith Bumper to Bumper. Falcon Crest Printing. Dragon Alliance Goggles and PanicRev.