IT was set to be one of the most exciting motorcross events seen at Mount Panorama but this weekend's qualifying round for the King of MX NSW/ACT State Titles is no more.
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Organisers on Tuesday were forced to pull the pin on this weekend's Bathurst round due to recommendations made by NSW Heath around community sport.
Motorcycling NSW stated that as of Wednesday they would be implementing the government recommendations to help curb the spread of COVID-19, by 'Cancelling activities which bring together participants from organisations in different regions of Sydney, from a rural area into a metro area and vice versa, and movement between different rural areas'.
Under such provisions the Mount Panorama qualifier won't be going ahead, an event which would have seen some of the best riders from across the state converge on Bathurst over a high-stakes weekend of racing.
Entries were looking promising for the qualifier with four categories maxing out their numbers prior to Tuesday's announcement.
Jack Arrow was one of several Bathurst riders hoping to make their mark on the Mount.
Arrow was understanding of the decision though naturally disappointed to see the remainder of the season brought to a stop.
"It's disappointing but it's definitely not the silliest move. I know people will be upset because a lot of money and effort has been put into it but they've got to manage COVID," he said.
"With motorsport you're pumping money into it with the risk that you're not going to get anything out of it. It's hard to say 'We won't do it this year' because of coronavirus because it doesn't work like that when you're racing.
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"You've got to keep people and sponsors happy. You can't just give up, and that's the hard part."
Arrow was keen to build upon his experience at the finals back in 2018, when he battled through an injury to take on the top under 19s riders from NSW and the ACT.
Now in seniors, Arrow had hopes his knowledge of the Bathurst track would give him a great shot during the weekend's action.
"You travel away on the coast, even up to places like Port Macqaurie, and then you finally get the chance to race at home. It was exciting.
"It made me think this was the year we could show what we've wanted to for a while. Bathurst hasn't had a state title in a long time.
"It was going to be an unreal field. I know our lot of our club members were getting ready for this, and our club membership this year had almost doubled with people getting ready for this."