JIMBOOMBA supercross talent Jake Cuka overcame every hurdle thrown at him in the five round Australian Championship to win the Junior Lites title and Peter Melton Cup.
The first round of the national competition started at Jimboomba X Stadium on September 15, with Cuka, 16, in form to claim second place on home ground.
Cuka’s path to victory was not easy after he copped a penalty at round two in Coolum, pushing his position down to fourth.
The Beaudesert State High School student gained ground in second place at Geelong in round three and had a difficult race in Adelaide leaving him three points shy of first place ahead of the final race in Sydney on November 10.
Cuka told the Jimboomba Times he took a more relaxed approach to the final round where he secured first place and won the series with a four-point margin.
“I was not as stressed...I raced each race as it came, had fun and enjoyed it,” he said.
“I am hoping this will open doors and sponsors to me. At the moment I am still on a high from the win and looking forward to next year.
“It was an up-and-down series. There were a lot of bad moments, but I pulled it all together in the end.”
Cuka will contest the seniors division in 2019 and hopes to finish in the top eight.
Jake’s dad, Mark Cuka, said his son did not have access to the same tracks and training as other competitors, but had the right equipment to do the job.
“We hope he can get sponsorship and have already had congratulations from some of the biggest sports teams in Australia,” he said.
“Supercross is a very intense, extreme sport and to be an Australian champion takes a special type of kid.”
Promoter Scott Bannan said he was proud to see a local boy succeed at a national level.
“We have a local boy from Jimboomba who won after he was robbed at Coolum (in round two),” he said.
“If he wasn’t penalised he would have annihilated (the competition).”
Cuka said it was an honour to receive the Peter Melton Memorial cup. “Before he passed away he took me under his wing...I was one of the only people he trained.”