It was a moment to savour for both – Dowd overcame doubts following a two-year injury layoff to make the 14-year-old girls’ top eight and McKenna faced a nervous wait to join her after originally thinking she’d missed the cut.

Dowd finished seventh and McKenna placed eighth in the decider at their Jetty Flat-based home track on Sunday. The Emmanuel College students, among a small contigent representing Warrnambool BMX Club, were grateful to share the same stage.

“Off the track, best friends, on the track, hate each other,” McKenna joked.

Dowd agreed with her close mate.

“We get a bit competitive towards each other at stages but it’s really good to see both of us make the finals and race together,” she said.

McKenna said she was “overwhelmed” to make the top eight.

“It’s unbelievable to be honest, I couldn’t think of anything better,” she said.

Dowd spent two years nursing a serious arm injury sustained in a race accident.

She was “pretty emotional and pretty excited” to perform strongly in her first big competition since the injury setback.

“Two years ago I was racing at Bathurst for the Australian titles and I was racing for Victoria and I fell off during the second straight and broke my arm,” Dowd said.

“I haven’t been on the bike for two years so it’s pretty exciting to make the final in a massive event like this.”

Dowd said she was proud of the Warrnambool club’s efforts in hosting the event, which attracted riders from as far as Western Australia for three days of racing.

“Having this in Warrnambool has just been a massive uplift and all the support around Warrnambool has been amazing for us,” she said.

Warrnambool BMX Club president Daniel McKenna said the girls’ efforts justified the hard work in getting the track ready for the event.

“Amber Dowd, what can I say… four surgeries later, she said she was scared to ride again and has come back this weekend in an open state title and she’s beaten a girl in the age group (in a heat) who is riding in pro ladies,” he said.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the young lass. Amarli has worked so hard. She’s not the most naturally talented rider out on the track but she’s got a heart of gold.”

Dowd’s brother Ethan was forced out of day three action after a race fall on Saturday.

Warrnambool’s Johannah Jephcott (15-year-old girls) and Xavier Keilar (nine-year-old boys) finished third and fifth in their respective finals.

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