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YOU can’t keep a good man down and few were as good as Feilding’s Leon Andrew on Sunday.
National 125cc motocross champion in 1989, the 32-year-old plasterer classes himself more a social racer these days, only you wouldn’t have known it to see him plastering his rivals with mud at the rain-soaked opening round of the Spectro Oils Winter Motocross Series near Wanganui on Sunday.
“It’s my first time on a four-stroke bike too and I’m just loving it,” he said. “The bike hasn’t even had the suspension tuned for me. The bike is stock standard, straight out of the crate.”
Andrew finished 1-2-1 in the three 125cc class races on his new Yamaha YZ250F, the class opened up to the 250cc four-stroke bikes in recognition of their supposed weight and power disadvantages over the two-stroke machines.
Andrew made a mockery of that ruling and is now giving serious thought to tackling the national championships in November.
“It’s early days yet. It’s only the first round of the winter series that I’ve won but it certainly has given me a psychological boost.”
Another story of triumph against the odds was that of Hawera’s Daryl Hurley.
Although full-time professional Hurley could reasonably be expected to dominate at a domestic event, it still came as a huge surprise when he cleaned up the pro 250-open class on Sunday.
It was the Hawera rider’s first time on a bike in seven weeks, since he shattered a finger on his right hand at the Australian motocross nationals opening round in early April and, on Sunday morning, he was still uncertain whether he should ride. It was also the 25-year-old Suzuki star’s first muddy meeting in nearly two years and he was on a bike showing a bit of wear and tear.
Fresh from an aborted Grand Prix campaign in Europe, a fired-up Corrie Sargent, from Featherston, led from start to finish to win the day’s first open class pro race. But Hurley struck back to win the next two and take overall honours for the day.
“My upper body is so sore. It feels like I’ve done a few rounds with Mike Tyson,” said the 25-year-old Hurley afterwards, his fitness less than ideal after nearly two months of relative inactivity and his finger still badly swollen.
“I know it will take some time to get back into the swing of things. I was just grateful to be able to hang on to the bike. But I just wasn’t clicking today … my brain was out of synch with my body and my timing as way off.”
Third overall on the day in the pro 250-open class was Dannevirke’s 500cc national No.7 Graeme Bowie, scoring impressive 5-3-4 finishes on his Yamaha YZ426.
Palmerston North’s Brett Turnbull, son of 1977 national 125cc motocross champion Phil Turnbull, collected junior 125cc class honours with 2-2-1 placings on Sunday.
LEADING results from the opening round of the Spectro Oils Winter Motocross series near Wanganui at the weekend:
Pro250/Open: 1 Daryl Hurley (Hawera) 57; 2 Corrie Sargent (Featherston) 54; 3 Graham Bowie (Dannevirke) 39; 4 Greg Ngeru (New Plymouth) 37; 5 Mitch Rowe (New Plymouth) 30; 6 James Robinson (Kopane) 27.
Pro125 1 Leon Andrew (Feilding) 58; 2 Scott Newton (Horowhenua) 45; 3 Cody Cooper (Opotiki) 44; 4 Blair Meyer (Colyton) 38; 5 Matthew Duncan (Wellington) 33; 6 David Malcolm (Central HB) 28.
Senior 125 1 Richard Kibby (Palmerston North) 60; 2 Rhys Scott (Carterton) 43; 3 Jason Petersen (Urenui) 39.
Senior 250 1 Casey Cair (Waipawa) 57; 2 Mark Humphries (Waipukurau) 48; 3 Hamish McDougal (Wanganui) 45.
Senior Open 1 Allen Entwhistle (Palmerston North) 60; 2 Richard MacDonald (Palmerston North) 51.
Veterans 1 Christopher Smyth (Dannevirke) 55; 2 Graeme Deans (Levin) 51; 3 Wayne Marshall (Wanganui) 46.
Junior 125 1 Brett Turnbull (Palmerston North) 54; 2 Marcus Coley (Levin) 50; 3 Jay Robinson (Martinborough) 46.
Junior 12-16 85cc 1 Brady Murland (Paraparaumu) 52; 2 Stephen Montgomery (Waiouru) 50; 3 Jason Scott (Carterton) 49.
Junior 8-11 85cc 1 Mason Wilkie (Masterton) 57; 2 Brad Groombridge (Taupo) 54; 3 Samuel Ebbett (Marton) 43.
