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The first round of the Suzuki 2003 NZ Enduro Championships was held at Waimiha on Sunday June 15th. Gary Powell had set up an awesome track and he was justly rewarded when 112 competitors turned up for the days racing. In the past Gary has concentrated on setting a challenging course but this weekend the emphasis was on participation and enjoyment and it paid off handsomely. There was an incredibly high finish rate with only 19 DNFs and a large percentage of those were mechanical failure. (with particular mention of Mick Brannan\'s unique experience! He and his KDX200 disappeared when he discovered a tomo under the track - in other words, what was once track became a gaping hole 10 feet deep!)
After the event there was a real buzz - there is no doubt that the majority, if not all, really enjoyed themselves. Even Mick had a smile on his face.
It was a long course, with the experts facing almost 160 km. Even the intermediates had a very respectable 120 km to cover. The day started overcast but not cold - perfect enduro weather - and, although light showers later in the day made things a little slippery in places, it was always ridable.
Chris Birch (KTM 250) won the day with a very consistent ride but hardly had the day to himself. The first terrain test (which was unfortunately scrapped because of a few irregularities that couldn\'t be resolved) was won by Sean Clarke (DRZ400) and then Kevin Hermansen (RM125) showed his cross country riding skills with a two second win in the second TT.
Chris then took out the last two terrain tests to finish 33 seconds up on Sean Clarke, with Steven Bird (YZF250) only 12 seconds further back. And that\'s after 5 and a half hours of riding!
An excellent start to the Suzuki New Zealand Championships.
Full Results with top 3 placings below.
Expert 2 Stroke Under
Roger Boyles (RM125), Kevin Hermansen (RM125), Rob Howe (CR125)
Expert 2 Stroke Over
Chris Birch (KTM250), Marcus Greenwood (CR250), Shaun Prescott (KTM250)
Expert 4 Stroke Under
Steven Bird (YZF250), Glen Manning (KTM250), Mark Pollard (KTM250)
Expert 4 Stroke Over
Sean Clarke (DRZ400), Dougy Herbert (KTM400), Tim Woodward (CRF450)
Intermediate 2 Stroke Under
Stephen Sergeant (RM125), Dale Wilkins (KTM200), Jack Pronger (KTM125)
Intermediate 2 Stroke Over
Peter Flexman (KDX200), Rowan Dillon (KTM300), Graeme Handcock (KTM250)
Intermediate 4 Stroke Under
Heath Howlett (YZF250), Scott Birch (KTM250), Rodney Sutton (DRZ400)
Intermediate 4 Stroke Over
Paul McDowell (KTM520), Sam Swanson (DRZ400), Nick Voysey (KTM400)
Vets 35 + (Expert)
Neville Coombe (DRZ400), Mark Temple (CR250), Darryl August (KX250)
Vets 40-49 (Intermediate)
Alan Hockly (KTM250), Grant Colville (KTM300), Jim Denham (KTM450)
Vets 50+ (Intermediate)
Brett Graham (DRZ400), Peter Birch (KTM250)
PS Thanks to Gary & Sandra for a bed (and the excellent cooked breakfast!) and thanks especially to Murray Searle for the ride there and back. Much appreciated.
