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Photo - Darryl Hurley @ Trentham.
Courtesy Andy McGechan:
Email Andy: He may just have a photo of you?
SUZUKI NZ Ltd - Press Release:
It was a day of mixed results for the "Alpinestars Suzuki" team at the third round of the National Motocross Championships in Wellington. The Trentham Racetrack is usually associated with the sound of beating hoofs, rather than a swarm of high revving motorcycles, and with conditions dry and very hard packed, it was a very different track type for riders to contend with.
The entries in the 125cc class were boasting probably the most talented line-up for some years, where just qualifying takes some real skill. The first race was a Daryl Hurley benefit riding his "Alpinestars Suzuki" RM-Z250 to a comfortable first place finish with teammate Scott Columb riding his Suzuki RM125 to a solid third place.
Race two did not start well for Hurley when he missed a gear on the start straight and was cleaned out from the rear by another rider. Unfortunately, the RM-Z250 was badly damaged during the collision and so Hurley was forced to withdraw. After a shocking first race withdrawal, Masterton-based "Alpinestars Suzuki" rider Luke Burkhart was really fired up, hunting for some more points in this year’s championship on his RM-Z250. A slow start meant that Burkhart had some real catching up to do and with Columb right behind him, both riders started picking off competitors in front. By the end of the race Burkhart had moved to a very creditable third place with Columb only meters behind for fourth.
The last race was shaping up to be a real crowd pleaser and with the track now very dusty and rough in places, it was also going to be a test for the riders and bikes. After a day of problems for the team, all three "Alpinestars Suzuki" riders made a clean start and quickly set about passing the race leader Darryl King. First to take the lead was Burkhart passing King on the back part of the track. It wasn’t long before Hurley had also closed the gap and passed King in the air over a massive double jump. By the time the finish flag was waved, Hurley had passed fellow teammate Burkhart for the lead and in a last lap stunner, Columb blew by last year's National Champion, Cody Cooper, for a well-earned fourth place.
Danny Ham and Mark Penny headed the charge for the "Alpinestars Suzuki" team in the 250cc two-stroke class, with Penny riding to pole position in qualifying with a blisteringly fast lap on his RM250. Ham hole shot the first race and rode away from the pack in the first few laps and Penny, also with a good start, quickly moved to third and was closing in on Shayne King and teammate Ham in the later stages of the race. But, as time ran out, Ham took the win from King with Penny third.
The second race was a disaster for Penny as one of the more dangerous sections of the track caught his front wheel and instantly pitched him over the bars of his RM250 and breaking a finger in the process. Ham rode on through the dust to claim second behind King. With Penny out for the last race of the day it was down to Ham to fly the "Alpinestars Suzuki" flag and, after a long battle, Ham was content to settle for third rather than push too hard and risk injury on the difficult track.
With the last round heading to Auckland, "Alpinestars Suzuki" team heads the 125cc class with Hurley and holds a solid second in the 250cc class.
STANDINGS AFTER ROUND THREE:
125cc
Daryl Hurley 173 points Alpinestars Suzuki
Cody Cooper 170 points Honda
Scott Columb 153 points Alpinestars Suzuki
Luke Burkhart 135 points Alpinestars Suzuki
250cc
Shayne King 194 points Honda
Danny Ham 192 points Alpinestars Suzuki
Peter Broxholme 169 points Honda
Shaun Fogarty 157 points KTM
