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Photo - Whibs & Catherine with the Musso and GasGas:
Words & Pic - Dale Matthews:
Check out Dale's Website:
SsangYong Motor Company continues to show a true commitment to New Zealand’s current international off road superstars with World #6 Enduro ace, Paul Wibley kindly being presented the practical and luxurious - SsangYong Musso Sports: double cab ute late last week in Auckland.
SsangYong obviously understand and appreciate the commitment and true personal and financial hardships our current internationals and their partners have to endure in the quest to perform at the upper most completive levels for our country on the world-sporting arena. None more so than Paul and Catherine as they strive to make ends meet financially.
The world enduro faction does not receive the same media notoriety and financial injection that the World MX does and as a result all but the top one or two riders can actually make ends meet solely by riding. Paul can only continue in his quest with the dedicated support from Catherine, as she continues to work long hours as a nurse while abroad, often having to miss events to keep bread on the table.
Paul and Catherine have invested all in the pursuit of world enduro glory with a realistic plan that is based over the next few seasons. Hence on return to New Zealand they are often reliant on generosity and support from family and close friends, thus SsangYong's sponsorship of a motor vehicle for the three months they are home is a huge blessing, allowing the transportation of his new Gas Gas EC250: to events and continuous training - in a vehicle with reliability, style and economy.
This weekend, Paul and Catherine stopped over in Wellington at our home after bike testing of his new Gas Gas EC250, then progressing to a training/come trail ride on Saturday afternoon. They then departed early on Sunday morning on the Inter-Islander as they head down to Dunedin to partake in the High Performance Development Squad.
During this time I had the pleasure of a brief drive of the mighty Musso and I have to state it is a very nice vehicle, with plenty of power and creature comforts. It has a sweet 2.8ltr Turbo intercooled Diesel with automatic trans but a 4x4 and manual options are available.
If you see Paul at an event go have a look at the Musso yourself, it is worth the effort.
Paul's plans for the coming three months are not clearly stepped out. He is hoping to compete at a number of regional events to show what the Gas Gas is capable of while building his training program and bike speed up for return to England to start bike development with the Gas Gas factory team for the coming season. One event he is really hoping to do is Woodville as it is basically his home track, but the return date to England has unfortunately been indicated to be just prior to this premier event. Paul has requested that the travel dates be moved to accommodate Woodville, but this is yet to be confirmed.
Paul would again like to thank SsongYong for the Musso - as well as all those who have and continue to support him.
