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Photo - Damien King:
Yamaha NZ: Press Release.
Five time winner Darryll King may be sidelined with injury but that doesn’t mean Yamaha’s assault on the New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix won’t have a huge King presence regardless. King’s Subway Yamaha team-mate and younger brother Damien is sure to keep the blue and white flag fluttering high in the Manawatu skies on Sunday afternoon. And what’s more, it would be a very brave man indeed who would doubt that 28-year-old Damien King, a former 500cc Grand Prix star, will be on the podium at the end of this weekend’s 44th annual Woodville event.
Of course, Damien’s got big boots to fill with his brother Darryll traditionally a favourite to win the event and another brother, Shayne, also there to snare the glory.
But Damien King is brimming with confidence.
“I’m the fittest I’ve been in a long time,” said Damien. “I raced two classes at the (just-completed) national supercross championships and I feel very strong.”
One of only two “ironmen” to tackle two classes, King finished top-five in both the 125cc and 250cc supercross classes, but will concentrate on the open class for Woodville, piloting the awesome Yamaha YZ450. “I hope to race the opening round of the Australian Mister Motocross series in Wonthaggi (in Victoria) on March 20 and the Woodville weekend will be good preparation for that,” said the man from Cambridge.
In addition to Damien King, Yamaha will have a huge presence at Woodville with Auckland’s Nigel Smith, the national motocross No.5, sharing the Subway tent with King.
Yamaha will also have the 125cc class covered with adopted kiwi Barry Morris (from Scotland) sure to feature high among the placings.
And the junior ranks too are bursting with Yamaha talent. Hawke’s Bay’s Adam Lawrence and Gisborne’s Matthew Hunt will look to build on their supercross performances when they take on the cream of New Zealand’s junior talent at Woodville. Yamaha scooped the pool at the supercross nationals by winning both the junior 125cc categories -- Lawrence won the 15-16 years 125cc division and Hunt won the 12-14 years 125cc division in the three-round series.
Among the other junior 125cc stars at Woodville will be fellow Yamaha men Jesse Donnelly (from Paraparaumu), Jayden Jessup (from Porirua), Jason Scheele (from Central Hawke’s Bay), Ben Philbert (Featherston), Luke Donaldson (Nelson) and Blenheim pair Shannon Hewetson and Bradley Wadsworth
