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Photo - Shayne King, Honda's main man.
Story and pic courtesy of Andy McGechan:
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IF MANAWATU motocross fans are getting sick and tired of Taranaki riders dominating their big day out, there's something the men from the foot of Mount Egmont want to tell you.
“Get used to it.”
This weekend's (Jan 29-30) 44th annual Honda New Zealand International Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville is likely to be another clash of Taranaki titans, only it won't be the usual suspects gunning for glory.
Instead of Taranaki's King brothers, Darryll and Shayne, fighting over the main honours, it is expected to be a very different all-Taranaki showdown and one that hasn't been seen at Woodville in about eight years -- New Plymouth's Shayne King versus Hawera's Daryl Hurley.
Five-time Woodville winner Darryll King is sidelined with injury this time around.
Honda's Shayne King has more Woodville wins to his credit than any other rider since the event’s inaugural running in 1961.
The 1996 500cc world champion from New Plymouth has won at Woodville a staggering eight times.
With Blue Wing Honda as the event's main sponsor, it puts added pressure on No.1 rider King to take the podium top step.
But Suzuki rider Hurley is a very tangible threat.
The fulltime professional has just returned after two seasons racing in the United States and he beat King when they last raced, in New Plymouth just before Christmas.
“It's about eight years since I've raced at Woodville. I'm very excited about going back there,” Hurley said.
“Every year for the past eight years, Woodville has either clashed with a supercross race in Australia or I have been racing in America. Now I'm back in this part of the world. Shayne and I have a very special relationship ... he's an old friend, my closest rival and also one of my sponsors, but it’s still good to beat him.”
A typically modest King says he's not expecting too much of himself and, with his apparel and motorcycle accessory importing business making increasing demands on his time, he concedes he's “run out of time to get fit enough to challenge Hurley, a man who’s at the top of his game”.
“But anything can happen in motocross and I'll certainly be giving him a run for his money.”
Not only will it be a clash between two men from the same region, Woodville will be a showdown between two world class riders who, between them, own four current national titles.
King (34) is the national 250cc and 500cc motocross champion, while Hurley (28) is the national 125cc motocross and 250cc supercross champion.
But it would also be unfair to pitch the two-day Woodville event as merely a battle between these two individuals.
The Woodville event typically attracts more than 700 riders to the region, from first-timers as young as five to veterans in their 50s, and spectators in their thousands.
And, among the elite riders entered, there are plenty of talented Kiwis with a valid claim to the Woodville crown that King and Hurley would be advised to keep a close eye on.
Riders such as Honda's Cody Cooper should feature. The 21-year-old from Opotiki is current Australian 125cc champion and ran Hurley ragged in chasing Hurley to the New Zealand 125cc title.
Featherston’s Corrie Sargent, Cambridge’s Mike Cotter, Te Awamutu’s Mark Penny, Feilding’s Leon Andrew and flying Scotsman Barry Morris are also certain to make it a very hot afternoon at the northern end of the Manawatu Gorge.
Marton's Paul Whibley -- another Kiwi dirt bike international but one who specialises in off-road endurance racing -- is expected to dominate the spectacular river-crossing race at Woodville. Whibley won the enduro class and the 250cc motocross class there last year.
He heads to Europe next month to begin another season on the world enduro championship circuit. The 28-year-old factory rider for Spanish manufacturer Gas Gas finished sixth in the world last year.
Meanwhile, this weekend may be the last chance New Zealand will see King and Hurley battle on home soil for a while. The pair head to Australia to prepare for the national championships there, another campaign they are expected to dominate, along with King's elder brother Darryll. The two Kings finished 1-2 in Australia last season. Hurley has also featured across the Tasman, finishing runner-up in the supercross nationals when he last raced there, in 2002.
