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Photo - KAWASAKI ace Kirk Bezzant, one of the favourites for the junior nationals this season:
Photo courtesy of Andy McGechan:
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KAWASAKI TEAM GREEN - Press Release:
A key ingredient to becoming a motocross champion is being prepared to put in the Ks. And that's just what young riders like Kirk Bezzant, Sam Pascoe, Brad Groombridge and Katherine Prumm have been doing as the New Zealand Junior Motocross championships approach.
Cambridge's Bezzant, Motueka’s Pascoe, Taupo's Groombridge and Pukekohe's Prumm have spent many hours on their bikes as they build up to the biggie on their racing calendar, the three-day nationals event to be staged this season at New Plymouth's Barrett Road circuit.
And while they have been putting in the hard work, they have all the backing they need too from a major New Zealand company to which “putting in the Ks” could be a very apt way to describe what they do -- Kawasaki New Zealand makes sure the bike brand with the big green K is very much to the forefront.
But Bezzant, Pascoe, Groombridge and Prumm have more than just the bright green Kawasaki brand in common ... they are each also among the favourites to win their respective age and bike capacity classes at the Taranaki meeting.
For Bezzant (16), it will be his last as a junior rider. Seventh last season, he sees no reason why he can’t now significantly improve his ranking this time around but he says he still has a lot of respect for key rivals Tommy Madams and Joseph Andrell and will take nothing for granted at New Plymouth. “I’ve been training very hard and I love the New Plymouth track, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend,” Bezzant said.
Bezzant was national 125cc No.1 in the 12-14 years’ class in 2003.
For Prumm (16), the Taranaki event is also her last as a junior rider and she’s already looking ahead to tackling the Australian women at their national championship series in the coming months. Prumm arrived unannounced in Australia for the final round of their nationals last season and cleaned up, making her one of the favourites across the Tasman this season.
“My New Zealand ranking is actually No.13 … but that’s an unlucky number, so I ride with No.649 on my Kawasaki,” she said.
“I’m actually hoping for a bit of rain in New Plymouth. I ride really well in the mud. I’m using the New Zealand junior nationals as a build-up for Australia. I have not seen what track changes they have made at Barrett Road but it will be the same for everyone, so I’m not worried,” she said.
Groombridge (14) is comfortable on both his 125cc and 85cc Kawasaki bikes but will focus on the small bike for this year’s nationals.
“I’ve been beating my main competition lately – Mason Wilkie and Michael Menchi – so I’ve feeling very confident, but anything can happen over a nine-race weekend,” he said.
Kawasaki has top riders in every class -- too many to mention by name – and the podium in Taranaki will likely have a very green tinge to it next weekend. Whatever happens on the race track, the Kawasaki riders have no worries off it. Kawasaki New Zealand is a main sponsor for the meeting and will have full support facilities on hand for its riders and pit crews.
Team Green support manager Mike Ramsey said there would be a giant Kawasaki marquee erected inside the pit area and Kawasaki riders could feel free to use the bank of water-blasters and make use of the vast supply of Kawasaki spare parts, as the need arose during the weekend.
