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Photo - Tim Curr:
A great pic taken by NZ's top MX scribe.
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Mixed weekend for Yamaha men
It was survival of the fittest, and the luckiest, at a brutal opening round of the New Zealand Motocross Championships in Taupo at the weekend.
An unforgiving track claimed more than its fair share of victims on Sunday as the sandy course cut up rough, although that probably was not to blame for the misfortune that enveloped leading Yamaha rider Darryll King.
The opening 500cc race was were it all started, and where it finished, for King, the national No.2 hitting neutral mid-flight off a sharp uphill jump and, as he landed, he could not avoid smashing into the rear of fellow Yamaha rider Mason Phillips.
King’s campaign ended right there with the Yamaha ace, one of the favourites for the title this season, lying in pain on the ground, his leg smashed just below the knee.
“It’s one of the worst breaks I’ve had,” he said from Waikato Hospital as he awaiting surgery on Monday.
“I won’t be riding for some time now.”
Meanwhile, Phillips recovered from that shunt to battle back to fifth place in that race. He followed that with another fifth and then an 8th placing, to finish the weekend fifth in the standings, just 13 points behind Honda’s Peter Broxholme.
In the popular 125cc class, the “Flying Scotsman”, Barry Morris, who now calls Wellington his home, was carving through the field.
Morris, in hot form after a solid season racing in Australia, finished 7-3-5 in his three races, an effort that was good enough to seal him a podium spot at the end of the day.
Morris is third overall in the standings, just 12 behind Queenstown’s Scotty Columb and 25 behind early series leader Cody Cooper.
American visitor David Pingree also fell victim to the Taupo track on Sunday. Although he battled to strong finishes in each of his 250cc class outings, good enough to place him fifth overall at the end of the day, he looked a completely spent force as the perspiration dripped from him.
Fellow subway Yamaha riders Nigel Smith (Pukekohe) and Cameron Negus (Rotorua) finished the weekend sixth and eighth in the standings.
A bright spot for Yamaha was the steep development and maturing of young Yamaha rider Tim Curr.
As many riders were falling down all around him, Blenheim’s Curr was charging ahead at Taupo.
Aeroquip Motocare Yamaha rider Curr, racing a Yamaha YZ250, qualified just outside the top 10 in the talent-laden 250cc class, eventually seeing him finish the session 14th fastest but easily qualifying for what is perhaps the toughest national 250cc class in many years.
After a terrific start I the day’s first 250cc class moto, Curr was in 5th position after four corners when he collided with Pingree.
Curr remounted in 29th position and gradually worked his way back up the field and, after the 25 minutes had claimed 16th position at the chequered flag.
In his second outing, Curr once again snatched a good start but he was soon confronted with Team Kawasaki's Mike Phillips, crashed on the track at the exit of the first corner. No wishing to smash into Phillips, Curr lost valuable time avoiding him, as the rest of the field streamed by, leaving only Phillips behind him he gave chase to the fast-disappearing pack.
He quickly moved through the field and into 16th place. Then, over the next eight laps, he managed to work his way through to 12th place on a track that was now incredibly rough and energy-sapping.
Curr found himself mid-pack at the start of the day’s third and final 250cc moto. He had had to re-tape both hands after race two because of severe blisters but, regardless, he ploughed on to be 15th at half race distance.
Curr continued to apply pressure on the riders in front of him and finished the race in 12th position, good enough to give him 12th overall in the standings with three rounds remaining.
“It was a hard weekend,” Tim said, having only ridden two meetings since getting his wrist out of plaster.
“My hands and arms suffered big time, on probably the roughest track I’ve ever ridden. The rest of my fitness was okay. My YZ Yamaha went really well and I'm looking forward to round two in Timaru in a fortnight.”
Yamaha Press Release
