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SERIES A TRUE TEST OF CHAMPIONS
APRIL 10, 2006: High winds, blinding dust and treacherous mud, the racers in this season’s New Zealand Motorcycle Cross-country championships have experienced it all in the three rounds thus far.
Riders were nearly blown off their bikes at round one near Pahiatua in March, engulfed in clouds of dust at Mosgiel and skating on mud at round three near Huntly on Sunday.
With just one round remaining in the KTM and Motorex-sponsored series, perhaps they can expect freezing snow or scorching sun when the series wraps up near Blenheim on May 6.
At a waterlogged round three on Sunday, the 31 junior and 52 senior competitors had to cope with driving rain and slippery mud and it was Marton sheep farmer Cam Smith (Suzuki RMZ450) who emerged the cleanest at the end of the three-hour marathon.
With his start-to-finish win on the grassy farmland north-east of Huntly, Smith has punched his way into a commanding lead with just the South Island round to go.
Runner-up at Huntly was defending champion Brad Thomas (Motueka, Suzuki RM250) and third overall was Ngaruwahia’s Heath Howlett (Yamaha WR450F), while round one winner Adriam Smith (Thames, Honda CR250) could only manage fifth.
Adrian Smith’s goggles broke as he sat on the start line and, with no time to replace them, he was forced to ride virtually blind, head down and ducking the clumps of flying mud.
With Cam Smith enjoying clear vision at the front and riding a brutally fast 450cc four-stroke fitted with over-size fuel tank and protective hand guards, it seemed all too easy for the man from the Rangitikei.
It would take a miracle now for Adrian Smith, Thomas or Howlett, or disaster for Cam Smith, at the series finale to change the balance of power. Cam Smith has a six-point advantage over Adrian Smith for outright honours, with Thomas sitting third, five points further back, and Howlett just one point behind him.
“I stalled the bike three times today but I never fell off and that was very important,” said Cam Smith. “I actually had a secret weapon today,” he confessed afterwards. “The water-proof mittens I had on the handlebars meant I could charge through the creek crossings without getting my grips muddy or wet. I didn’t want slippery grips. Holding on to the bike today was crucial.”
With an unaccustomed seventh at the opening round, Thomas was philosophical about his chances of retaining the overall title.
“I don’t think anyone can catch Cam now,” he admitted. “But it’s down to the wire between me and Adrian (Smith) for the class win.”
The way the points calculations work out, with riders able to drop their worst score from their bike class points tally, the race is very much alive between Adrian Smith and Thomas over whom will take the honours in the over-200cc two-stroke class. Whomever wins the final round will likely take the main prize.
The Huntly event doubled as the second and final round of the national junior cross-country championships, with Palmerston North Boys’ High School pupils Sam Ebbett (Suzuki RMZ250) and Matthew Sparrow (Honda CRF250) finishing first and second respectively, the pair only able to be separated on a countback.
Te Kauwhata’s Ricky Ramsey (Kawasaki KX125) was third overall. Ramey won the under-200cc two-stroke class.
The junior division is sponsored by Murphy Buses, in association with Castrol, while RK Chains is an associated sponsor for the entire series.
Leading results from round three of the KTM and Motorex-sponsored New Zealand Motorcycle Cross-country Championships near Huntly on Sunday:
