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(Marton rider Cam Smith (6), on target for the National Cross-country title) SUZUKI TOPS THE PODIUM AT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
It was a Suzuki 1-2 double whammy at round three of the New Zealand Motorcycle Cross-country championships near Huntly on Sunday.
In fact, Suzuki riders filled out four of the top six spots overall at Huntly and also topped three of the four bike capacity classes as the nation’s best off-road motorcyclists braved the elements while a storm lashed the country and drenched the farmland circuit.
With just one round remaining, it seems there’s now no stopping Marton’s Cam Smith from winning the New Zealand Motorcycle Cross-country Championships after his flawless riding display in the slippery Waikato mud on Sunday.
With special hand-guard mittens in place to keep his hands both warm and dry, the 29-year-old Rangitikei sheep farmer made it look as if he was on just another stock round-up, until his Suzuki team-mate, defending champion Brad Thomas, closed in during the final lap and threatened to snatch away the glory.
While Smith (Suzuki RM-Z450) led from the outset, Thomas (Suzuki RM250) found himself back in traffic. But Motueka legend Thomas fought his way through to fourth by the end of the first 25-kilometre lap, just ahead of local rider Karl McGovern (Suzuki RM125).
Thomas’ charge through the field continued and eventually took him to within sight of Smith during a tense, nail biting final lap.
“I could see him just ahead of me,” said Thomas. “I decided to give it one last-ditch effort and charged after him down a long, steep hill. But I was going way too fast and couldn’t stop at the bottom. I dumped the bike and found myself sitting on a bank as I watched my bike cartwheel down the next hill. I was stuffed after getting it back and riding back to rejoin the track.”
Despite the mishap, Thomas (29) still finished runner-up, but he knows it is now impossible to retain his crown as outright cross-country king-pin. However, Thomas still has his sights set on winning the over-200cc two-stroke class.
“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 Thames Honda rider Adrian Smith and Thomas over which individual will take the honours in the over-200cc two-stroke class.
For Brad Thomas and Adrian Smith, everything now depends on the final round, set for Blenheim on May 6.
As for Cam Smith, he knows he just has to maintain his momentum and the outright crown and over-300cc four-stroke title are both his.
McGovern, a young rider who was enjoying a rare chance to run with the elite thanks to the event being staged on his parents’ farm, turned his local knowledge to a huge advantage. He shocked the sport’s stars and finished the day fourth overall and first in the under-200cc two-stroke class.
Meanwhile, the Huntly event also doubled as the second and final round of the National Junior Cross-country Championships, with Palmerston North Boys’ High School pupils Sam Ebbett (Suzuki RM-Z250) and Matthew Sparrow (Honda CRF250) finishing first and second respectively, the pair only able to be separated on a countback.
Leading results from round three of the New Zealand Motorcycle Cross-country Championships near Huntly on Sunday:
