    |
 |
|
|
|
Hawera’s Daryl Hurley has taken another big leap on his climb back up the ladder to regaining his world-beating form.
The 31-year-old Suzuki star, barely a month back on a bike after a crippling injury suffered in July last year, took on the best in the business at the big annual Patetonga Valley Motocross Championships near Morrinsville on Sunday and scored a hat-trick of wins.
And it’s given Hurley just the confidence boost he needs as he contemplates another crack at the Australian National Title he won in 2005.
His title defence was cut short by the injury to his knee last season but his recent performances at two of New Zealand’s biggest events – the annual New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville in late January and the weekend’s event at Patetonga – has convinced him he’s on target.
He raced a Suzuki RM-Z250 to victory on the small bike class at Woodville but stepped back up to the open class machine, the booming Suzuki RM-Z450, on Sunday and promptly threw up dust from his rear wheel for everyone else to taste.
“It’s a good result for my first race back on the big bike,” said Hurley. “I had good starts and just stayed out in front and out of trouble.
“I want to head back to Australia now and start testing. I’m not 100% yet but not far away. The weekend was certainly a confidence-builder.”
The Australian title chase is set to kick off on April 15.
Hurley’s Suzuki team-mate, Queenstown’s Scott Columb, runner-up to Hurley at Woodville, chose to stick with the small bike but he took it into battle alongside Hurley in the open class and finished fourth overall, just behind Darryll King, the National Champion in the 250cc and 500cc classes.
Columb won the National MX2 Supercross title on the same bike in January, with fellow Suzuki rider Luke Burkhart (Hawera) taking the National Open Class Supercross title.
Burkhart raced at the opening round of the Australian Supercross Championships in Adelaide on Saturday night, finishing fifth overall.
