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JANUARY 21, 2008: There seems to be nothing that can halt the progress of Auckland fitter and turner Chris Birch.
The 27-year-old defending champion picked up where he left off last season when he won the opening round of the 2008 New Zealand Motorcycle Enduro Championships near Te Kuiti on Sunday.
It was a case of déjà vu for many of the nearly 70 riders who showed up at the dry and dusty course at Waimiha, as Birch (KTM 300 EXCE) raced his way to an outright win and E3 class victory as well.
But it wasn’t as easy as the extreme athlete probably made it look, with Birch nursing a bruised and swollen forearm at the end of the day, following an altercation with a tree.
“I hit something pretty hard but I think the adrenaline got me through the pain. It’s really hurting now though,” he said.
He even had time during the day to stop and attend another rider who had crashed, before rejoining the race and still staying on target to reach the next check-point in the allotted time.
“It wasn’t too much of a problem. The organisers would have credited me back with any time I’d lost anyway … I just didn’t need them to do that because I had time up my sleeve.
“I guess it was a reasonable result for me,” he said. “But I had to slow down over the last few sections because I was struggling to hold onto the bike.”
Overall runner-up on the day was Pahiatua’s Adam Reeves (Yamaha YZ250), racing in only his second national enduro championship event.
The 25-year-old cross-country racing specialist and former motocross star said he was a “little surprised” with his result.
“I didn’t think I rode that well. I couldn’t get a flow going and wasn’t smooth at all. But I do like racing among trees. The Yamaha is ideal for that … it’s light and nimble and has plenty of power.”
Reeves leads the E2 class from Palmerston North's Steven Bird (Yamaha YZ250).
Paengaroa’s Phil Singleton (Honda CRF250) leads the E1 class from fellow Honda man Adrian Smith, of Awakino.
Round two of the national series is set for the Kapiti Coast, in the Moonshine Valley, on March 8, with the series wrapping up in Central Hawke’s Bay’s Gwavas Forest on August 30.
The series are sponsored by Yamaha, Kiwi Rider magazine, Acerbis, Mitas Tyres, HJC Helmets and supported by Motorcycling New Zealand.
Leading standings after round one of the New Zealand Enduro Championships at Waimiha on Sunday:
