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July 10: One round remains to complete the Suzuki-sponsored national motorcycle enduro championship season but already four of the nine classes have been wrapped up.
Suzuki rider Kevin Archer and Kawasaki-mounted Chris Birch wrapped up their respective classes before the weekend’s racing near Bulls had even started, and Honda pair Paul Whibley and Mark Pollard needed only the first day of two in the sandy Santoft Forest to claim their respective class titles.
Whibley, a 22-year-old logging contractor, won both days of racing in the Santoft Forest, rounds seven and eight of the nine-event Suzuki-sponsored championship series, and easily wrapped up the elite 250cc two-stroke category.
With an individual\'s best five results of the nine counting towards a class win, Saturday\'s effort was enough to seal it for the Honda rider and Sunday\'s win was merely a bonus.
Defending champion Sean Clarke (Cambridge) was philosophical about losing his crown.
\"You can\'t win \'em all, I guess,\" said the 32-year-old Suzuki rider.
\"I\'ve been in the hunt all season but he\'s a young guy and going really well. I blew it when I dropped 30 seconds to him in the Akatarawa Ranges (round six, north of Wellington, in May).
Palmerston North\'s Steven Bird (Suzuki RM250) was runnerup to Whibley on both days, elevating him to second equal in the class with Clarke.
However, whether Whibley (Honda CR250) will be able to also claim the series \"double\" -- both his class and the all-capacities overall win -- remains to be seen. The best seven of nine overall finishes count towards the premier (best individual overall) crown and, on current form, Whibley looks virtually certain to also clinch that with just one event to go, the series finale in Taupo on September 16.
It addition to his five class wins, Whibley has won five rounds overall but his three other overall placings have put a dent in his campaign.
Nearest challenger to Whibley\'s overall title aspirations is Te Kuiti bull farmer Kevin Archer (Suzuki DRZ400). With two overall wins and a string of overall runnerup placings to his credit, Archer\'s points are mounting.
Archer, 33, himself celebrated winning his class, for 400cc four-stroke riders, at round six in the Akatarawas and his focus now is on stopping Whibley\'s march toward the overall title.
\"I didn\'t have to race here today to win my class but the overall title is plenty of incentive to keep on plugging. I overshot two turnoffs when I missed the marker arrows in the forest and I lost perhaps five or 10 seconds. But that\'s all it takes to fail at this level,\" he said.
Whibley was understandably elated at winning his first national title.
\"I\'m thrilled. I\'ve been racing enduros for about four seasons but only the past three at the elite level. I won a few events last season and that made me realise I could stick with these guys (Clarke, Archer, Bird and co) and even beat them. My confidence was up from the start of this season.\"
In addition to Whibley and Archer, Aucklander Chris Birch also wrapped up a class win. As with Archer, Birch (Kawasaki KDX200) didn’t have to ride at Santoft, having sealed the under-200cc two-stroke class at the previous event.
Now sidelined with injury, Birch is to undergo reconstructive knee surgery to repair ligament damage and he hopes to recover in time to contest the Australian Four-Day Enduro championships, being held in New Zealand (Oparau, west of Hamilton), in February.
Mark Pollard (Te Awamutu) easily wrapped up the 300cc four-stroke class crown with a pair of win at Santoft.
LEADING overall standings after rounds seven and eight of the nine-round NZ enduro championships:
Expert 250cc two-stroke: Paul Whibley (Pahiatua, CR250) 148 points; Sean Clarke (Tokoroa, RMX250) 133; Stephen Bird (Palmerston North, RM250) 133.
Expert 200cc two-stroke: Terry Cameron (Tauranga, KDX200) 134 points; Todd Mardon (Hamilton, KDX200) 119; Chris Birch (Auckland, KDX200) 100.
Expert 300cc four-stroke: Mark Pollard (Te Awamutu, XR250) 154 points; Dene Humphrey (Auckland, DR250) 106; Jock McLauchlan (Eketahuna, Honda XR250) 86.
Expert 400cc four-stroke: Kevin Archer (Te Kuiti, DRZ400) 151 points; Tim Woodward (Te Paho, TE410) 107; Ross Bird (Palmerston North, DRZ400) 103.
Intermediate 200cc two-stroke: Paul Davis (Cambridge, KDX200) 99 points; Wendy Buck (Auckland, RM125) 86.
Intermediate 250cc two-stroke: Kyle Daysh (Wellington, KX250) 119 points; Justin Stevenson (Wellington, KTM300EXC) 92.
Intermediate 300cc four-stroke: Gavin Prangley (Cambridge, XR250) 100 points; John Buxton (Helensville, XR250) 64.
Intermediate 400cc four-stroke: Solis Norton (Palmerston North, YZ400F) 110 points; Spence McClintock (Rotorua, Honda XR400) 63; Jason Amey (Palmerston North, YZ400F) 52.
Veterans: Mark DeLautour (Turangi, WR400) 136 points; Shaun Stanbridge (Auckland, KLX300) 135; Mark Haimes (Taupo, KDX200) 132.
