Groombridge Puts Himself through the Wringer
Enduro/North Island Champs
They don’t breed bike racers much tougher than this.
Taupo's Brad Groombridge can't get enough of riding or racing dirt bikes and so he tackled the weekend with a typically no-holds-barred approach, racing the Moonshine Run Hard Enduro near Wellington on Saturday and then driving back north to race at the North Island Motocross Championships in the Manawatu the following day.
The 25-year-old took his wrecked-then-resurrected 2007-model Suzuki RM250 two-stroke into battle at the enduro on Saturday and then rolled up at the first of two rounds in the North Island Motocross Championships series, at the sand-based Flipp's Motorcycle Park circuit at Himatangi on Sunday, this time armed with a brand new 2016-model Suzuki RM-Z450, a bike straight out of the shipping crate.
"The enduro was pretty brutal," said Groombridge, who finished the day fourth overall, one of only six riders to complete three laps of the course, while several riders took more than three hours to complete just one lap.
"I felt pretty wrecked after Saturday's race, to be honest," said Groombridge.
"But I was still keen for Sunday's racing, especially on the new bike."
And it seems like his decision to also race on Sunday was the right one too, with Groombridge dominating the premier grade, the MX1 class, with a hat-trick of wins putting him in a solid position to push on and wrap up the championship at the second and final round in Hawke's Bay on September 19-20.
"I'm really enjoying my riding at the moment and enjoying doing lots of different things, racing lots of different bike codes, like enduro, cross-country racing like the Tarawera 100, flat track like the TT nationals and, of course, motocross. I'm learning lots of new skills.
"Winning the MX1 class at the North Island Motocross Champs wasn't too much of a stretch, so I was just trying to push myself harder, to see how much punishment I could take."
Wellington seven-time national moto trials champion and now enduro specialist Jake Whitaker won Saturday's enduro.
The other leading individuals at the North Island Motocross Championships were Rotorua's Scotty Canham, who won the MX2 (250cc) class; Pukekohe's Kurtis Lilly and Feilding's Tony Cvitanovich, who shared top spot in the senior 125cc class and Cvitanovich also won the junior 14-16 years' 250cc class; Taupo's Wyatt Chase, who won the junior 15-16 years' 125cc class; Mangakino's Maximus Purvis, who won the junior 12-14 years' 125cc class; Oparau's James Scott, who won the 13-16 years' 85cc class; Matamata's Brodie Connolly, who won the 11-12 years' 85cc class and Rongotea's Rhys Jillings, who won the 8-10 years' 85cc class.
Groombridge is supported by Bel-Ray Lubricants, Suzuki Pro Rider Programme, Moto City Suzuki, Pirelli Tyres, Yoshimura, Oakley, Renthal, O’Neal Racewear, Zeta, DRC, Braking, The Dirt Guide, Talon, Performance Factory, Epic Decals, BikesportNZ.com and Taupo Diesel Solutions.
For further information contact Simon Meade, General Manager of Motorcycle / ATV Marketing, [email protected].
Words and photo courtesy of Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com