Perfect Practice
Dirt Rider Cross Country Series
There was a large turnout and a number of local riders at the third and final round of the Dirt Rider Cross Country Series, organized by Sean Clarke, on Saturday but, like several of the riders, Reuben Steens (pictured right) was not there for the glory of a series trophy. He was there to put hours on the clock and get in some practice for the rapidly approaching Tarawera 100.
It was perfect practice.
After finishing 3rd in the Juniors 14-16 Overs class on his YZ125, Reuben decided he needed a bit more of a workout so followed that good result up with an extraordinary first place in the Senior Intermediate Grade 2 Stroke Unders ! He beat Jesse Clarke – the youngest rider to finish the Romaniacs – by 4 seconds. Very close, but what an achievement! Just goes to show how a decent junior race warm up can get you totally firing!
Local riders Leo Van
Lierop and Aden Sheely (pictured right with Reuben & Reuben's Dad) finished 4th and 9th respectively in
the same Intermediate class with Aden’s consistent results giving him 4th
place for the series. Leo, too, was
happy with his results. “The race was great”, he says. “The track was technical
and really tight through the bush. There
was a dead engine mass start with 80 riders in my group. My bike started first
kick so I was third to the first corner. It was a good build-up for Tarawera.”
Kirby Wheeler was 4th and Chad Wheeler was 6th in the Intermediate 4 Stroke under class. Both competed in the whole series and Kirby’s consistent top 5 finishes gave him 3rd place overall. Chad’s results improved with each round and he finished 6th overall.
Other local rider results include Eldon Frost who was 7th in the Intermediate 4 stroke Overs class and Raymond Wheeler who finished9th overall in the vets.
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Te Puke’s Murray
Jensen (pictured right) took out the Intermediate Vets title with his Saturday win. “It could have gone any way” says Murray. “There were only a couple of points between
the front runners before the race began. I had a mongrel start (again!),
courtesy of the night before, and was 146th at the end of the first
lap. I passed the last one I needed to
pass about a kilometre from the finish. I had been hanging back behind him for
quite a way. He was on a 450 and I was
on a 250 so I had to wait for the right moment.
I only had one chance to strike and make it stick. The track was a bit
of a challenge with tight stuff –good practice for Tarawera”.
Gavin Weston and Marcel Steens were 4th and 5th in round 3 and 3rd and 4th respectively in the series. Mike Sheely finished 5th overall despite missing the third round. “I have no riding fitness at the moment” reports Gavin, “but the track was one of the best and I really enjoyed it. The changes in light were a bit of a struggle. I had to change to a clear rather than an amber lens but the cold air filtering into the goggles was problem too. I was blinking constantly to clear my watery eyes so I could focus. Am I getting old? Reece Burgess didn’t lap me until the last lap and I held him up a little. the track was very tight with nowhere to pass”. “I’m not too sure about the Tarawera as yet”, he adds.
Marcel says that, two days later, he is still “half dead” from the ride and may be at Tarawera just as support crew for son Reuben. Marcel was very impressed, however, by riders in the Expert Class. “Adrian Smith, the Expert 4 Stroke Under and overall winner, was absolutely hauling” says Marcel. “I think he’s getting ready to go to the States to do the GNCC over there – follow in the steps of Whibley and Mead, as it were. Scott Sowry is also a young gun to definitely watch. His riding was inspirational. I think Scott finished 1st in the Junior Race and 2nd overall in the pros".
Phil Singleton from Te Puke finished 4th in the Expert 4 Stroke Under class and 5th in the series. “It was awesome,”he says, “well run, everyone friendly but I was amazed to finish”. Phil is another who’ll be lining up for Tarawera as will Andrew Schuit who was 3rd in the Expert Vets class.
New Dad, Reece Burgess (pictured right), rode the last round of the Dirt Guide on Saturday
for a bit of practice and fun too.
“I started at about 6th place, moved up to 3rd and finished 2nd in the 4 Stroke Over class behind Lance O’Dea from Whakatane. I moved aside for riders in the points and did not ride hard out as I really just wanted to see what the pace was like. I had dropped back to 7th after pitting and struggled to get confidence in the bike until the last lap. I found a couple of things that were holding me back so, after this race, I put on the steering damper to resist deflection from bottoming”.
“I then headed off to Tarawera (yes, there was a trail ride there on the Sunday) to see the difference along with a click here and there. The Tarawera ride the next day showed me the difference and I was able to relax going faster. I did not want the damper on initially so I could condition myself quicker but it is like "high side" insurance and you really appreciate the difference. I’m still a little apprehensive about a couple of things but think I am good to go for Tarawera and know what I will need to be watching”.
Duncan Hart (Tauranga) was 8th in the same class as Reece.
It was an equally successful day for the ladies. Drisana Sheely finished 4th in round 3 but second for the series behind Natasha cairns. Morgan Edwards finished second on the day.
For full results click here for the Silver bullet site.
For Andy McGechan's article on the event click here.
So the Dirt Rider Cross Country Series is over and the current focus is on the Tarawera 100. The weather forecast is looking great. There is sure to be a host of riders, including Cody Cooper who will be out to defend his title. Should be a good one.
