Waimiha Reports
National Enduro R1 & GNCC R4
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Waimiha Reports
Cross country and enduro riders have had a full on beginning of the month. Most of the riders competing in the dry, dusty Maramarua 3 Day event (3-5Dec) would barely have had time to clean their bikes, change their tyres & air filters and wash their gear before it was time to head southwards to Waimiha for the first round of the National Enduro Champs on the Saturday 11th and Round 3 of the GNCC on the Sunday.
National Enduro Round 1
Waimiha is well known for being tough in the dry and impossible in the wet but on Saturday the riding conditions were near perfect – overcast with occasional light showers and Scottish mist to prevent the dust. The rider turnout was good and included 3 times “Roof of Africa” winner Chris Birch, champion AMA rider Paul Whibly and the members of the NZ Mexico 6 Day team, so competition was fierce.
But, according to Tauranga rider, Reece Burgess, who finished 5th overall and 2nd in the 300+ Class behind overall winner Paul Whibley, it wasn’t just speed that counted; you had to have sense as well. “The laps went through forestry mainly and were real enduro, single lane tracks, often with pine needles covering the roots and secret snags. A couple of the terrain tests were blind ones. There were judgement calls to be made – fast but tree danger, or slower. I hit a tree hard in Test 4. I was getting a bit too confident and wanting to up the speed but it wasn’t worth the risk, as Chris Birch found out after a tree ended his day in Test 2.” (Click here for Reece’s full report.)
Mechanical issues also proved to be a problem. Forks suffered from fast downhills with sharp-angled turns into the uphills. Dry threads caused loose nuts and a few floppy chains. Another Tauranga rider, Dion Sheely, was one of those plagued with fork problems. His front seals blew giving him forks like pogo sticks and a hair-raising ride in which he overshot a few corners but still managed to finish 5th in the Expert Open 2 stroke class. Te Puke Vet rider, Murray Jensen, finished 8th in the Intermediate 50+ class.
Full results are on www.silver-bullet.co.nz . Round 2 of the Enduro Nationals is on 29th January 2011 at Oparau.
GNCC Round 3
The riders who had competed in the National Enduro round the day before were “stuffed” and not overly keen on the Sunday GNCC but do it they did, in very hot and dry conditions. Paul Whibley showed the skill and fitness of a champion and won the event by more than a country mile. Karl Power was doing well until Paul picked up the pace but then a snapped end off the foot brake lever slowed Karl down even further. Tauranga’s Reece Burgess found it hard work, went through 2 full camel packs and still started to dehydrate but came in 3rd overall and 2nd once again to Whibley in his class.
Dion Sheely was riding an unfamiliar bike - Chris Power had lent him one as a shoulder injury had stopped Chris himself from riding. Dion, tired from the previous day, had trouble getting the bike going if he stalled and was further handicapped by a finger squashed in a confrontation with a tree – there are a lot of trees in Waimiha! He finished 5th and is now 3rd overall in the series.
Other local riders came just for the GNCC with loads of fresh energy and purpose. Jordan Milsom came 2nd in the Youth 10-11 and is second overall. Reuben Steens had another successful ride with his 3rd place on the day keeping him in 3rd place for the series in the Youth 12-13 years. Aden Sheely came 9th for 6th overall and Cody Paton came 10th for 7th overall.
Tauranga riders were particularly successful in the Rookie classes. In the Ladies 21-34, Janelle Walker gained 2nd place and is only 2 points behind the overall leader. Shirley Sheely gained 1st place and is now 4th overall in the Ladies 45+. Matthew Reilly topped the Clubmans 14-20 and is 3rd overall. Leo Van Lierop was 3rd and is now 5th overall. Keegan Cook came 4th and Thomas Williams from Te Puke was 5th. Tim Salter gained 2nd place in the Clubmans 21-34, Steve Milsom 1st in the 35-44 and David Hearn 1st with Marcel Steens, competing in his first GNCC, 2nd in the 45+ group.
Drisana Sheely’s 4th placing leaves her 3rd overall in the Senior Ladies, Ross Hawke from Katikati won the Clubman 45+ and is overall leader and in the Clubmans 35-44 Peter Garrett’s 4th on the day has given him the overall lead with Neville Trow 3rd (5th on the day) and Nathan Smith 8th (6th on the day). Derek Maisey from Papamoa and Richard Hutchinson from the Mount were 7th and 8th respectively in the Clubmans 21-34.
Full results are on www.silver-bullet.co.nz . The next round of the GNCC is on January 8th at Maramarua.
