WALKER
t was a tough day at the office for
Oparau’s Reece Walker, but the KTM
man earned rich reward for his courage
and tenacity in the main outing of the
day, the all-important feature race.
The 19-year-old, originally from Nelson,
was one of the stand-out performers at the
annual King of the Mountain Motocross
in Taranaki on January 20, ending the day
only 10th overall in the MX1 class after a
small mechanical problem in the first of his
three races saw him fail to finish, but he was
top of the podium in the stand-alone final
feature outing of the day.
Runner-up to him in the all-capacities,
invitation-only feature race was Tauranga’s
Micah McGoldrick, riding a KTM SX250F, and
he finished just over one second adrift of
Walker in the gruelling six-lapper, the track
by that stage at its most brutal after two
days of dirt-churning race action.
The weekend’s racing, under a blazing sun,
did take its toll and not all riders invited to
take part in the feature actually lined up to
race. But Walker was made of sterner stuff
and keen to push his body a little harder.
“I was getting in the rhythm a little bit
towards the end of the day and it was all
good build-up for the nationals. Not all the
top riders lined up for the feature race... I
think a few of the guys were pretty worn out,
but I felt I needed as much track time as I
could and was keen to push on.”
The 23-year-old McGoldrick, also a former
South Islander, from Rangiora, was also
pleased to complete the weekend without
injury and with a few bike settings sorted for
the upcoming national series.
“The more track time the better I believe.
We had 20-minute motos today and that
was a good test. It simulates the nationals,
which is what we were all here for. It was
good to get the hang of the track again too
because I have not raced here in a year
(since the nationals round there last year).
“Even the last time I was here I struggled
a bit, but we made some good suspension
setting gains this weekend. It is a difficult
track here and quite technical. I felt better
as the day went on and my fitness is getting
better too.”
McGoldrick had finished third overall in the
MX2 class races earlier in the day, behind
Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis (Yamaha) and
Taupo’s Wyatt Chase (Honda).