KIWI RIDER 03 2019 VOL.2 | Page 19

GROOMBRIDGE TAKES A DIGGER AT DIGGER MCEWAN T he 2019 Enduro and Cross Country Championships are anyone’s for the taking after reigning champion Brad Groombridge bowed out of the 2019 Fox NZMX Championships with a hand injury. It’s no secret that Groombridge has done the hard yards to get to where he sits within the New Zealand Moto community. The multi-disciplinarian has put in the time, blood, sweat and tears to take hold of much of the country’s top silverware. But during the final round of the NZMX Champs at Taupo’s Digger McEwan Motocross park, he found himself adding a new injury to his long list and cut his assault on the MX1 and MX2 classes in the process. While riding in the Moto 1 class, Groombridge collided with a fallen rider, trapping his right hand between bikes in the process. As a result, Groombridge suffered a gruesome injury to his right ring finger in which the tip was severed. However, it wasn’t until another fall – 5-laps later – did Groombridge realise he needed to throw in the towel and get to the on-site medical team. Despite the trip to the emergency room cutting short his 2019 NZMX Championship campaign, Groombridge still managed a top five result on points slipping in with KIWI RIDER 19