LAUDER
Even Stratford’s Josh Hunger (Husqvarna),
Rotorua’s Bradley Lauder (Yamaha) and
Cambridge’s Ashton Grey (Yamaha) who
round out the leading bunch so far, could
possibly count themselves outside chances
of winning the series.
In fact, it’s highly unlikely that any of
the event winners so far will go on to be
crowned national champion this year, with
Buxton and Yearbury heading overseas to
race and Birch also committed off-shore,
leaving a vacuum that will almost certainly
be filled by the likes of Reardon, Davis,
Whitaker, Wightman or Taylor.
When these riders drop their worst result,
the points standings get a massive shake-up.
The upcoming event at Martinborough and
the round five event at Masterton could be
pivotal in the championship chase, which
will wrap up with a double header, rounds
six and seven, on consecutive days in
Hokitika in July.
“Talking with some of the competitors,
they are a bit nervous about heading to
the West Coast in the middle of winter. It
rains a lot down there so we can expect it
to be wet, however, believe it or not, July is
Hokitika’s third driest month of the year,”
said Stevenson.
Running in tandem with all of this is
the six-round Yamaha North Island
Enduro Championships, which shares the
programme with the nationals for the five
North Island venues, then has its separate
final round at Masterton on October 12.
“It’s a positive sign that there have been a
lot of new riders coming into the sport this
year,” said Stevenson.
“Many riders have been trying the ‘intro’
class, where the entry fee is half the normal
price and riders can enter without holding a
current MNZ competition license. They can
get a free MNZ day license at the event.”
The Top Trail Riders’ Championship, for
riders new to the sport, is also being run
in conjunction with the nationals, with
many riders rapidly improving their skills
as they tackle the rough terrain and learn
from watching the more experienced
campaigners.
The 2019 Yamaha NZ Enduro
Championships are supported by Mitas
tyres, Macaulay Metals, Best Build
Construction, Silver-bullet, Kiwi Rider
magazine, Dirt Rider Downunder magazine
and Moto Events NZ.
KIWI RIDER 33