KIWI RIDER 07 2018 VOL.2 | Page 17

DIRT NEWS WORDS & PHOTOS: Chris Baylis CALLAHAN MASTERTON MUDBATH The fourth round of the Macaulay Metals Central Enduro Series was held at George’s Place near Masterton. ith a reputation of being slippery in winter, riders got what they were expecting after weeks of rain at George’s Place near Masterton. However, the river with a reputation of doom was rideable, and the trees were crossable and it could only have been described as a ‘delightful’ mudbath. In the Expert class it was two local lads, Jacob Hyslop and Sam Callaghan, who took the top two spots on the podium, while Stratford’s Josh Hunger put himself on the final step. With a homefield advantage, Callaghan used his local knowledge to good effect, but it was Hyslop who was on a flier, coming home at the day’s end to lead by 49 seconds. In the Top Trail Rider class, Havelock’s Tom Hislop led Sam Lee by 20 seconds, with Upper Hutt’s Kevin Birdsdall rounding out the winner’s circle. Sargent Motorcycles from Carterton leads Masterton’s Langlands and Wellington’s TSS Red Baron in the dealer championship. In the manufacturers’ championship it’s the Europeans leading the way with KTM ahead of Husqvarna with Yamaha in third, the highest placed Japanese manufacturer. > KIWI RIDER 17