Vets’ and Women’s
Champions crowned
in Taranaki
S
by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
uzuki pair Daryl Hurley and Taylar Rampton
were the stand-out performers at this
year’s New Zealand Veterans’ and Women’s
Motocross Championships in Taranaki.
The two-day event, held at the recently-
built Hack Track, on farmland just south
of Eltham in late November was the perfect venue
to showcase both the veteran men, many of them
former Kiwi internationals and/or national
champions, and the rising stars of the women’s
motocross world.
Even though he is now aged 41, Hawera motorcycle
dealer Hurley was one rider who seemed to defy
the usual image of a veteran – not a kilogram of
fat on his body and obviously still with the power
to impress, even at the ultimate level of the sport.
Hurley took his 2018-model Action Moto Suzuki
RM-Z250 to clock the fastest lap times of the
weekend, across all the various categories, and
he was certainly one competitor who could
so easily still be considered a potent force at
the top level of the sport in New Zealand.
The former Kiwi international was unbeaten in five
races in his 40-44 years’ class and he was runaway
winner of the champion-of-champions feature
race at the end of the weekend too, although
the unique scoring format for that race – where
the rider’s age is added to his finishing position
– actually handed the trophy instead to 58-year-
old Levin rider Craig Wallace (Suzuki RM 250).
“It was actually more enjoyable for me being a
sponsor of the event and for being one of the
people responsible for putting this event on in
the first place,” said a modest Hurley afterwards.
“It was not about me being a competitor,
although it was nice to win of course.
“I have not been riding a lot lately, with kids to look
after these days, but I guess you don’t forget how
to ride do you?
“I wasn’t riding as fast as I used to, but I always
like to push hard and be as competitive as I can.”
Opunake’s Rampton was the top female,
winning the senior women’s class by just
three points from Rotorua’s Letitia Alabaster
(Patterson O’Connor KTM 150SX).
Rampton (Action Moto Suzuki RM-Z250) knew as
she lined up for the final race of the weekend that
she could “play it safe” and that fourth place in the
last race would be enough to secure the title – she
finished third in that race and “got the job done”.