KIWI RIDER JULY 2020 VOL.2 | Page 61

Photos: JW Photography loop and the little 125X was working well. I was at the fourth check and minute 8 was ticking along, he made it into the check with 2 seconds remaining and with no time to waste he was off chasing Whibley back to the base. With one more section to go he was feeling good and the bike was running sweet. By the end of the day James had ridden into 6th place overall and 2nd in the E1 class, so a great result for a brand new bike and an Enduro newbie. With the final two rounds a month away James was confident he could keep 2nd place in the E1 class, and if the class leader and reigning Champion, Seth Reardon also on a Yamaha (YZ250FX), had any problems he’d be there to take advantage. Santoft Forest was the venue for the last two rounds and a mixture of sandy whoops and tree roots and trees, quite a contrast from the first two rounds on farmland. James rode the YZ125X to 12th overall on the Saturday. Riding on minute 1 on Sunday he managed a 4th overall for the day. This meant he finished 2nd overall in the E1 class, which I was more than happy about. Pretty good really for a bike fresh out of the crate with an Enduro newbie on top. “ The YZ125X was on song all day and, like the little engine that could, it did just that KIWI RIDER 61