T here was probably a small moment in time when Waikato man Dylan Yearbury thought his national title hopes had just flown out the window . But , a never-say-die attitude from the Husqvarna man was enough for him to complete the task he ’ d set himself when forced to settle for overall runner-up at last season ’ s COVID-19 pandemicshortened New Zealand Enduro Championships ... and that was to fight back and win it in 2021 . He didn ’ t have to concern himself this year with 2020 outright champion Hamish Macdonald , the Christchurch man not racing at home this season , but there were still plenty of others who would match him or even beat him and so Yearbury could take nothing for granted . But Yearbury ( Husqvarna FE350 ) was in
command after the first three of five rounds in this year ’ s Yamaha-sponsored championships , having compiled a 2-1-1 score-sheet from the events in Tokoroa and the Marlborough and Porirua / Upper Hutt regions respectively , and he arrived in the Wairarapa Region for the final two back-to-back rounds on June 12-13 in a confident mood . Yearbury finished runner-up to his main title rival Tommy Buxton ( KTM 350EXC-F ) at round four on farmland near Masterton and was still the favourite to go on and wrap it up on similar terrain near Martinborough the following day . But a high-speed crash during Martinborough ’ s fifth and final round very nearly shattered his dreams . “ I had a huge crash and the impact of that cracked the bike ’ s rear sub-frame . I knew it was risky to carry on with the
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