I
n spectacular form recently, it was probably
just a matter of time before Nathan Tesselaar
(KTM 350 XC-F) celebrated his first national
cross-country championship race win and that
moment finally arrived on April 8, the 25-year-
old Taupo electrician leading fellow KTM riders
Sam Greenslade and Jason Dickey to the podium
at the third round of four in the series near Taupo.
That result was enough to boost Tesselaar to the
top of the series standings, his 4-3-1 score-card
for the series thus far giving him a serious chance
of winning the title overall, to be decided at the
fourth and final round near Mosgiel on May 12.
However, with only three of four rounds to be
counted as riders discard their one worst result, it
means defending champion Brad Groombridge
(Suzuki RM-Z450), with his 1-1-9 score-card, is
still the favourite to take the crown. “I was inside
the top 10 or so after the start and managed to
pull back a few places before we headed out
of the start paddock,” Tesselaar explained.
“Then I just played it safe, stayed out of trouble
and managed to keep moving up. I was so
nervous on that final lap, just trying to do the
basics right and not make any mistakes.”
Groombridge had led the championship chase
heading into the weekend, but he ran out of
fuel while leading the three-hour race and so
it means the series will go down to the wire at
Mosgiel, with Tesselaar, Groombridge, Dickey (0-
2-3) and perhaps also Hamilton’s Phil Goodwright
(Husqvarna, 2-5-7) all in title contention.
For Taupo’s runner-up, Coatesville man and
Kiwi Rider tester Greenslade (KTM 250 EXC-F), it
was his first ride in the series, after only recently
arriving back in the country after a year spent in
the United Kingdom, and so he is not a realistic
contender for the national title this season.
“This was my first ride in about six
months,” said the 27-year-old Greenslade.
“I felt like I was dying out there.”
The 22-kilometre farmland circuit, just north of
Kuratau, proved a testing venue, with the track
catching out even the most experienced of riders.
Wairoa’s Reece Lister (KTM 250SX) held the lead
as the field came back into view at the end of
the opening lap, until disaster struck just a few
hundred metres from the timing zone, the young
man losing control of his bike and hurtling into
a farm fence. It took him ages to extricate his
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