will be held in the South Island next year and I ’ ll definitely turn up then to try and defend my title ,” said Keegan . Other class winners were Waverley ’ s Tyler Campbell ( Open class ); Christchurch ’ s George Doig ( Production class ); Springston ’ s Conner Boucherie ( 125cc Production class ); Rakaia ’ s Marco Bovendeerd ( 300cc Production class ); Eltham ’ s Shane Hurliman ( ATV Veterans ); Christchurch ’ s Lori Graham ( ATV Women );
Christchurch ’ s Troy Carnahan ( Mini Max class , 80cc ); Timaru ’ s Jason McKnight ( Mini class , 50cc ); Eltham ’ s Ryan Hurliman ( ATV Clubmen ). “ Racing at the weekend was intense and shows that the sport is in a healthy state at the moment , with the youngsters showing development that could put them near the top of ATV racing in the senior ranks in years to come too ,” said Motorcycling New Zealand ATV commissioner Dennis Cox .
I ’ M BAAAAACK !
Harder to kill than gorse , the intergenerational off ( and on ) roader , the DRZ400 is back . It has a new moniker , the DRZ-4S and the tarbaby version the DRZ4SM but under the Euro-5 compliant veneer lurks the bike that was once a proper enduro mount , then father time said it was old hat . Trail riders still bought them , as it was road legal in an era that had a dearth of such machines . Then it was a LAMS ( learner approved motorcycle scheme ) option , so a new lease on life was secured . Then the ABS brake rule came in , exit the DRZ400 ( and a heap of much loved NZ trail riding classics )… But now , the DRZ400 , by a different name , is back , resplendent in ABS braking , Euro-5 clean form . It is still a 5-speed gearbox ( the most griped about element of the old machine - but it looks like the ratios have changed , which will hopefully appease the most vocal ) but has switchable ABS ( read between the lines ) and while the head has been reworked and new throttle bodies make it run via a hefty exhaust ( more reading between those lines ) to meet said guidelines , the beast is back . Road legal , learner legal , and available in dirt trim or wearing motard 17-inch hoops for the street , like a phoenix rising from the stone-cold ashes , Baby , I am back ! Another generation is about to be introduced to all the nicknames the DR has endured .
KIWI RIDER 13