Andy McGechan / bikesportnz . com t didn ’ t take long for New Zealand ’ s Paul Whibley to get back into the thick of international action , inflicting his own kind of storm on the east coast of the United States . Officially retired from international motorcycle cross-country racing at the end of his 2014 season in the United States , the 39-year-old former US champion from Taikorea , near Palmerston North , still finds himself in high demand as a trainer and mentor for some of the world ’ s leading riders . And so , when his latest coaching mission in the US also allowed him the opportunity to compete , he didn ’ t need a second invitation , showing up at round 10 of the Grand National Cross-Country Championships ( GNCC ) at Unadilla , in New York State , with a borrowed Yamaha YZ125 . Whibley was a two-time outright winner of the GNCC in the United States ( in 2009 and 2012 ) and a record six-time winner of the parallel Off-Road Motorcycle and ATV ( OMA ) series as well , before returning home to win the New Zealand cross-country championships in 2015 , so it ’ s fair to say he has nothing left to prove . But that didn ’ t stop the ingrained racer in him from coming to the fore and he pushed hard and settled for a close runner-up in the XC3 ( 125cc ) class . “ It was good to be back in the US and sitting on the start line , hearing the 10-second call again . It was my first time on a bike since ( winning ) the Santoft Enduro ( near Bulls ) at the end of August . “ We arrived here on Sunday last week . As if travelling wasn ’ t challenging enough , you should try settling a three-and-a-half-yearold ( his son , Colton ) into the new time zone . It ’ s been the longest jet lag I ’ ve ever had .” Whibley managed to get a good start to the GNCC race and was soon running among the top three . “ Jack Edmundson had bike troubles which meant I picked up second place and then started gaining on ( race leader ) Jason Thomas . Lap five saw Thomas with over a three-and-a-halfminute lead on me . I was able to push hard but didn ’ t quite catch him before the finish line .” Whibley was closing in quickly , but Thomas eventually took the class win by the narrow margin of just four seconds .

Thomas and Whibley were respectively placed an impressive 16th and 17th of the more than 300 riders competing , with North Carolina ’ s Kailub Russell winning the three-hour race overall , ahead of South Carolina ’ s Baylor Steward and West Virginia ’ s Michael Layne . “ It was great to get back on the 125 although a hard ride in the slippery and rocky

Taikorea ’ s Paul Whibley ( Yamaha ), quick to get back into the thick of racing in the United States

conditions ,” said Whibley afterwards . “ I was surprised my fitness was okay . But I ’ m really feeling it today . I think my body remembers how to get the job done but feels it more the next day . “ It was just as hard as I remember it . Nothing in New Zealand prepares you for it physically . “ It was a long drive back to South Carolina to see if Hurricane Irma was an actual threat or if she had blown out of steam . We were a long way , about 22-hours ’ drive , north of where the hurricane was hitting and so it had no effect on the racing . “ Heading south to our South Carolina base ( 12 hours ’ drive south of the race ), and all we could see was a bit of rain . We were reluctant to call it any more than a bit of bad weather .” Based in South Carolina for two months , Whibley has been training Yamaha ’ s XC1 class contender Ricky Russell , from Washington State , and Connecticut rider Josh Toth , the man who is currently leading the XC2 ( 250cc ) class in the US . “ Round one of the PWR / AMPRO boot camp coming up . I ’ m looking forward to a week of training with the guys and being reminded of how old I am .”

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