Class qualification race , so Connolly ’ s score became the discarded result in the Kiwi tally . A combined score of 37 ( 17 plus 20 , with the DNF excluded ) left Team New Zealand qualifying 23rd and they therefore missed out on a direct route into Sunday ’ s finals . That was a double whammy – not only did New Zealand have to race in and win the B Final on Sunday morning – nothing less would do – but , even if they did win that battle , they ’ d have only limited time to freshen up the bikes
and bodies again before the main races that afternoon . Rider fatigue and bike wear and tear could therefore also be an issue . In the end , they need not have worried because , despite producing a stupendous effort to draw level on points with rivals Venezuela in the all-riders B Final , both teams on 8 points ( Venezuela finishing 1-7 and New Zealand finishing 2-6 ), the South Americans got the nod on the count-back rule . So that was it . No finals races for Team New Zealand in 2022 . All that was left was to pack bags , head home and make plans for 2023 .
62 KIWI RIDER