WORDS & PHOTOS:
Andy McGechan,
bikesportnz.com
ALTHERM JCR
YAMAHA DOMINATES
TAUPO MX FEST
I AM A WALRUS, YOU ARE A MOLLUSC
safe and sensible approach
proved to be a winning strategy
for Kayne Lamont at the Labour
weekend’s big annual MX Fest
motocross extravaganza in Taupo.
The Hamilton-based former Mangakino
man certainly enjoyed revisiting his home
turf on Sunday, taking his Altherm JCR
Yamaha Racing Team YZ450F to win the
premier MX1 class overall and he also
won the series of “knock-out” feature
races that wrapped up the two-day
spectacular.
The event was again sponsored by Taupo
bike dealership Huka Honda, but the
Yamaha men decided it would be great
to crash this party and, with three Bay of
Plenty riders to wave their blue flag, their
appearance was certainly appreciated by
the noisy local crowd.
Boisterous fans screamed their support
as Lamont and fellow Yamaha ace Rhys
Carter, from Mount Maunganui, fought
for MX1 class honours, sharing the wins in
the early part of Sunday’s programme.
Carter (Yamalube Yamaha YZ450F) then
won the first two of five quick-fire sprint
races that made up the last-man-standing
feature of the weekend, but struck a dirt
bank, crashed and was eliminated in
sprint race number three, although this
was still enough for him to claim overall
runner-up in the MX1 class.
Meanwhile, Lamont came on strong in
the latter races, winning the final sprint
race ahead of Tauranga’s Ben Townley
and Taupo’s Cohen Chase to claim both
the MX1 class overall and the feature
series overall as well.
In the MX2 (250cc) class, it was Maximum
Purvis, another Mangakino man on
another Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing
Team bike, who stole the glory.
Purvis finished 2- -1-4 in his outings
to edge out Taupo’s Wyatt Chase by a
solitary point in the battle for the MX2
podium. Chase’s 1-5-2-6 score-card gave
him the runner-up position overall, ahead
of fellow Taupo man Brad Groombridge,
who registered 11-2-3- results.
“Not a bad day for us... from Max I
expected this, but Kayne not so much
because he’s not fully fit yet,” said
Lamont’s boss, Altherm JCR Yamaha
Racing Team manager Josh Coppins.
KIWI RIDER 91