STORY: Andy McGechan
REARDON
TASTES
FIRST BLOOD
he 2018 edition of the Bush Riders’
Motorcycle Club’s Central Cross-
Country Series is up and running and
it was Whanganui’s Seth Reardon who
was the fastest man out of the blocks.
he annual five-round, series kicked off
near Waipukurau with a huge assembly
of ew ealand s leading
,
and
enduro racers on the -rider start line,
but it was eardon who stole the show,
winning the two-hour senior race by 40
seconds from len urray s am rown,
with au o s athan esselaar, ahiatua s
Charles Alabaster and Eketahuna’s Charlie
ichardson rounding out the to five.
asterton man llan annon, who was
outright winner of the series last season,
had to settle for th overall on unday,
behind annevirke rider en aterson and
ust ahead of almerston orth s ames
Galpin.
eanwhile, eilding s Hugh intott entered
as an over- years mega veteran class
rider, was best of the intermediate grade
contestants, finishing the day a creditable
eighth overall.
“I really gelled with the track. It was fast
but liked it, said race winner eardon, a
90 KIWI RIDER
Whanganui’s Seth Reardon, winner
of the opening round of the
Central Cross-Country Series
20-year-old apprentice engineer.
“I didn’t get a great start... I was about
eighth into the first corner. ut was u to
second osition during that o ening la , ust
behind the leader, harles labaster.
“I passed Charles on lap two and then
o ened u a bit of a ga over him, which
maintained until the finish. y dad was
acting as my pit crew and he told me I could
ease up a bit near the end and just cruise to
the finish.
“It really looked like a track that would
favour the bigger
cc and
cc bike
riders, but had my bike screaming and that
was obviously fast enough.
have been getting better and better each
time I ride and I think that’s because of all
the training have been doing. go to the
gym three or four times a week and ride
as much as I can at the Whanganui club’s
motocross track.
Winner of the 90-minute junior race that
was held earlier in the day was Eltham’s
dam overidge, finishing ahead of a ier s
ryn odd and asterton s oe alloon.
The riders now rest up and prepare for
round two of the series, set for oodville on
December 16.