2024 NZ ENDURO CHAMPS CALENDAR Round 1 : April 20-21 , Omihi , near Christchurch Round 2 : April 27-28 , Coalgate , Canterbury Round 3 : June 1-2 , Porirua , Moonshine Valley Road , Wellington Round 4 : June 8-9 , Ruakokoputuna Hall , near Martinborough Round 5 : November 2 , Bideford , near Masterton
just one second between me and James Scott [ Yamaha rider from Oparau ] after day one [ the first five course sections ] and that ’ s remarkable in itself because you don ’ t often have racing that close . “ It ’ s tough too because you don ’ t see most of your competition throughout the event , so you don ’ t know how you ’ re going until you see the timing sheets at the end of the day . “ I just had to ride as fast as I could , within limits , and hope for the best . The bike was fantastic and it was only human error by me that cost me time .” Groombridge finished a solid 59 seconds ahead of Scott on day two on Sunday and that gave him the overall win for the weekend , after a total of 14 full-throttle sections . With massive support again from the Whyteline motor vehicle dealership in Paeroa , Groombridge reckons he is “ repaying the kindness ” shown to him by Whyteline ’ s owner Mark Whyte by putting his Beta at the top of the premier grade . “ Mark made sure I had everything I needed ... took everything on the ferry and drove all the way from Paeroa to Christchurch to make sure I had nothing to worry about .
I just had to catch a plane and fly down for the racing itself ,” said Groombridge , who calls himself “ a very busy electrician ”, a man stretched to take time off work . It ’ s interesting to note that this year ’ s International Six Days Enduro ( ISDE ) is set for Spain in October and the racing in New Zealand throughout this domestic series will help Motorcycling New Zealand to make selections for the Kiwi team to travel away for that . “ I have scored maximum points so far in the New Zealand Enduro Championships , so I hope that answers any questions that the selectors might have had about me ,” Groombridge laughed . “ I ’ m keen to go to the ISDE in Spain , so I knew I had to turn up and perform in Canterbury these past two weekends . It ’ s nice to know I still have the speed .” The next two rounds in the championship will be at separate venues – near Wellington and Martinborough respectively – on consecutive weekends in the North Island in June , with the fifth and final round a one-day competition , set for Bideford , near Masterton in November . Andy McGechan
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