Monday 25 February: Yes, I was there, as the sun rose to be exact. This time I will go through the day by Class. Photos will be added as soon as I get time.
It was a little chilly but the forecast was for a hot day.
They had watered until 11pm the night before and were still watering the start straight.
MNZ’s Repr. Steward was John Tootell and the Club’s Steward was Luke Temple.
Rider’s Rep. is Todd Mountford.
A quick tour of the team pits gleaned the following.
No Ben Townley for Carlton Dry Honda in MX1. His shoulder from his Timaru crash still not 100% right but plans to be at Harrisville’s Round 3. This video only surfaced on Saturday afternoon.
No Australian Meghan Rutledge for Kawasaki in MX2 – she had crashed on Thursday and hurt her shoulder. She was there with her arm in a sling. I see in the printed programme says her sponsor is GYTR Yamaha – mmmmm wrong colour guys!
Talking the printed programme, having MX2 listed on three differing pages was most confusing and annoying – on pages 9,11 and 14 to be precise.
No Australian Jesse Dobson for Kawasaki in MX2 either.
No Hadleigh Knight for CMR Red Bull KTM in National 125 after cracking his thumb at Timaru.Hadleigh was there sporting a full plaster. Said it was lucky it was only cracked and hopes to be at Harrisville for Round 3.
Aussie Ryan Marmont (aka Doggy) is coming over for Rounds 3 & 4. The Raceline Pirelli Suzuki factory rider will ride a RM-Z250 supplied by Daryl Hurley’s shop Action Suzuki. You may remember Chelsea Meek? She’s married to Ryan and they have a daughter. Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.
As we already knew Courtney Duncan wasn’t going to be there.She flew out tonight for the USA and riding in the USA Amateurs for Big Rock Yamaha. In the amateurs there’s a qualifying process to get through to Loretta Lynn’s. Best of luck Courtney, we will follow your progress.
Practice / Qualifying: The track was well prep’d and watered.
National 125: Logan Blackburn by 2secs from Cameron Vaughan and Aarom Wiltshier.Cam Negus was only 0.8secs back and Aiden Kiff 0.6secs and Cohen Chase only 1000th behind.
MX2: 10 minutes in and Australian visitor with JCR Yamaha, Jay Wilson, came over the Finish too far to the left and hit the tyre racks and down he went.He cruised for a couple of laps at the back of the field and was then on the gas for the last lap finishing down in 16th – welcome to Patetonga! An 18minute + 1 lap session. Peter Broxholme (aka Broxy) was leading at the 12minute mark then DK led the lap over the Finish Line. It ended with Broxy half a second faster than Darryll King (aka DK) with Rhys Carter, Ethan Martens and Kieran Scheele close behind. Scheele was a bit of a surprise but the year in Belgium last year with Rex Michau’s Team Dirtbike Gym, obviously paying dividends. Aussie Brock Winston was down in 8th and Scott Columb in 9th.
MX1: Lap9 and Cody Cooper was 1.559 over Todd Waters, Billy Mackenzie, Kirk Gibbs, Mike Phillips, Justin McDonald and Daryl Hurley.Cooper won it by 0.7 from Waters, Mackenzie, Gibbs and Brad Groombridge.
It was interesting in that the fastest lap in MX2 was 2:14.461 and in MX1 was 2:11.190
MX3 was the last session and there was 30 starters including 3 women – Mel Patterson, Kimberley Murphy and Sarah Elwin. 10 minutes break and they were first race on the line - that seemed a little bit tough!
At that stage they announced that the ‘115% of the average of the Top10 times’ rule was being waived so everybody qualified in their class.
Round 1:
MX3: 3 riders down in the holeshot corner with Winston Byblow, Mel Patterson and Jamie Lamont. Vet rider Carl Sorenson found himself in 2nd for the first lap behind Kyle Pickerill. Carl now owns the ex Tony Cooksley’s Pro Circuit YZ450 – the same bike that DK rode at the Glen Helen Vets. Fastest qualifier Beau Yandle was down at 17th at Lap1 and was able to finish 6th. The trio of Logan Comer, Kent Morley and Tony Cooksley got past them with Cooksley grabbing 2nd on the last lap.
First time in a longtime that we have seen Vet, Carl Sorenson racing. Blistered hands ended his day after a 10th in Moto2 – not used to the racing intensity he said. Carl has working with Auckland Supercity for several years on a Motocross Park near Auckland International Airport. He says the Consents are now well advanced and should have some news soon.
Another Vet, Winston Byblow is an interest fellow. Always pleasant to chat to, the quiet Canadian is a Professor of Neurological Studies.He lectures at the Auckland University School of Medicine and works with stroke victims who have brain damage issues – he says that no two are ever the same. He had a tough day at Patetonga. After his holeshot crash in Moto1 he was 23rd in Moto2 so packed it in for the day. He was pitted with another Vet, Richard Furze, whose occupation is Architect. – Richard Furze Design.Winner of several house renovation awards he fared better than Winston, finishing 4th overall – 3 points off the podium.
Now, back to the racing!
National 125: Ryan Metz (who? – from Tauranga) led out then crashed into Lap2 and emerged in 14th. Aaron Wiltshier had crashed solo in the mud of the first turn and emerged at Lap1 in 12th then worked his way forward improving one place each lap to come home 3rd, 33secs behind Cameron Vaughan who had 8.7secs over Logan Blackburn. Blackburn is planning to do the Australian Under 19s series. Jacob Kneebone was 4th and Kurtis Lilly 5th.
MX2: At the holeshot you could not see for ther dust. DK is leading and then there’s a big pile-up.At L1 it’s DK from Rhys Carter, Ethan Martens, Broxy and Scott Columb. Those five are real close. Next lap it’s Rhys with a 2sec lead over DK.Into L7 and DK is closing on Rhys. Columb is past Broxy around the holeshot corner again and they are bar to bar through the rollers and over the container jump. Busy trying to watch all the battles. DK leaves his run on Rhys too late and is only a bike length behind at the Finish line – 0.213 to be exact.7 secs back is Martens, 2.5secs to Columb and 3secs to Broxy. John Phillips was 10secs back and only just pipped Aussie Brock Winston. It was 27secs back to Kieran Leigh who was just ahead of Matt Hunt, Cam Dillon, Ryan Thompson, Broc Martens and another Aussie 15 year old Jay Wilson. In all the excitement of the commentary Neil Ritchie reminded us that Wilson won his class at the Junior Worlds in Taupo.Busy, busy race.
MX1: Of the 26 that lined up 14 were not wearing neck braces and most of them were the ‘named’ riders – found that interesting. Daryl Hurley had the very inside gate with 5 empty beside him. Starter Sharon Cox backed off when signalling the 30 second countdown. She had not sighted Hurley in the corner and was still inside his line and it was only an alert John Tootill who picked up the photographers shouts that pulled her out of harms way. Hurlz got a flying start but was squeezed at the corner by those further out. Cam Bailey surprised himself with a 4th at the holeshot ‘flour’ line – they took Puke’s lead from last year and were paying holeshot money. Aussie Todd Waters was out front but Cody Cooper (aka Coops) takes it just before the end of the first lap. Billy Mackenzie (3 times winner of the Japanese GP) crashes in Lap1 and clocks in at 18th. Brad Groombridge is down in 16th and charging - he picks up 6 places in Lap2. Justin McDonald drops from 6th to 16th. Aussie Kirk Gibbs does the same, 10th down to 17th. Waters leads for 2 laps then Coops takes it back.Mike Phillips is looking very strong in 3rd – must be back to his ‘old self’ again. At Lap5 Coops leads by 6secs from Waters, Mike Phillips, Hurlz, Jared Guthrie and Damien King. Coops led Waters to the Finish by 3secs with 53secs back to Phillips. 4secs to Hurlz and 11 to Mackenzie.
Round 2:
No lunch break like Timaru. Everything was going Patetonga MCC smooth – they watered the start-straight but it was the outer of the holeshot corner that was the main dust problem. The surrounding paddocks are completely brown, as they are everywhere. Luckily the Club has a stream running through the place but that too was very low.
MX3: 3 down in the corner again including Kimberley Murphy. It was Yeandle from Morley and Cooksley. Morley crashed in Lap3 and dropped to 11th, gifting it to Cooksley. Just into Lap3 and Cam Bonnar went down hard in the tight right hander after the Finish. He wasn’t moving and high-viz folk were there to attend to him. The Stewards were able to divert the racers from the corner via a drop-off. Even after the yellow flag warning at Rider’s Briefing a few riders still got a growling from the Stewards. It took 120secs for the Ambo to arrive from the pits. I had seen him standing right there, at the timing tent, for the previous races. Bonnar sat-up albeit somewhat dazed but he was okay and the divert changed - although a few still took the divert between the high-vis folk. Yeandle won it by 24secs from Cooksley and 14 back to Ray Drake.Yeandle was on a 125 and his fastest lap would have put 4th in the next National 125 Moto!
125 Class: Kurtis Lilly had a BIG crash and was helicoptered out as they feared ‘severe trauma to his abdominal area’. 6 hours and a CT scan later, there’s no internal bleeding so he’s discharged with a bruised collarbone and broken base of his thumb - lucky. Blackburn leads for 3laps until Vaughan gets through into Lap4. Vaughan wins by 11secs from Blackburn who’s 31secs ahead of Jacob Kneebone.Cohne Chase is 2secs back and Ryan Metz another 4 secs.
MX2: Martens in the lead from Columb and Winston. Into Lap3 and it was Columb in front.Cam Dillon was in 4th but then dropped down and was inand out of 8th and 9th.DK was then in 4th but something was going on with his lower leg. At Lap8 he pulled out. I was told second-hand that he’d aggravated an old inquiry namely the plate in his lower leg. His brake side foot went numb and it was too risky to continue. White flag and it was Columb from Martens and Carter. Columb by 2.666 to Martens, Winston, Carter and John Phillips. Phillips had come up through the pack as had Jay Wilson. Broxy was 6th and Jay Wilson looking better in 7th. Kieran Leigh had already a crash in the opening lap and was down in 33rd.Then he had another coming into the flag – this one hurt – dropping 5 places.Keenly watching this MX2 race is Kayne Lamont. He had his right collarbone plated last Wednesday as it had 4-6 breaks.
MX1: It’s very hot and dusty now. Into Lap2 and it’s all over for Bjarne Frederiksen – he breaks his right leg. Waters leads from Mackenzie and Hurlz.Coops is down in 5th. Lap4 and Coops is into 2nd past Mackenzie. Lap6 he leads by 2.8secs and stays there to the flag to win by 4.4secs. Mackenzie is 22secs back and Hurlz 3secs. Gibbs was only a couple of bike lengths behind him. Then it was Groombridge, Phillips, McDonald, Saunders and Donnelly.
Round 3:
MX3: Holeshot is Yeandle and Cooksley. Yeandle grabs too much throttle as he rounds the corner and does a 180 turn.Cooksley has no-where to go and they both go down. The rest of the field gets past and the pair are dead last. It’s race on and Yeandle picked up 7 places on the first lap. Cooksley had more bad luck when overtaking, that rider went down and he hit the bike and went over the bars. At Lap1 Yeandle was 16th and Cooksley last at 23rd. Michael Kuypers led for 4 laps but faded in the last 2. Kyle Pickerill had come through from 5th to take the lead. Yeandle was the hard charger and got through to 2nd just 2.6 secs off the winner, Pickerill. Kuypers was only 2secs back in 3rd and Comer came through from mid pack for 4th.Cooksley was catching and put up the 4th fastest time but ran out of laps and finished 14th.It looked like his podium was lost.
That wasn’t to be and the top 5 of this non championship class was:
Beau Yeandle 62
Logan Comer 59
Tony Cooksley 51
Richard Furze 48
Ray Drake 47
National 125: Blackburn lead all the way to win by 11secs from Vaughan with 32 secs back to Wiltshier. Sean O’Connor had another ripper start but dropped to the back of the field in Lap3. Wiltshier dropped it in Lap2 and went down to 8th but got back to a creditable 3rd.Vaughan had to come through from 10th to win. Aiden Kiff had DNFd the previous race into the 5th lap but this time it was into Lap3 - a painful broken right collarbone.
Overall 125:
Cameron Vaughan 72
Logan Blackburn 69
Aaron Wiltshier 55
Jacob Kneebone 48
Cameron Negus 44 (Ryan Metz also had 44 but Negus got it on the countback)
MX2: 10th around the start corner for Carter who then had a crash out the back. He was down at 23rd at Lap1. Martens was out front and John Phillips was challenging Winston. Columb was 4th throughout and Broxy 5th. Cam Dillon was at 10th then a lap later was in 14th then down to 22nd. Kieran Scheele was down at 25th at Lap1 but could only make up 10 places. At the flag it was Martens by 4.7 from Winston, less than a sec back to John Phillips, 5secs to Columb and less than 1 to Broxy. This was Martens first win and he was suitable excited.With DK out at the 2nd Moto the top 10 points were going to be interesting. Carter was peeved with his bad last Moto.
Overall MX2:
Ethan Martens 67
Scott Columb 61
Brock Winston 56
Rhys Carter 53
John Phillips 51
Peter Broxholme 47
Jay Wilson 37
Matt Hunt 33
Broc Martens 32
Micah McGoldrick 28
MX1: Mackenzie had a great start, the JCR Yamaha certainly sounds the goods. Hurlz was behind him for a lap and then dropped down to 5th. Lap3 and Mackenzie leads Coops, Waters and Hurlz. At Lap7 those front 3 were 27secs in front of Gibbs, Hurley and Groombridge. It was a tough 9 laps in the heat and dust. Mackenzie won it by 3.7 from Coops with Waters only a second back. It was then 36secs to Gibbs and just 2secs to Phillips, Groombridge and Hurlz. Good win for Coops on the day. Waters is impressive to watch and Mackenzie has hit his straps. Mike Phillips is obviously back to full fitness and should go well in the next two rounds.
