Aucklander has Taikorea in sights
This weekend’s fourth round of seven in the popular NZXC crosscountry series near Himatangi could be make or break time for a couple of riders with trophywinning aspirations.
Kiwi former international Paul Whibley created the series two years ago, ‘‘cherry picking’’ from some of the best races from similar series and then stitching them together to form a separate but parallel competition.
The first three rounds of the 2017 series have been run and trophy contenders have begun to emerge, but this Sunday is the halfway point. It’s also the only round that does not share the billing with any other competition.
Sunday’s Taikorea 500 race is run on Whibley’s own property and is the fourth round of the seven in the NZXC series, but this means it’s also an event many riders will target.
Being able to win at Taikorea takes something special, especially with land-owner and series founder Whibley also lining up to race.
Whibley claimed when he founded the series he didn’t intend to win his own series, although he has a funny way of showing it – he’s won all three rounds this year (riding a Yamaha YZ125 at round one in May, riding a Yamaha YZ450FX at round two in June and then riding a Yamaha YZ250FX at round three last month).
Whibley knows he is in serious danger of winning his own contest and that’s not something he had planned to do. ‘‘I will not contest all of the seven rounds. This series has been created for others, not for my benefit.’’
He said the NZXC Series is a competition he created as ‘‘something that would assist young riders to properly prepare themselves for similar competitions overseas’’ and he says, to make it more likely he won’t win, he will not be racing all of the remaining rounds.
It really comes as no surprise Whibley is winning the NZXC – he has impeccable credentials.
Whibley was a two-time outright winner of the Grand National Crosscountry Championships (GNCC) in the United States (in 2009 and 2012) and a record six-time winner of the parallel Off-road Motorcycle and ATV (OMA) series as well.
He was also New Zealand crosscountry champion in 2015 and, while he has nothing left to prove, he still likes to race occasionally and to win.
With Whibley indicating that, after this weekend, he’ll skip at least one of the remaining rounds, it turns the spotlight on fellow Yamaha men Callan May (from Titirangi) and Ashton Grey (from Cambridge), the riders second and third in the standings.
Round five of the NZXC Series will be held at Matata on October 14, with round six in the Riverhead Forest on November 19. It ends at Pahiatua on December 3.