National title stays in the family
Taranaki’s Keegan brothers, Camo and Scott, are keeping the national quad bike title in the family.
Younger brother Scott won the title when the New Zealand ATV (all terrain vehicle) Motocross Championships were staged in Taranaki last season, but it was 27-year-old electrician Camo who reclaimed the main prize he last held in 2013 at this season’s edition of the nationals over Labour Weekend.
Unfortunately for Lepperton bricklayer Scott , he collided with multi-time national champion Ian Ffitch in race five, the first of Sunday’s races, and was unable to continue, instead going to hospital to have his injured hand attended to.
The national champion in 2014, Ffitch had been among the favourites to win again and it was he who came closest to beating Camo Keegan, winning two of the weekend’s seven races in the premier grade and also finishing runner-up on three occasions.
But, in the end, nobody really had an answer to Stratford’s Camo Keegan, who won five of the premier races and he finished the championship 11 points ahead of Ffitch.
Third overall in the premier class last year was 22-year-old Tauranga rider Mark Goldstone and that’s where he finished again this time around, his 4-3-4-3-DNF-3-3 score-card impressive, although the one DNF was costly.
Fourth and fifth overall respectively in the premier grade were New Plymouth’s Devan Whitelock and Christchurch’s Jeff McIntyre.
‘‘I was a bit lucky in one race,’’ Camo Keegan admitted.
‘‘I knocked the engine kill switch off and had to fight back to finish fourth in that race.
‘‘It was really closes racing between me and Ian [Ffitch], back and forth throughout the races and I was only taking the wins by a bike length in the end.’’
Kaiwaka 18-year-old Cullen Curtis again dominated the 450cc production class, winning five of the seven races and finishing third in the other two.
New Plymouth’s Corey Whitelock settled for runner-up in the class, one position better than last season, albeit still 32 points adrift of Curtis, with Christchurch’s Taylor Graham completing the podium.
‘‘The sport is looking extremely healthy’’ said Ffitch, the sport’s elder statesman.
‘‘I’ve had my glory years,’’ said the 46-year-old. ‘‘Now I just enjoy seeing the young guys rise up. I expect to see riders such as Cullen Curtis, Taylor Graham and the Whitelock brothers to be vying for the premier crown in a couple of years.’’
Other class winners were Amberley’s Angus Parish (250cc production class); Christchurch’s Bailey Graham (125cc production class); Christchurch’s Abby Holliday (women’s grade); Christchurch’s Greg Graham (veterans’ grade); Amberley’s Caitlyn Parish (mini quad kids grade); New Plymouth’s Luke Etheridge (clubmans) and Stratford’s Zakiah Corrigan (junior clubman).