Yeoman years ahead of his peers
Taupo¯ teen already a national winner
Continuing their class dominance, PWR Yamaha’s Seth Reardon and Wil Yeoman surged to victory through the final double-header Wairarapabased rounds in the New Zealand Enduro Championship.
For Taupo¯ 16-year-old Yeoman it is the beginning of great things to come. Already the 2021 national junior cross-country champion, he now adds the AA — E1 0-200 2-Stroke class trophy to his year’s achievements.
Whanganui’s Reardon — the 2019 national enduro champion — showed he is en route to reclaiming that title next season, with an overall win in round five on the weekend of June 12 and 13. He also took home the AA — E2 0-300 4-Stroke class victory for the season.
Yeoman had his best performance of the Yamaha-sponsored enduro series on Saturday, June 12 in Masterton, where he stunned his fellow competitors with a third overall on his lower-capacity YZ125X.
“I really enjoyed the tight, forestry special tests and pushed hard at the end of the day to avoid losing time,” Yeoman says.
The following day at the final Martinborough round, he struggled to get a flow going in the special tests and was pleased to not lose any time over the 150km-plus of riding.
“I was stoked with my fourth placing overall after a challenging day on fast farmland terrain with multiple creek crossings. I’m grateful to the land owners who give up their time and properties to make these events possible.
“My YZ125X ran smoothly all weekend, giving me a first in class and a fifth overall result for the championship.”
Reardon says he “rode a safe race” on the Saturday over the farmland trails, which were interspersed with pine forest and bush sections.
“I didn’t manage to get the result I wanted but still got some good points and was up the field, placing fourth overall and first in class.
“Sunday was a much better day for me and I rode really well and didn’t make many mistakes. My Yamaha YZ250FX was reliable all weekend and didn’t let me down. I won the day overall, which helped me sneak onto the overall podium claiming 3NZ and 1NZ for my class win. A big thanks to everyone for making these results possible!”
PWR team manager Paul Whibley was justifiably proud of his riders.
“A big congrats to Seth and Wil for winning their classes. Wil in particular really stepped it up and has become a real contender in the enduros. There’s a big future here for the young rider from Taupo¯!”