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Dirt motorbike star Paul Whibley raced across a moonscape to victory in the semi-final of the New Zealand cross-country championships in Marlborough today.
The three-hour race was run at Welds Pass, south of Blenheim, on land that had been burnt at the end of last year.
\"It was like riding on the moon - there was nothing there,\" Whibley, who comes from Pahiatua, said after winning his fourth straight round of the Suzuki national series.
\"It was really dusty and there were a lot of rocks - it would have been easy to get a puncture and I was riding pretty cautiously. It was difficult passing backmarkers too; you couldn\'t see a thing in the dust.\"
Whibley has been having a marvellous season on his Honda CR250; he also leads the national enduro championship and has enjoyed success in motocross as well.
Tauranga teenager Peter Broxholme, however, almost outdid his Honda team-mate on a smaller bike. He got his CR125 past Whibley and looked set for outright victory, but hit a rock, punctured his front tyre and lost a lot of time.
\"I didn\'t see the rock in time and I ended up riding two laps with a completely flat tyre,\" he said.
After changing a wheel in the pits he charged back and finished third behind Honda\'s latest recruit, Ben Harding from Napier, also riding a CR125.
Mark Penny from Te Awamutu was fourth on a Suzuki RM250, and second in the open two-stroke class.
Reigning champion Adam Youren, from Napier, punctured on the first lap, pitted to change the tyre, charged back to second in class, and then got another puncture on the final lap which dropped him to fourth in class.
Whibley now has a commanding points lead going into the final, to be held near Pahiatua on May 20.
Suzuki national cross-country championships, semi-final, Marlborough
Open two-strokes: Paul Whibley (Pahiatua) Honda CR250, 1; Mark Penny (Te Awamutu) Suzuki RM250, 2; Dean Baird (Christchurch) Yamaha YZ250, 3.
Open four-strokes: Ross Bird (Pahiatua) Suzuki DRZ400, 1; Steven Bird (Palmerston North) Yamaha WR426, 2; Grenville Button (Christchurch) KTM 400, 3.
Two-strokes up to 200cc: Ben Harding (Napier) Honda CR125, 1; Peter Broxholme (Tauranga) Honda CR125, 2; Brett Gunson (Hastings) KTM 200, 3.
Four-strokes up to 300cc: Wayne Jennings (Whakatane) Yamaha YZ250F, 1; Lance Sutton (Auckland) Kawasaki KLX300, 2; Mark Pollard (Te Awamutu) Honda XR250, 3.
