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Paul Wilson raced his motorbike through mist and gales for three hours to win the New Zealand cross-country championship at Wellington last Sunday.
The Piopio rider dominated the final round of the RK Chains series, run through cloud-covered hills on the 15km Long Gully circuit, to win the event outright on his Honda CR250 and take the title for the third time.
\"It was windy, cold wet and slippery -- it was a pain in the arse.\" Wilson said. \"The wind was pushing us round quite a bit.
\"You just had to slow down for the mist. When it was gone you could probably go twice as fast.\"
Wellington\'s Adam Youren, riding a Suzuki RMX250, was the only rider able to stay within sight of Wilson. \"It\'s pretty hard to beat Paul.\" he said. \"He\'s fast and smooth, you\'ve got to admire his riding.\"
Youren finished third in the class one championship for open two-stokes -- behind Wilson and Hamilton Honda rider Mark Penny -- which made it 13 years in a row he had finished in the top three.
Kevin Hermansen of Norsewood took the 200cc two-stroke class but just failed to take the title from young Tauranga ride Peter Broxholme -- a motocross specialist who had never raced cross-country at all before this series started. Both rode Honda CR125s.
Wayne Jennings from Whakatane won the big four-stroke class for Yamaha, while Ross Bird\'s second place on his Honda XR400 was enough for the Pahiatua racer to clinch the title.
Elliot Kent completed an outstanding season in the 300cc four-stroke class by winning his class and finished as high as fifth outright, ahead of all the bigger four-stokes. He has won every round he has entered, and took the tile with a perfect score.
The little four-stroke was not very powerful but it was easy to ride, Kent said. \"You just ride it full noise all the time, and keep the momentum up.\"
Wilson, Broxholme, Jennings and Kent also won North Island championships in their classes.
