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MARCH 26, 2007: Watch out Australia, New Zealand’s Daryl Hurley is on his way.
And the Suzuki star means business.
Nobody came close to the Hawera man at the annual King Of The Mountain Motocross in Taranaki on Sunday, the Suzuki star annihilating his opposition on the steep and technical Barrett Road Motorcycle Park circuit on the outskirts of New Plymouth.
Hurley rode out on his Suzuki RMZ450 practice bike, a “bike that’s done quite a few hours’ work”, and led each of his three open class races from start to finish.
He was even comfortable enough with his form to ease up and allow the chasing bunch to close up late in the racing, “just to put on a show”.
That’s the confidence of the man who is on the comeback from injury, one that sidelined him for eight months and torpedoed his Australian championships campaign midway through last season.
Hurley had been successfully defending the Australian crown he’d won so convincingly in 2005 when disaster struck at the eighth of 10 rounds, forcing him out of the series. With non appearances at rounds nine and 10, he eventually dropped to from first to fourth in the Australian rankings.
But now Hurley, who turned 31 in February, is favoured to snatch back his Australian open class title this season and, if Sunday’s “warm-up” in the shadow of Mount Taranaki is to be any indication, he is perhaps even stronger than he was before his injury lay-off.
“Fitness-wise, I’m good,” he confirmed after winning all three races on Sunday.
“I feel as fast, if not faster, than I did in 2005 and 2006, so I’m feeling confident about what I might be able to do in Australia this season.”
The 10-round Australian championships kick off near Melbourne in three weeks (April 15).
It was a Suzuki 1-2 on Sunday. Hurley led home fellow Suzuki rider Michael Menchi (Paraparaumu) in the open class standings, the 17-year-old Menchi on a 250cc version of the same machine raced by his team leader.
Menchi also won the under-300cc class, beating Taupo’s Rhys Carter (Kawasaki) in the first two outings and then Australian visitor Daniel Reynolds (Yamaha) in the last race of the day.
