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News Release

Hurley (Suzuki), Unbeaten at Supercross Championships on Sunday

. PHOTO BY: Andy McGechan - BikesportNZ.com

It was business as usual for Team Suzuki as its riders dominated the opening round of this season's New Zealand Supercross Championships near Motueka at the weekend.

Hawera's Daryl Hurley, fresh from winning the big annual Whakatane Summercross just before the New Year, changed his bike's set-up just a fraction to take on the elite of New Zealand's supercross society at Motueka on Sunday.

Hurley and his Suzuki RM-Z450 were unstoppable, scoring a hat-trick of wins in the open (MX1) class and then also winning the all-capacities feature race.

"Four wins from four starts. I'm pretty happy with that," said Hurley afterwards.

"I had it pretty easy actually. To win the open class title two years in a row would be great but I'm taking nothing for granted. I'm off to a good start but it's early days yet," he said.

Former Gisborne man Matt Hunt (RM-Z450), now based in Auckland, finished the day third overall in the open class.

Unbeaten Hurley leads the series with 75 points, while Mount Maunganui KTM rider Mason Phillips is 11 points behind, while Hunt is just a further two points adrift of Phillips after this series opener.

For Hurley it was as if he had simply picked up where he'd left off last year when he won all but one race on his way to clinching the open class title. His only defeat last season was at the hands of his team-mate Scotty Columb and it was again Columb who perhaps posed the biggest threat to Hurley this time around too.

Concentrating this year on the smaller bike class, Queenstown's Columb (Suzuki RM-Z250) still came incredibly close to snatching the win from Hurley in the one-off feature race on Sunday.

"I was gaining on Daryl and was trying to make a pass on him on the last lap but I lost my front wheel and it slid out. I still managed to get up and finish the race in third place," said Columb.

With two wins and a second placing, Columb won the Lites (MX2) class in Motueka ahead of Australian visitor Tye Simmonds (KTM) and Christchurch Honda rider Justin McDonald.

"It was a good way to start the series," said Columb. "This is just what I wanted. I need to carry this form through to the next rounds now."

Inn addition to leading the senior Open class and the Lites class after round one, Suzuki riders also lead in two of the three junior categories.

Nelson's Jared Guthrie (RM-Z250) is on top in the 14-16 years' 250cc class, while Atiamuri's Dion Picard (RM85) heads the 13-16 years' 85cc class.