There's no margin for error at the top of the standings as the New Zealand Motocross Championships reached the halfway stage at the weekend.
And that's just how Suzuki's Scott Columb likes it.
The Kiwi international from Queenstown is no stranger to pressure-cooker situations, having raced with outstanding success in Europe for the past two seasons, and now he's putting that experience to good use on the domestic scene.
Columb raced for New Zealand at the annual Motocross of Nations in Italy a fortnight ago and it was jet-lag from his return flight home that caused him problems at the opening round of the national championships near Timaru a week ago.
He still managed to fight off the fatigue to finish runner-up to fellow Kiwi international Michael Phillips (Honda) at Timaru and he then set about getting himself up to speed for round two at Rotorua on Sunday.
And that's exactly what he did, winning the first two MX2 races of the day, overhauling Phillips and snatching the championship lead.
However, a "goggle malfunction" caused visibility problems for Columb in the third and final outing as both title contenders became locked in a furious battle.
Midway through the race, the two riders collided and went down, leaving them in a battle for fifth spot, with Rotorua's Phillips eventually finishing just ahead of Columb.
Though Columb won the day overall, that last-race result means the two riders are now tied for the championship lead and, with two rounds still to come, further fireworks are likely.
"I got over the jet-lag at round one but I had a cold today and I'm feeling a bit fuzzy … so I'm still not 100%. It's taking me time too to get used to racing the smaller bike after a couple of seasons on the RM-Z450 but things are definitely starting to look up.
"You can expect some good things from me at the next round."
While Columb was ruling the MX2 class, the news wasn't so good across in the big bike MX1 category where his team-mate Daryl Hurley dropped to the sideline.
Hawera businessman Hurley, owner of one of New Zealand's busiest Suzuki dealerships, Action Suzuki, led the MX1 class standings at the start of the day's racing in Wanganui but a bone-crunching crash in the day's second race at Rotorua meant he lost that lead and will now not be able to complete the series.
He shattered bones in his left ankle and could be on crutches for several months. Hurley won the MX2 class last season and had high hopes this year of reclaiming the MX1 title had last won in 2007.
With Hurley out, Christchurch Honda rider Justin McDonald is now top of the MX1 class standings, although he has another couple of very quick Suzuki riders nipping at his rear wheel -- Mount Maunganui's Cody Cooper, on the MotoGB RM-Z450, and Taupo's Brad Groombridge, on the other Action Suzuki RM-Z450.
Meanwhile, Wanganui's Tom Managh continues to impress in the under-21 (125cc bike) class. The teenager is a solid third outright in the under-21 rankings after another courageous performance in the mud at Rotorua on Sunday.
Managh finished 3-4-4 in his under-21 battles, despite "making things hard for myself".
"I made a couple of silly crashes and that didn't help. I had to catch up and pass riders all over again," he said.
…ends…
