Suzuki Pair Dominate Nationals At Eltham

Suzuki pair Daryl Hurley and Taylar Ramptonwere the stand-out performers at this year's New Zealand Veterans' and Women's Motocross Championships.

The two-day event, held at the recently-built Hack Track, on farmland just south of Eltham, was the perfect venue to showcase both the veteran men, many of them former Kiwi internationals and/or national champions, and the rising stars of the women's motocross world.

Even though he is now aged 41, Hawera motorcycle dealer Hurley was one rider who seemed to defy the usual image of a veteran – not a kilogram of fat on his body and obviously still with the power to impress, even at the ultimate level of the sport.

Hurley took his 2018-model Action Moto Suzuki RM-Z250 to clock the fastest lap times of the weekend, across all the various categories, and he was certainly one competitor who could so easily still be considered a potent force at the top level of the sport in New Zealand.

The former Kiwi international was unbeaten in five races in his 40-44 years' class and he was runaway winner of the champion-of-champions feature race at the end of the weekend too, although the unique scoring format for that race – where the rider's age is added to his finishing position – actually handed the trophy instead to 58-year-old Aucklander Craig Wallace (Suzuki RM-Z250).

"It was actually more enjoyable for me being a sponsor of the event and for being one of the people responsible for putting this event on in the first place," said a modest Hurley afterwards.

"It was not about me being a competitor too, although it was nice to winof course.

"I have not been riding a lot lately, with kids to look after these days, but I guess you don't forget how to ride do you?

"I wasn't riding as fast as I used to but I always like to push hard and be as competitive as I can."

Opunake's Rampton was the top female, winning the senior women's class by just three points from Rotorua's Letitia Alabaster.

Rampton (Action Moto Suzuki RM-Z250) knew as she lined up for the final race of the weekend that she could "play it safe" and that fourth place in the last race would be enough to secure the title – she finished third in that race and "got the job done".

"I hadn't had much time training with the bike," Rampton revealed.

"I didn't have the bike sorted until about a month ago and I was only ready to go about Wednesday last week. Plus, there were question marks about my fitness. But it all worked out in the end."

Rampton had finished runner-up in the women's nationals last year, behind Kiwi international Courtney Duncan.

Meanwhile, Tauranga's Shelby Catley won the junior women's 12-16 years' grade title by a similarly tight margin, out-scoring Te Awamutu's defending champion Rachael Archer by just one point.

Other national title winners at the weekend were: Hawera's Nicholl Marshall (veteran women's class); Hawera's Steven Craig (30-34 years' class); Inglewood's Larry Blair (35-39 years' class); Whakatane's Darren Capill (45-49 years' class); New Plymouth's Mitch Rowe (50-54 years' class); Auckland's Gaudenz Gisler (55-59 years' class); Pukekohe's Tony Cooksley (over-60 years' class).

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com