The opening rounds of the North Island champs were held in Wellington on the weekend of March 22nd/23rd, and it was great start.
DAY 1
Saturday was held on, what is currently, Wellington’s only real rocky trials venue, and the rocks were taking no prisoners. There were 12 sections, and 41 riders entered for the weekend. All 6 classes were contested.
Traditionally, March trials are not well attended, and this was evident in the top class, T1. With other expert riders unable to make it, Taranaki’s Matt Foster, the current holder of the NZ Experts Trophy, was on his own. But this didn’t cause him to hold back and take it easy. On the contrary, his day was one of flamboyant splats, zaps, stoppies and hops, as he did his very best to clean every section. However, with only 13 cleans from 36 sections (3 laps of 12), clearly the level of difficulty was set right for him. He finished the day on a very credible 44 points, and only two 5s.
T2 was also a little low on riders, but the three who rode put on a great show. Unsurprisingly, Hawkes Bay’s Warren Laugesen took it out, with only 2 of the 12 sections that he didn’t clean at least once. He finished on 27 points, with 22 cleans and only one 5 all day. Tauranga’s Phil Shilton finished on 68 points, with 11 cleans and five 5s. This isn’t to say he was riding badly; I saw him doing some amazing riding throughout the day, but Warren Laugesen is a previous 7 times NZ Trials champ, not to mention a couple of Aussie titles to boot! In third place was Wellington’s Cameron Judd on 108 points. Cameron has had very little time on his bike lately, due to work and, dare I say it, Enduro commitments. This unfortunately took its toll with only 4 cleans throughout the day, and lots of 3s and 5s. Hopefully Cam gets some practice in before the next rounds, he’s clearly in the right class, just a little rusty currently.
T3 saw some great competition, with ten riders vying for the podium, it was eventually taken out by up-and-coming Wellington rider, 12-year-old Zack Furniss, on 25 points for the day, and a best final lap of 3 points. 21 cleans and only one 5. Zack rode with Phil Shilton all day, and Phil’s mentoring is showing results.10 points behind Zack on 35 was Manawatu’s veteran 2 rider Kevin Pinfold. A day of classy riding from him, only 13 cleans, but not a single 5. (I believe I saw Kevin doing more stoppy turns this weekend than I’ve ever seen him do) As usual, Kevin was impressive to watch but couldn’t match Zack’s energy throughout the day. In third, and only a single point behind Kevin, was Wellington’s other young “rider to watch”, 16-year-old Finn Pearce. Finn rode well all day with 17 cleans and only two 5s. Unfortunately, a couple of small mistakes cost him this time, but he’s capable of putting together an excellent day. A credible ride by Byron Adlam, a Wellington rider who doesn’t normally ride at this level, saw him finish in fourth on 36, 1 point behind Finn. (He should ride more of these) The finishing order for the rest of T3 was; John Ross 40 (Chch), Mark Henderson 48 (Tki), Connor Newton 66 (Mwt), Alastair Neville 74 (BoP), Gary Samson 103 (BoP) and Gabrielle Gundry 120 (Chch). A couple of points to note in this class; Zack and Finn were the only Junior riders, both finishing on the podium. And Gabrielle was one of only two women riders for the day, and she was competing in a class that scares a lot of the male riders off!
T4 was the most contested class with 16 riders. This class had nothing too big or dangerous but still required a high level of technical riding to negotiate the rocky sections. And technical riding is where Bay of Plenty’s Vet 2 rider Paul Symons shines. The ex-NZ champ finished the day on 23, 22 cleans and no 5s, 7 points clear of Taranaki’s Mike Owen on 30, 24 cleans and three 5s. Needless to say, those 5s cost Mike dearly. Mike is the current holder of the National title, looks like there’s going to be a competition this year! Third place went to the South Island’s Brendon Wadsworth, also finishing on 30 points, but only 21 cleans, one 5. (I believe Brendon was just warming up for day 2) The finishing order of the rest of T4 was; Richard McKenzie 34 (Tki), John Lawton 42 (Wgtn), Wayne Furniss 43 (Wgtn), Peter Boettcher 46 (Ham), Billy McArdle 50 (HB), Nigel Shilton 55 (BoP), Laine Vickers 58 (Taranaki), Luke Pearce 62 (Wellington), Aksel McArdle 72 (Hawkes Bay), Neil Sturmfels 79 (Wgtn), Thomas McArdle 79 (HB), Baxter Treloar 98 (Wgtn). Some points of note from this class; Five Vet1 riders (50-64), four Vet2 riders (65+), four Junior riders who are rapidly progressing through the classes, (watch this space) and one Air-Cooled Mono (a 40-year-old Honda). Also, Baxter was riding the only electric bike at the event.
T5 had nine riders, some new to the sport, and some old enough to know better. They looked like they were all having a great day, and Wellington’s (Kapiti) Junior rider James Lawton took it out by a big margin, finishing on 11 points for the day. 28 cleans, zero 5s and zero 3s, his was the best score of the day. Of course, James comes from a well-known trials family, with trophies galore, both at home and at Grandad’s place, including multiple National trophies, so we can expect to see great things from him in the future. Second place went to Hamilton’s Vet2 rider Jim Henderson. With 21 cleans and only one 5, his riding improved with each lap, but he couldn’t catch James and finished on 27 points. Francis Sydenham, another Vet2 rider, took out third on 36 points. 21 cleans and no 5s, but ten 3s took their toll. The rest of T4 finished thus; Sebastion Robson 45 (Wgtn), Chris Barclay 57 (Wgtn), Ben Pearce 68 (Wgtn), Emily Willard 91 (Wgtn), Freddi Robson 98 (HB), Darren Johnston DNF. T5 consisted of; 4 Junior riders, two Vet1, two Vet2 and one woman rider.
A late T6 entry, Rob Cochran, Vet2, finished on 36 points with 19 cleans and only two 5s. He was riding one of only two four strokes at the event, and traveled from Taranaki in his camper, staying overnight at the beach carpark, across from the venue. By the way he was smiling, I believe it was worth the trip. Hopefully, now that we have an official T6 class, we’ll see more entries, including some twin-shocks and classics.
DAY 2
Sunday was held in Kapiti at a farm affectionately known as Top-Pub. Again, 3 laps of 12 sections. The sections involved a stony stream, a gnarly gulley and a relatively steep hill with a marbly surface and lots of roots. Of course there were plenty of logs, banks and trees thrown into the mix. If there had been the rain that was forecast, these sections could have been diabolical. The rain didn’t eventuate, making the sections a bit easier than planned. They still took plenty of points however, leaving clear winners in each class.
Again, T1 saw Matt Foster riding on his own, but his overall score of 26 with 24 cleans and only two 5s verifies that, once again, he wasn’t taking it easy. With a final lap of 2 points, he’d clearly warmed up after the first two. Excellent ride!
T2 once again saw Warren Laugesen at the top on 8 points for the day, 31 cleans and no 5s. One would have to assume things would’ve been quite different if the rain that was forecast had eventuated. Phil Shilton again took out second with 28 points for the day, 23 cleans and only one 5. Very consistent riding from Phil. Cameron Judd took third place, 66 points, 15 cleans and six 5s. Those 5s quickly ruin a rider’s score card.
T3 was again fought out between Zack Furniss, Kevin Pinfold and Finn Pearce, this time with a different result. Finn rode extremely well to finish on 18 points with 25 cleans and only one 5. Zack finished on 24 points, 28 cleans and four 5s, three of which were unnecessary due to momentary lapses in concentration. (He was kicking himself afterwards) Kevin came in third with 28 points, 18 cleans and zero 5s! A pleasure to watch.The remaining riders finished thus; John Ross 41 (Chch), Connor Newton 42 (Mwt), Mark Henderson 53 (Tki), Alastair Neville 60 (BoP), Gabrielle Gundry 94 (Chch), Gary Samson DNF (BoP).
T4, again the most contested class, was full of surprises. South Island’s Brendon Wadsworth rode extremely well and finished on a measly 4 points. Laps of 3, 1 and zero! His points consisted of four 1s (32 cleans). Mike Owen came in second with 19 points, 26 cleans and one 5. Taranaki’s Richard McKenzie came in third with 22 points, 24 cleans, zero 5s. Great riding from Richard, you never know how he’s going to go, and he often takes a top spot. The rest of T4 finished as follows; John Lawton 31 (Wgtn), Paul Symons 34 (BoP), Wayne Furniss 39 (Wgtn), Peter Robson 39 (HB), Billy McArdle 40 (HB), Laine Vickers 44 (Tki), Luke Pearce 46 (Wgtn), Joseph Rivers 48 (Wgtn), Aksel McArdle 51 (HB), Nigel Shilton 55 (BoP), Thomas McArdle 60 (HB), Neil Sturmfels 61 (Wgtn), Baxter Treloar 75 (Wgtn).
James Lawton again took out T5, finishing on 21 points, 20 cleans and zero 5s. Great riding from another of our up-and-coming Junior riders. Jim Henderson second, 42 points, 17 cleans, four 5s. Ben Pearce, another Wellington Junior came in third with 64 points, 8 cleans and two 5s. Sebastion Robson 66 (Wgtn), Francis Sydenham 67 (BoP), Chris Barclay 98 (Wgtn), Freddi Robson 117 (HB) filled the rest of the T5 results.
With no T6 line provided on day 2 due to the T6 rider being a late entry, Rob Cochran rode the T5 line for two laps before retiring. He finished on a credible 69, not bad for riding a grade up.
WEEKEND RESULTS
T1 Matt Foster 1st
T2, 1st Warren Laugesen 2nd Phil Shilton 3rd Cameron Judd
T3 1st Zack Furniss 2nd Finn Pearce 3rd Kevin Pinfold
T4 1st Brendon Wadsworth 2nd Mike Owen 3rd Richard McKenzie
T5 1st James Lawton 2nd Jim Henderson 3rd Francis Sydenham
T6 1st Rob Cochran
Juniors results: 1st Zack Furniss, 2nd Finn Pearce, 3rd Billy McArdle
VET 1 results: 1st Brendon Wadsworth, 2nd Mike Owen, 3rd Wayne Furniss
VET 2 results: 1st Kevin Pinfold, 2nd Paul Symons, 3rd John Lawton
Women results: 1st Gabrielle Gundry, 2nd Emily Willard
Full results HERE
Unfortunately, due to a long trip home, some of the riders left before prize giving, as can be
seen by the empty podiums. The weekend was a success, and a great way to kick off the series. The new Orongorongo venue was well received and will hopefully become a regular fixture. The next rounds are in
Manawatu, April 26/27 ANZAC weekend. Here is the LINK