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KAWASAKI RIDERS TOP THREE OUT OF FOUR CLASSES
MARCH 7, 2006: Three out of four isn’t too shabby.
That’s what you’d say after scanning the results from the Auckland Motocross Championships on Sunday as Kawasaki rider! s topped the board in three of the four elite senior categories.
Hawera international Daryl Hurley (Suzuki RMZ450) won the open class, Gisborne’s Shaun Fogarty (Kawasaki KX250) headed the 250cc class, Taupo’s Nick Saunders (Kawasaki KX250F) topped the 125cc class and Pukekohe’s Katherine Prumm (Kawasaki KX250F) ran away with the women’s class in a weekend of high excitement.
What’s more remarkable was the fact it was Fogarty’s comeback ride from serious injury and his debut outing for Kawasaki and the Red Baron Motorcycles-sponsored West Racing Team.
Fogarty (24) ran away with all three 250cc class races, run in the race track at Harrisville at the same time as the open class but scored separately.
In each of the races, Fogarty finished a whopping 39 seconds ahead of class runner-up Andrew Porter (Honda), sending a clear message that he is back and recovered from the debilitating cruciate ligament injury that had sidelined him for the past five months.
“It felt like I had never been off the bike. I could be a little bit fitter though,” Fogarty remarked, perhaps his own harshest critic.
“I want to cut down on the hours at work (as a builder) and spend more time on training now. The next big event for me is the four-stroke nationals, where I will probably ride the KX250F, on Easter Weekend.”
It was the same 1-1-1 story for Prumm in the women’s class, the teenage star simply continuing her recent domination of the women’s grades.
Saunders (20) suffered a hiccup on his way to winning the small bike class, winning two of his three races but slipping to sixth in the other outing as he engaged in cut and thrust battles with t! he hottest line-up of 125cc riders since the nationals.
“The 125cc class had a good field of riders who were hungry to win and were willing to bang bars with you,” Saunders explained.
For the first of three 125cc races, Saunders battled with national No.4 Blake Gillard (Su! zuki) until he finally found a way past.
“He chased me for the rest of the moto but I held on to take the win.
“I got another great start in the second moto and, by the third lap, I had made my way into the lead and was pulling a gap. On the fifth lap I think I may have been pushing it too hard and c! rashed, slipping back to seventh.
“So I got up and rode sick, pushing it as hard as I could, putting in a lap time two seconds faster then anyone else and caught the pack in front of me. Then two riders collided and I had nowhere to go, slamming into them and going over the bars.
“I remounted and caught Nigel Smith (Yamaha) and tried to pass him on the final lap but it didn't happen as I went way too hot into this kicker jump ! and ended up crashing again. I rode my bent bike and bruised body to finish in sixth spot.”
With just a point separating Saunders from Kawasaki team-mate Michael Phillips and Suzuki’s Gillard, Saunders knew he had to finish strongly to win the class.
He came out guns blazing and won th! e day’s final moto to put a satisfying rubber stamp on a truly demanding weekend.
“I feel like I’m ready for the Australian nationals now. I can’t wait.”
Phillips finished third in the clas! s, followed by a succession of Kawasaki riders – Mick MacDermid, Jesse Wiki and Seadon Baker – as green bikes filled out five of the top six spots in the 125cc class at Auckland.
It wasn’t! such a great weekend for junior Kawasaki ace Brad Groombridge as the Taupo teenager easily won the first of three 125cc races but then saw his advantage evaporate when he crashed and did not finish.
Clearly the fastest rider in the class, he won the final race of the day but the damage was already done to his points tally and he had to settle for fourth overall.
“It rained just before race two and made the surface quite slippery,” Groombridge explained.
“I hit a jump awkwardly and it sent me over backwards. Hard to explain what happened actually. Anyway, mud and clay got jammed in the exhaust and, because I had been lapped twice by the time I cleared it, I had to pull out.”
Fellow team green rider Michael Wade (Warkworth) finished third in the 13-16 years’ 85cc class, while Regan Hose (Te Awamutu) was fourth in the 11-12 years’ 85cc class.
