Yamaha Racing News : Reardon and Yeoman top classes as enduro series heads to final rounds
Yamaha Motor New Zealand Media Statement
Monday 8th May 2021
Strong results over Queen’s Birthday weekend have set two PWR Yamaha riders up for potential class victories when the Yamaha-sponsored New Zealand Enduro Series wraps up this weekend.
TITLE CAPTION
PWR Yamaha’s Seth Reardon won his AA – E2 0-300 4Str class both days at the Yamaha-sponsored New Zealand Enduro Series’ third round over Queen’s Birthday weekend.
Seth Reardon (AA – E2 0-300 4Str) and Wil Yeoman (AA - E1 0-200 2Str) both rode hard over the two-day, 250-plus kilometre third round held in the Moonshine Valley, near Wellington, to win their classes. This was no mean feat as they contested tough terrain in the Akatarawa Forest, with Sunday's racing featuring some different sections to those raced on Saturday.
Whanganui’s Reardon returned to winning form on his YZ250FX and took out class victories both days and finished third overall on Saturday and fourth overall on Sunday.
“Saturday was a good day for me. I rode solid, didn't make any mistakes and had some great times over the day. The track was mainly tight bush with a few fast gravel roads as well,” Reardon says.
“On Sunday we rode the same track but with a few more tough sections thrown in the mix. I had a hard day going down in the last two terrain tests and losing some time but I managed to get up quickly and carry on to finish up fourth overall for the weekend and first in class.”
“I'm happy with these results as they’ve moved me up the ladder before the last two rounds this weekend,” he concludes.
Taupo youngster Yeoman (15) says he had “an awesome weekend of riding on some challenging tracks over the two days.” On-board a lower capacity YZ125X he finished up a position behind Reardon overall both days and sits in an impressive fifth overall after three rounds.
“I’m happy with some of my special test times and I’m really enjoying riding the YZ125X - it’s so much fun chasing the 450s! Thanks to all my sponsors for your support this season,” Yeoman says.
CAPTION
The PWR Yamaha team’s youngest rider, 15-year-old Wil Yeoman sits in an impressive fifth overall on his YZ125X as the national enduro series heads into its final two rounds this weekend
PWR Yamaha Team Manager and two-time former United States cross-country champion Paul Whibley says he struggled to get into the slick conditions on Saturday.
“I couldn’t get into a good flow and felt like I was fighting the YZ450FX. I changed a couple things for the second day and felt a lot better and my times were faster,” he says.
All was going well until the last test of the day where Whibley had a high speed crash on some slick clay.
“I was uninjured but I pushed too hard with bent bars and went down twice more trying too hard to make up for the mistake. This one test cost me big for the whole weekend and I ended up sixth in (AA – E4 301-Open 4Str) class,” he wraps up.
Placed sixth overall and fourth in class, Whibley will have a fight on his hands to move up the standings this weekend as the national enduro series culminates at separate Wairarapa venues. The penultimate round will be run on farmland near Masterton on Saturday, and the fifth and final round heads to Martinborough the following day.
Other Yamaha riders to watch this weekend are Blackwood Yamaha-sponsored Ashton Grey, who leads his (AA – E3 201-Open 2Str) class, plus Motoland’s Tommy Watts and PWR Yamaha team member Ethan Harris, who are sitting fifth and eighth respectively in the Open 4 Stroke class on their YZ450FXs.
RESULTS:
NZ Enduro Round Three – Day One (Moonshine)
1st Tom Buxton
2nd Dylan Yearbury
3rd Seth Reardon (YZ250FX) – 1st in class (AA – E2 0-300 4Str)
4th Wil Yeoman (YZ125X) – 1st in class (AA - E1 0-200 2Str)
7th Paul Whibley (YZ450FX) – 5th in class (AA – E4 301-Open 4Str)
8th Tommy Watts (YZ450) – 6th in class (AA – E4 301-Open 4Str)
10th Ethan Harris (YZ450FX) – 7th in class (AA – E4 301-Open 4Str)
11th Ashton Grey (YZ250X) – 2nd in class (AA – E3 201-Open 2Str)
NZ Enduro Round Three – Day Two (Moonshine)
1st Dylan Yearbury
2nd Tom Buxton
3rd James Scott
4th Seth Reardon (YZ250FX) – 1st in class (AA – E2 0-300 4Str)
5th Wil Yeoman (YZ125X) – 1st in class (AA - E1 0-200 2Str)
6th Tommy Watts (YZ450) – 4th in class (AA – E4 301-Open 4Str)
9th Paul Whibley (YZ450FX) – 6th in class (AA – E4 301-Open 4Str)
14th Ashton Grey (YZ250X) – 2nd in class (AA – E3 201-Open 2Str)
20th Ethan Harris (YZ450FX) – 9th in class (AA – E4 301-Open 4Str)
NZ Enduro Series Results (after 3 rounds)
1st Dylan Yearbury
2nd Tom Buxton
3rd James Scott
4th Seth Reardon (YZ250FX) – 1st in class (AA – E2 0-300 4Str)
5th Wil Yeoman (YZ125X) – 1st in class (AA - E1 0-200 2Str)
6th Paul Whibley (YZ450FX) – 4th in class (AA – E4 301-Open 4Str)
11th Ashton Grey (YZ250X) – 1st in class (AA – E3 201-Open 2Str)
12th Tommy Watts (YZ450) – 5th in class (AA – E4 301-Open 4Str)
19th Ethan Harris (YZ450FX) – 8th in class (AA – E4 301-Open 4Str)
2021 NEW ZEALAND ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP
- Round 1 – 11th April (Tokoroa)
- Round 2 – 24th & 25th April (Marlborough)
- Round 3 – 6th & 7th (Moonshine) – hosted by Kapi Mana Motorcycle Club
- Round 4 – 12th June (Masterton) & 13th June (Martinborough)
PWR YAMAHA TEAM WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS:
Yamaha Motor New Zealand, Yamalube, GYTR, YMF, YMI, Motomuck, un4seen, MotoSR, Oneal, Arai, Oakley, IMS, Zeta, Tire balls, TCX, Michelin, Renthal, Twin Air, USWE, EK Chain & Brownell Earthmoving.