Yamaha tops the Cross Country Championship opener’s Senior and Junior races

 

Yamaha Motor New Zealand Media Statement 02.03.21

 Yamaha riders won both the Senior and Junior races at the 2021 New Zealand Cross Country Championships’ first round on Sunday.

TITLE CAPTION: The Senior race podium had two Yamaha riders on it with Napier’s Tommy Watts (#912, centre) claiming the win and PWR Yamaha Team Manager Paul Whibley (#99, left) finishing second.

Hosted by the Bushriders Motorcycle Club in Marton, the event was held on Rangitikei farmland and saw Tommy Watts #912  prove he is as handy on a YZ450F over a three-hour race, as he is in the short, sharp motocross events that he excelled at over the past few months. A Yamaha employee at Motoland in Napier, he won the Senior competition overall and finished first in class (4 Stroke Over).

 

Yamaha Motor New Zealand’s Motorsport Manager Josh Coppins says it was “great to see Tommy transition across from some really good motocross form this summer, to winning outright on Sunday. He is a real asset to the brand.”

 

After a tough start, seasoned cross country legend and 2015 national champion Paul Whibley, of Taikorea, who was riding a smaller capacity Yamaha (YZ250FX) chased after Watts over the course, which included a gorge, open farmland, tight native bush, plus gorse and pine trees.

“The race got off to a bad start with the bike not firing on the dead engine Le Mans style start. Being at the back of the pack on an extremely dusty track was not ideal. I had a few dodgy moments in the dust but forcing some passes early on got me mid-pack, then as the riders spread out, I worked my way forward,” Whibley, who is also the PWR Yamaha Team Manager, says.

 

“The new mount did really well despite some of the fast sections suiting the 450 bikes. Full credit to MotoSR for getting the bike dialled in - allowing me to hit stuff hard and hold it on that little bit longer.”

 

Whibley pushed resolutely over the three-hour Senior race, moving forward and making passes when he could in the dusty conditions, to finish second overall and first in the 4-Stroke Under class by the time the finish flag came out. 

 

“I'm pretty happy with that and am sitting in a good position for the series,” Whibley says.

 

PWR Yamaha Team Manager Paul Whibley on his way to second overall and first in the 4 Stroke Under class.

Whanganui-based PWR team rider Seth Reardon has stepped up to ride a YZ450FX this year and found the 4 Stroke Over class “a lot more competitive.” He rode his Yamaha to fourth in class and fifth overall. 

 

“I found the bike really good. I’m pretty happy with how I rode but need to work on my starts before the next round in two weeks' time.”

 

The 5-metre run to the bikes at the start line caught Reardon out and he exited mid-pack amongst about 100 motorbikes before reeling in his rivals over the approximately 90-kilometre race.

 

PWR Yamaha team rider Seth Reardon had a solid debut on his YZ450FX, with a top five finish overall.

The PWR team’s youngster Wil Yeoman (15), of Taupo, kicked his national campaign off in the best possible way, with victory in the 90-minute Junior race.

 

“I had a great start, getting the holeshot, which was helpful to be ahead of the dust. After a couple of laps I was able to get into a groove and put in some good lap times.

 

I am pleased to get a win to start the championship and look forward to racing again in round two in a couple of week’s time,” Yeoman says.

 

Taupo’s Wil Yeoman, who rides for the PWR Yamaha team, had a stunning start to the season, winning the Junior race.

 

Yamaha brand ambassador Charlotte Russ, of Auckland, won the women's class on her YZ125 and finished 29th overall. She "really enjoyed the track and the physical challenge of three-plus hours on the bike," she says.

 

 

After Covid-19 caused the cancellation of  last year’s New Zealand cross-country championships a week after it started, the organisers will be closely monitoring the country’s currently fluctuating Alert Levels.

 

If the championship is able to progress, points from the best three results out of the four rounds will count towards the championship titles, with riders able to discard their worst result.

Coppins hopes that for the organisers’ and riders’ sakes the championship can continue, adding that the cross country market is one that the brand is “really passionate about.”

 

“We had really solid representation across the board from Yamaha riders, including the official PWR Yamaha team, our bLUcRU ambassadors and our customers. It was great to see such high blue numbers across all classes,” he concludes.

  

PHOTOS:  CREDITS TO CHARLOTTE GALPIN PHOTOGRAPHY

RESULTS:

Round One (Marton) Class Overall – Senior

 

1^st Tommy Watts (YZ450F) – 1^st in class (4 Stroke Over)

2^nd Paul Whibley (YZ250FX) – 1^st in class (4 Stroke Under)

3^rd Reece Lister

4^th Brandon Given

5^th Seth Reardon (YZ450FX) – 4^th in class (4 Stroke Over)

29^th Charlotte Russ (YZ125) – 1^st in class (Women’s)

 

Round One (Marton) Class Overall – Junior

 

1^st Wil Yeoman (YZ250FX) – 1^st in class (4 Stroke Over)

2^nd Luke Brown

3^rd Charlie Free

 

 

2021 NEW ZEALAND CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP

• Round 1 – Bushriders Motorcycle Club – Sunday 28^th February – Marton
• Round 2 – Central Hawkes Bay Motorcycle Club – Sunday 14^thMarch – Flemington
• Round 3 – Gore & Districts Motorcycle Club – Saturday 17^th April – TBC 
• Round 4 – Mosgiel District Motorcycle Club – Sunday 18^th April – TBC (including prizegiving) 

2021 NEW ZEALAND ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP

• Round 1 – 11^th April (Tokoroa)
• Round 2 – 24^th & 25^th April – hosted by Kapi Mana Motorcycle Club 
• Round 3 – 5^th, 6^th & 7^th June (race days TBC) – hosted by Kapi Mana Motorcycle Club
• Round 4 – 12^th June (Masterton) & 13^th 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.