Smith Gunning For Enduro Championship Leader
MAY 5, 2015: Mokau's Adrian Smith is not a greedy man, but he
would have loved nothing better than to have had the chance to
reclaim the national enduro championship crown this season.
The outright and under-200cc four-stroke class winner of the New
Zealand Enduro Championships in 2012, and a class winner for the
past two years as well, a disappointing clash of dates between the
separate but similar enduro and cross-country codes meant he was
left with a simple choice ... contest one championship or the
other.
He could not be in two places at once to contest both series and
so the 29-year-old Yamaha rider, also the four-time former and
current national cross-country champion, chose this season to try
and extend his winning run in the cross-country competition.
But there is no clash of dates this weekend and so the sheep and
beef farmer will take his Yamaha YZ250FX into battle at the final
two rounds of the national enduro championships, the two venues not
far from his home, at Waimiha on Saturday and near Tokoroa the
following day.
Auckland's Chris Birch has had something of a golden run in the
enduro nationals, the winner of all five rounds thus far, but Smith
plans to put a halt to that this weekend. Smith was the only rider
to steal a round win away from multi-time enduro champion Birch
last season.
"I really want to stop Birch's win streak. I love the terrain at
Waimiha and Tokoroa. These are the venues closest to my home so you
could almost call them home turf," said Smith.
"I know I can't win the enduro series after having been forced
to miss so many rounds, but this weekend will be a good build-up
for me anyway ahead of the final round of the New Zealand
Cross-country Championships (near Pahiatua the following
weekend).
"I want to have as much time on the bike as I can and it will be
two full days this weekend.
"I'm feeling very good physically and the bike is brilliant, so
bring it on."
Winning the national cross-country championships is his main
focus this season and in that series he is locked in a fierce
battle with fellow Yamaha ace Paul Whibley. Whomever wins that
final round near Pahiatua on May 17 will take the 2015 crown.
Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com