Kiwi Yamaha Ace On The Way Up In The USA
JUNE 8, 2015: New Zealand's Callan May remains inside the top 10
in his class after eight rounds of the Grand National Cross-country
Championships in the United States.
The off-road Yamaha rider from Titirangi headed north from his
South Carolina base to tackle this latest round of the series at
Ohio determined to at least maintain, or perhaps even improve upon,
his top-10 ranking in the 13-round series and, after a gruelling
day in the saddle, he managed to do just that.
May (Yamaha YZ250F) is 10th overall and just seven points behind
ninth-ranked rider Austin Lee, from Indiana, in the XC2 (250cc)
class standings for the series.
The race at Ohio was won overall by XC1 (open class) defending
champion and 2015 championship leader Kailub Russell, with fellow
American Ryan Sipes second and Grant Baylor third, while American
trio Nick Davis (eighth overall), Jason Thomas (ninth) and Ricky
Russell (11th) took the top three spots in the XC2 class.
"I had recently been training and riding with (fellow GNCC
competitors) Jason Thomas and Josh Strang leading up to this event,
so all week we rode slick, hard-pack dirt tracks to prepare
ourselves for the race this weekend.
"Ohio is known to be a very hard pack and slick track," he
explained.
"I arrived at the track on Saturday night after some dinner and
a good night's sleep and I was feeling ready to go. But I didn't
get a very good jump off the line and found myself in around 14th
position.
"I made quick work using a few lines I had spotted while walking
the track i the morning, and I made some crucial passes which was
good.
"I came round in 10th on the first lap. I was happy to see that
on the screen as I have been further back off the start in all the
previous races this year.
"I have been struggling mentally, applying too much pressure to
myself at the beginning of the races, so today I took it easy, kept
my breathing in time and kept a clear head.
"I caught a number of riders on the third lap and was up to
eighth.
"I then had battles with Jesse Groemm and Corey Buttrick all the
way to the last lap. I went into the last lap in fifth place, six
seconds ahead of Buttrick and I rode smoothly and created a gap
with enough room to ride easy and make no mistakes.
"So after a long race I finished 13th overall and fifth in the
XC2 class. I'm super happy with the result and want to build on it
for the rest of the season."
The next round of the series is set for the Snowshoe Mountain
Resort in West Virginia on June 21.
May is supported by Yamaha Motor New Zealand, Kiwi Rider
magazine, BikesportNZ.com, MotoSR, Golden Tyres, Fox, Graphic
Creation, GYTR and Yamalube.
Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andy McGechan
BikesportNZ.com Ltd
Phone 06-758-5182