Hard work pays off for Central Hawke's Bay motorcycle racer

Steve Sergeant, tired but happy after his Cross Country Endurance win.

After a hard-fought four-round cross country season, Waipukurau motorbike racer Steve Sergeant has come away with the National and North Island Cross Country title in the Vets 35-44 class.

Sergeant is a member of the Central Hawke's Bay Motorcycle Club and started riding when he was 9. In his early 20s he had national success in Enduro racing, then took 10 years off to go travelling.

Returning to New Zealand just three years ago he got back on the bike and back to race fitness. It was a lot of hard work, he says, but it has paid off.

With the first round of the Cross Country Series starting in February, Sergeant starts training in September, working with Sam Harvey Training in Napier on a programme that is specifically structured for Cross Country Endurance racing. He also mountain bikes three to four times per week on the local Tukituki mountain bike trails and enters as many motorcycle races as he can.

Sergeant competes on a Kawasaki (KXF250) and is the only rider on a Kawasaki to compete in the national series senior class this year. The majority of racers choose to ride European brand motorcycles but his Kawasaki has held its own, he says, handling everything the tough three-hour races have thrown at it "from fast open sections to steep gnarly uphills and technical tight sections".

As well as being tough on the bike, cross country racing is physically and mentally challenging for the rider but very rewarding, Steve says.

"You gain riding skills in different terrain and it teaches you to challenge yourself and push beyond where you think your limits are. I would absolutely recommend it to younger riders wanting to improve their skills and build character."

Sergeant says it's a great feeling to have taken out the North Island and National titles.

"So much sacrifice and training has gone into it. I can't thank everyone enough - local bike shop Bay Motorcycles for taking me onboard as a sponsored rider, Aaron Leg from Competition suspension, my wife for always supporting me, Mum and Dad for their support and positive talks, my pit crew Adam Thomsen has been to every round with me, driving me there and pit crewing.

"Stevenson and Taylor where I work in the engineering shop have been really supportive of my goal.

"The series could have been won by any one of three riders including my mate Tom Twist who was on the gas this year. It came down to who won the last round."

The race season slows down over the winter months, but Sergeant's version of "slowing down" includes snowboarding, mountain biking, adventure racing and attending CHB Motorcycle Club days.

And will he be chasing a repeat of his titles next season? "Definitely," he says.
"Racing is a lifelong passion."

Results
Results of all CHB Riders were: Steve Sergeant - 1st Vets 35-44yrs / 1st NI Tom Twist - 3rd Vets 35-44yrs / 4th NI Sam Swanson - 9th Vets 35-44yrs / 6th NI Chris Smyth - 6th 2 Stroke Under / 2nd NI Hayden Tristram - 6th 2 stroke Over / 5th NI Brett Fullerton - 11th Super Vets 45+ / 10th NI Ben Paterson - 14th 4 Stroke Under / 10th NI Jesse Renall - 6th Jnr 4 Stroke Over / 6th NI Hamish Robottom - 9th Jnr 4 Stroke Over / 9th NI Charlie Free - 9th Jnr 2 Stroke Over / 9th NI Mitchell Hill - 10th Jnr 2 Stroke Over / 10th NI