Kiwi star taking world by storm

New Zealand unleashes another motocross prodigy when Pukekohe High School student Katherine Prumm, follows in the footsteps of MX2 world champion Ben Townley and takes on the world in the inaugural Women's World Cup in Sweden this weekend, Peter Martinez of NZPA reports
Pukekohe teenager Katherine Prumm is assured of a top-three finish at the inaugural Women's World Cup motocross championship in Sweden this weekend, former world 500cc motocross champion Shayne King says.
Prumm, who turned 17 this month, will take on the cream of European and American riders but King, from New Plymouth, reckons she is among the fastest riders in the world already.
Her only disadvantage will be a lack of experience racing a top field from 12 nations in European conditions. But Prumm has already shown her mental and physical strength when she won both heats in the final round of the Australian women's championship last year in her international debut.
"She has shown she is the fastest female motocross rider in New Zealand and Australia and I think she is among the fastest in the world," King said.
"She will finish in the top three in the World Cup in Sweden," he predicted.
Prumm learned to be aggressive through riding in junior men's races as well as the occasional men's event in New Zealand, and this would hold her in good stead in Sweden.
"She is a really smooth rider and has the technical skills and aggression," King said
Unlike Ben Townley, who went to Europe in 2001 at 16 and in his first year, lived in a flat in Germany above a garage his team used, Prumm arrives in Sweden with plenty of support.
She has the full backing of Motorcycle New Zealand (MNZ), the government sports funding agency Sparc, Kawasaki Distributors New Zealand and Kawasaki Europe.
She will be accompanied by her father, Erich, a doctor, and mechanic Mike Ramsey from Kawasaki NZ.
At the track, she has been allotted tent space with the British Molson Kawasaki team managed by Lisa Church, the girlfriend of New Zealand MX1 contender, Josh Coppins.
Motorcycle NZ operations manager Vicky Simm told NZPA Prumm would be travelling to Sweden with Coppins and Townley.
"She will certainly be looking for advice from Townley and Coppins about racing in European conditions and information on the track at Uddevalla," Simm said.
Simm added Prumm was the obvious choice to go when the World Cup invitation arrived.
Prumm's travel to Sweden came under MNZ's high performance elite squad budget funded by Sparc, and Ramsey pulled the stops out to make sure Prumm would have the best environment for competition.
"As soon as the invitation was received I got my skates on and started communicating with European Team Green (Kawasaki) boss Steve Gutteridge.... (who) came straight back and said no problems Lisa Church will help you out," Ramsey said.
"Within a few days, a KX250-F bike was sorted and Church also organised for Katherine to practice at the Molson test track in Belgium.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for Katherine... to race against the best women riders in the world," Ramsey said.
The Women's World Cup will follow the same format as the MX1 and MX2 world championships, with 30 riders to start after qualifying.
The championship will be decided over two races, each lasting 20 minutes plus two laps.
Prumm, who has been given permission to use her New Zealand race number, 649, says she does not know what to expect of the Swedish circuit but has no fears that she'll cope.
"I've checked the internet and seen a map of the track ? looks like some pretty big jumps ? and I've heard it's a mix of sand and clay.
"That should be okay for me. There are lots of sand and clay tracks in New Zealand too," said Prumm before she left for Belgium last Saturday.
It is her opponents that hold the most mystery for Prumm .
"I know nothing about the other riders."
Leading favourite will be Honda's Stefy Bau, 28, a seven-time Italian champion and the United States champion in 1999 and 2002.
Shayne King's brother, Darryll, a former 500cc world No 2, has raced at Uddevalla a number of times and says Prumm will have to adjust quickly to the heat of the European summer.
"It is much hotter than in New Zealand.
"The track has a number of big jumps, much higher than in New Zealand and Katherine will have to learn them quickly.
"But she is naturally fast on a bike and very fit and that's going to be key to winning," Darryll King said.