Racing to the Finnish

MASTERTON schoolboy Mason Wilkie, pictured above with his father, Craig Wilkie, heads off to his third world junior motocross championships, in Helsinki, Finland, next month.
The 16-year-old was frustrated by mechanical problems after qualifying at his two previous worlds, in Italy and Latvia, but gained a lot from those experiences, Craig Wilkie said.
Mason is hoping for a better run on August 12 and 13. He and Craig are being hosted by a German family, who are also supplying a brand new Suzuki RMZ250 for the Masterton schoolboy to ride. The only cost to the Kiwis is their airfares.
Craig Wilkie, a motorcycle mechanic and former top racer himself, is taking a bag of performance goodies with him to upgrade the machine ahead of the meet.
The Germans' generous offer, which includes a camper and trailer, is the result of hospitality extended to them by Craig Wilkie last year when they competed in New Zealand. And all the Germans asked in return was "Marmite please" ? they fell in love with the Kiwi icon during their visit.
Riders can compete in junior international motocross up to the age of 18, so Mason could potentially do another worlds after Helsinki.
But Craig says the bucks stop here, after 13 years of Dad-sponsored competition. Mason first competed in motocross when he was three years old ? "he got prize money for that, too" Craig recalls. Since then Mason has won six New Zealand titles in competitions ranging from MX to Supercross and miniature TT.
"I told him my bank balance won't buy him a ride ? it's up to him now," Craig said.
The Helsinki meeting looks like being Mason's last on a Suzuki, after seven years with the marque. He is switching to a Honda for the domestic season and had his first outing on one at a Wairarapa Motorcycle Club meeting yesterday.