'The Axeman' strikes early in US

Pahiatua motorcycle ace Paul Whibley was red-hot despite freezing temperatures during his victory at the $1000 pro purse Rattlesnake Ridge Harescramble in North Carolina last weekend.

The race was a vital part of his warm-up for the Gran National cross-country championships in the United States with that high-profile series set to kick off in Florida next month.

Whibley, a former woodsman known in racing circles as The Axeman, is No2 in the GNCC rankings after enduring a frustrating early part to his campaign last season.

But there was nothing frustrating about his win last weekend, except perhaps for his rivals, all of whom had to spend the day chasing Whibley.

"The plan was to use this event as a warm-up for my US campaign but a big chill that swept across the country resulted in something more like a cool down," the 33-year-old said.

"Temperatures hovered around freezing all day and, although the sun was out, a nasty breeze kept the chill in the air with the ground remaining frozen and slick in a lot of places on the track."

The $1000 pro purse attracted some top talent with Husaberg's national enduro No3 Nick Fahringer and GNCC top 10 rider Chris Bach, on his Beta, amongst the starters. Also adding to the international flavour was Japanese rider Takeshi Koikeda.

The start straight was all of about 6m long but Whibley handled the conditions well, riding cautiously on the first lap to avoid any hassles with the many frozen spots and the liberal number of rocks scattered over the track.

Whibley managed to build a comfortable lead over the first couple of laps and with wife Katherine manning the IMS fuel dump can, he also benefitted by being in and out of the pits in good time.

Fahringer was second with Koikeda close up in third position.