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When old men and young women get together, there's bound to be fireworks. And that's what happened in the Manawatu at the weekend as the region hosted the New Zealand Veterans' and Junior Women's Motocross Championships on farmland near Mount Stewart, on the outskirts of Palmerston North.
Sponsored by Maidstone Yamaha, the two-day double-header nationals attracted the cream of talent from throughout the country. Cambridge's Damien King, the reigning senior national 125cc champion, at age 32 now qualifies as a veteran rider, and so his winning the youngest of the veteran categories perhaps came as no surprise. King (Yamaha) finished the weekend unbeaten as he won the 30-34 years' over-300cc title.
His brother, Hamilton's Darryll King (Yamaha), won both the over-300cc and under-300cc titles in the 35-39 years' division, while Wanganui's Danny Willemsen (Suzuki) did likewise, winning both the overs and unders in the 40-44 year's group.
Blenheim's Moston Wadsworth (Honda) won both the overs and unders in the 45-49 years class, while 2007 World Veterans' champion Tony Cooksley was unbeaten in the all-in over-50 years' category.
Tauranga's Jesse Waterhouse (Yamaha) won the small capacity class in the junior women's competition, beating Ashhurst's Jodie Wilson (Honda). Atiamuri's Nikita Knight (KTM) won the bigger capacity junior women's class, winning from Rangiora's Kimberley Murphy (Yamaha).
