Motorsport: Whibley zooms through to claim No2

Paul Whibley. Photo / APN

New Zealand's Paul Whibley will swap the No3 on his Yamaha for No2 next season after a stunning late-season challenge for the Grand National Cross-country Championships title in the United States.

The Pahiatua rider won the first of two days and finished third on day two at the series-ending double-header - the 12th and 13th rounds of the event - in Tennessee, capping an eventful season of highs for the former Manawatu forestry worker.

Yamaha's Whibley not only recovered from a disastrous start to the series to finish runner-up, he also wrapped up his fourth consecutive title win in the parallel Off-Road Motorcycle and ATV (OMA) series at that competition's final round a week earlier.

The final major race of the season in Tennessee was full of drama with the Kiwi ace at the centre of it all.

What had started looking like a relatively easy run to the finish for GNCC points leader Charlie Mullins turned into an electrifying nail-biter in the end as disaster struck KTM rider Mullins and Whibley (Yamaha YZ450F) came on strong.

American Mullins headed into the weekend's double-header final with a solid lead over defending champion Josh Strang (Suzuki), of Australia, and 2009 GNCC champion Whibley, but his position became threatened on day one when his engine failed and he rolled to a stop.

Whibley took over the lead with Mullins' KTM teammate Cory Buttrick in second, while Mullins was left frantically trying to restart his bike.

At the end of three hours of intense racing, Whibley took the chequered flag with an 11-second gap over Buttrick. Third place went to Strang, who kept his title hopes alive with the finish.

"I can't control what anybody else does so I just have to go out there and win races," Whibley said.

"Late in the race, I saw Mullins' bike lying beside the track so I knew I had the lead at that point.

"It was tough to make up time in the woods so I was hitting the creeks as hard as I could to try to get it done."

After swapping his engine for a fresh one, Mullins was able to make the final lap and was credited with 14th position, which left the North Carolina rider with an even smaller advantage over Whibley in the standings as they headed into day two.

Mullins put everything beyond doubt with a scintillating win on day two, becoming the first American to win the GNCC title since Rodney Smith held it in 2004.

"The track was really rough," Whibley said.

"But it's good to finish the year where we did, considering the problems we had at the start of the season."

Defending champ Strang was unlucky to run into trouble with tree roots on day two that caused him to crash and break his leg. However, he still wound up third overall in the championship.