Glen Eden's Chris Birch (KTM) is still the man to beat on the national enduro scene. Pictures / Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
Glen Eden's Chris Birch (KTM) is still the man to beat on the national enduro scene. Pictures / Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
King of the code eyes second clean sweep, writes Andy McGechan
It may be some time before Auckland's Chris Birch is toppled from his throne, especially in light of the Kiwi international's recent performance in the Riverhead Forest.
The off-road bike riding coach romped to victory at the first round of seven in this year's New Zealand Enduro Championships at Riverhead just over a week ago and, although he managed to stave off his rivals' threats this time, they will line up against him again at round two near Whangamata this weekend.
The KTM rider remains the king of the New Zealand enduro scene for the time being - although not undisputed as there are plenty of talented individuals who line up against him at major off-road motorcycling events. But few would doubt that Birch has the potential and skill to make it a clean sweep in 2015, just as he did last season.
The 34-year-old Birch, from Glen Eden, won all six of the tightly timed special stages in the Riverhead Forest, finishing the day just over a minute ahead of fellow Kiwi international Paul Whibley (Yamaha), the Pahiatua man now back in New Zealand permanently after more than a decade competing overseas.
Birch remains the clear favourite to win the series outright and the prospect has been made all the more likely because Whibley won't be able to race the entire enduro championship series, thanks to several date clashes between enduro and cross-country.
Paul Whibley (Yamaha) is back racing in NZ.
Whibley won't be at Whangamata this Saturday, instead beginning his New Zealand Cross-country Championships campaign in Hawkes Bay, in the first of four rounds. The event is also expected to entice away dual-code campaigner Adrian Smith (Yamaha), of Mokau.
Smith finished 12th overall at Riverhead, his generous nature costing him a higher placing because he stopped to assist another rider with mechanical issues and lost several minutes in the process.
So with Whibley and Smith away, the rider who finished third overall at Riverhead, Howick teenager Liam Draper (Husqvarna), may be the one to watch as this year's enduro series progresses.
"I enjoy racing enduros and I showed I have good speed," said Draper, also an accomplished moto trials rider and currently racing national championship level motocross.
"I'm getting better and better at enduro racing now and hope to do a lot better than last year, when I broke my thumb at round three. My aim is to finish this year without injuring myself."
Birch also led the battle-within-a-battle for his individual class honours at Riverhead, finishing top of the Expert over-300cc four-stroke class.
Draper leads the Expert under-200cc two-stroke class and Whangamata's Jason Davis (KTM) leads the Expert over-200cc two-stroke class. Coatesville's Sam Greenslade (KTM) secured the lead in the Expert under-300cc four-stroke class and Tokoroa's Sean Clarke (Husqvarna) climbed to the top of the Expert veterans' class.
Round three of the enduro nationals is near Wellington on March 14, followed by round four near Christchurch on April 4, with round five just two days later, near Mosgiel. Round six is at Waimiha on May 9, with the seventh and final round set for Tokoroa on May 10.
As for Whibley, he was satisfied to be back in bike action again after a lengthy break following his return from South Carolina late last year.
Whibley, a 36-year-old former Manawatu forestry worker dubbed "The Axeman", twice won the Grand National Cross-country Championships during a nine-year stint of racing in the United States and also rode the World Enduro Championships in Europe for three years before that, but now he will settle in to racing on the New Zealand domestic scene.
