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Mark Penny shot into the lead of the New Zealand cross-country motorcycle championships with a high speed victory at Nelson last Sunday.
The Waikato rider jumped from fifth to first in the standings with his clear cut win in the first final of the RK Chains championships, held on a 21 km track at Lake Station near St Arnauds.
The circuit, on open farmland, was very fast, with long straights where riders held top gear and hit speeds of up to 120 kmh. The average lap speeds of the top riders during the 3 hour event were over 80 kmh.
As the grassy surface was cut up by the bikes, rocks came to the surface and caused punctures for several of the leading riders, including former series leader Paul Wilson of Piupiu. He finished fifth on his Honda CR250 after repairing the puncture in the pits, and finished the day two points behind Penny with one round to go.
Penny, also riding a CR250, beat Huntly rider Blair Smith (Kawasaki KX250) by a comfortable margin, with Paul Wibley (Wairarapa, Honda CR250) and Adam Youren (Wellington, Suzuki RMX250) close behind.
Youren also had bike problems, having to stoip to fix his back brake. \"I thought the day was pretty much over, but I gave it everything and got back near the front,\" he said. \"It was a really fast circuit and very enjoyable, but you had to be careful over the rocks.
These first five riders outright were all in the open 2-stroke class, which is usually the fastest. The up to 200cc 2-stroke class was won by Michael Gibbons of Te Puke on a KTM200, the open 4-stroke class by Timaru rider Stephen Turner on a Honda XR400, and the upto 300cc 4-stroke class by King Country rider Elliot Kent on a Honda XR250.
The meeting was also the final round of the South Island championships. Aaron Hawkins of Oamaru won the open 2-stroke class on his Kawasaki KX250, Grant Oliver of Christchurch the 200cc 2-stroke on his Kawasaki KDX200, Stephen Turner the open 4-stroke class, and Grenville Button of Christchurch the 300cc 4-stroke on his Honda XR250.
The RK Chains championships will conclude with the second final at Wellington on May 16th.
For further information contact Bernard Carpinter (04) 472-5514, or 025-528-744
