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The New Zealand Supercross Championships series wrapped up in Tokoroa on Saturday night with Suzuki riders striking gold in both the premier classes and then running off with the manufacturers’ prize as well.
Suzuki’s Scott Columb held the advantage in both the senior categories as the evening’s programme began – he was two points in front of Suzuki team-mate Luke Burkhart in the open class and seven points ahead of Burkhart’s elder brother Jonathan (Honda) in the 125cc class.
The atmosphere was tense in the Suzuki pits, the two men team-mates in name only -- both determined to win the open class title for themselves.
When Masterton’s Luke Burkhart (RM-Z450) took an unaccustomed tumble while leading the first open class race, Queenstown’s Columb (Suzuki RM250) took the chequered flag unhindered and the balance of power swung further in favour of the South Islander.
But Burkhart was not about to quit and, clearly the fastest man on the track, he answered the call with an emphatic start-to-finish win in the next outing, setting it up for a classic winner-takes-all final race.
The Suzuki team-mates shot from the start gate with equal fire and ran parallel at the front through the first few corners … until the inevitable happened and the two riders tried to go where there was only room for one. They collided and Burkhart came off worst, pushed over the berm and into last place.
His charge through the field was inspirational but, with Columb again unchallenged in the lead and able to pick and choose his lines, Burkhart’s charge was never going to be enough. Burkhart ended up fourth in the race and was forced to accept second spot in the championship.
“I guess I was just riding for pride in the end,” Burkhart said afterwards.
“I’m not going to say anything bad about what happened in the corner. That’s just racing I suppose. It was great to finish the season with a Suzuki 1-2 though.”
Columb then backed that up by clearing off with the 125cc title as well, that battle becoming a mere formality after Jonathan Burkhart crashed out of the night’s final race.
The 22-year-old Columb now joins a long list of Suzuki riders who have clinched the National Supercross crown, following on from the double win also celebrated by Suzuki riders last year.
Suzuki star Daryl Hurley, from Hawera, won the open class crown last season, while Luke Burkhart captured the 125cc title for Suzuki.
Columb had signalled his stern intention to take both titles this season when he beat a host of international stars to win the Cardiff Supercross, inside the Millennium Stadium, in December 2005. Columb previously won a National Supercross title as a junior, collecting the 125cc crown in 2000.
For good measure, Burkhart and Columb finished 1-2 in the Manufacturers Challenge feature race at Tokoroa, easily taking the crown from the nominated pairs of riders representing Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha.
Meanwhile, following the “Suzuki superman” tradition set by dual-class hero Columb, Motueka’s Jamie Voigt (Suzuki) also capped off a brilliant supercross campaign by comfortably winning the 13-16 years’ 85c class and also finishing third overall in the 12-14 years’ 125cc division.
Fellow Suzuki riders Jackson Goldworthy (Motueka) and Davi Fisher (Tauranga) finished fourth and fifth respectively in the 12-14 years’ 125cc class.
LEADING final standings after the two-round New Zealand Supercross Championships wrapped up in Tokoroa on Saturday night:
