Hot Racing in Icy Temperatures for Whibley   9 Oct 2014

Hot Racing in Icy Temperatures for Whibley

OCTOBER 9, 2014: The temperatures were cool but the racing was hot for New Zealand’s Paul Whibley at the penultimate round of the Grand National Cross-country Championships in the United States at the weekend.

The Pahiatua man, twice a former GNCC series champion in the US, lined up with his Yamaha YZ450F to tackle the 12th round of 13 in the series at Saint Clairsville, Ohio, knowing the championship was already gone, but still determined to protect his top-10 overall position.

“Cold and rain gave the feeling of winter’s fingers reaching out and grabbing a hold and dragging you in. But Sunday dawned fine and we were able to loosen the icy grip. The temperatures were still pretty cool but the racing was hot,” said Whibley.

“I grabbed the holeshot but (the just-crowned 2014 GNCC champion) Kailub Russell quickly got by and led the way. I stuck with him for a couple miles but wasn’t feeling that comfortable on the slick hard-pack track.

“A few front-end wash-outs and I had the back end trying to pass me a couple of times, forcing me to back off (on the throttle).

“I lost a couple positions with an average line choice at a mud hole. I think I was riding too conservatively and not hanging it out enough. When the guys came past, they were getting loose too, but just going with it.

“At mid-race, I found myself in a battle with (Japanese rider) Takeshi Koikeda. He was on my tail for a long time and when I tucked the front he took the position. I quickly regrouped and sort to take back the spot. I hunted for lap after lap but couldn’t make anything happen.

“We were running an okay pace – at times we would gain time on Aussie Daniel Milner in front of us and catch a glimpse of him, usually at the finish line grass track area. Finally, on the last lap I was able to drop the hammer a make a pass on Takeshi. I reeled in Daniel again but I didn’t leave myself anytime to work with.”

Racing was intense up front, with a massive battle going on for the win. Australian Yamaha rider Josh Strang, the 2010 GNCC champion, took the win, ahead of Russell, with Whibley’s other Yamaha team-mate, Jordan Ashburn, in third spot, making it two Yamahas on the podium.

Whibley settled for ninth overall, but he remains fifth in the XC1 class championship standings and sixth in the overall championship standings.

The 2014 GNCC series heads to Crawfordsville, Indiana, for the 13th and final round on October 26.

Whibley is supported by Yamaha Motor New Zealand, AmPro Yamaha, Monster Energy, Shoei, Sidi, Smith, MSR G2, Asterisk, Moto SR, Vortex Ignitions, EC3D, Bush Riders MCC, Spectro, Acerbis, DID, JT sprockets, Leatt, Kenda, Sargent Motorcycles, Yamaha NZ, Bikesportnz.com, Unibiker and Tire balls.

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