Whibley And Lister Win at Mosgiel   17 Mar 2015

Whibley And Lister Win at Mosgiel

MARCH 17, 2015: Pahiatua’s Paul Whibley struck back with a vengeance on Sunday.

The 36-year-old former Manawatu forestry worker, affectionately dubbed “The Axeman” on the motorcycling scene, returned to settle back in New Zealand after a successful 12-year stint of racing motorcycles off-road in Europe and the United States and he immediately went to work try to re-established his position at the top of the sport in New Zealand.

The first round of four in this season's New Zealand Cross-country Championships, near Onga Onga, in Central Hawke's Bay, last month did not go quite to plan for the Yamaha rider and he had to settle for overall runner-up that day, finishing behind defending and four-time former national champion and friend Adrian Smith, from Mokau.

But the day belonged to Whibley at round two near Mosgiel on Sunday.

Whibley (Yamaha YZ450F) and Smith (Yamaha YZ250F) were never far apart throughout the three-hour senior race until, with just over a lap to go, came disaster for Smith when he launched his bike into a bog, the bike stuck and he was thrown over the handlebars.

The time he lost recovering himself and his bike was about all that came between the pair at the finish, with Whibley eventually taking the chequered flag by just over two minutes from Smith.

Hamilton's Andrew Charleston (Honda) finished third, with Maruia's Ethan Bruce (KTM) and Rotorua's Scott Birch (Honda) rounding out the top five.

The reversal of fortunes for Whibley and Smith means the two men now head to round three near Nelson (on April 19) level on points and, with only three of the four rounds to be counted and riders discarding their worst result, it means the championship chase will go down to the wire at the final round near Pahiatua on May 17.

"It was another very fast course," said Whibley. "There were some interesting pieces up gullies, but in other places it was just flat out. Fifth gear on my bike got a good work-out that's for sure."

The 90-minute junior race earlier in the day saw round one winner Reece Lister (KTM 125), from Kotemaori, again triumphant.

Taupo's Xavier McBrydie (Husqvarna CR125) produced one of the best results of his young career to finish runner-up, only 13 seconds behind Lister, with Nelson's Jackson Walker (Yamaha), Waimauku's Jake Wightman (KTM) and Taupiri's Andrew Barr (KTM) rounding out the top five.

Unless somebody can upset Lister at round three, he could possibly wrap up the junior title with a round to spare.

ends

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