Te Awamutu’s Mark Penny is in red-hot form at the moment and the timing could not be more crucial with the big Suzuki Six-Hour dirt bike marathon set for this Saturday.

The former national motocross hero teamed with rising motocross star Josh Jack (Suzuki RM-Z250), of Kaukapakapa, last weekend as a tag-team to share the riding duties in racing at round three of the Sandpit Two-man Series in the Woodhill Forest, north-west of Auckland.

At the end of the three-hour race they crossed the finish line in runners-up spot, just nine seconds behind the eventual winners, James Ainsworth (Honda CRF450) and Chris Power (Honda CRF450), both from Auckland.

It was the second Sandpit series win in a row for Ainsworth and Power.

“The dynamics of the two-man race is such an engaging event,” said Power afterwards.

“It is all the action and excitement of racing, mixed with the fun and enjoy ability of hacking around with your mates. Batting out a 30 minute lap, then having a 30 minute break to watch the action unfold, check out your lap times, see where your rivals are makes race day that much more fun. Top that off with a win and it can’t get much better.

“The sad news was that our main title rivals (for the series win) were out of the race before it had even begun with injury from a week earlier. This meant that all James and myself had to do was ride the race and the series was ours. But that’s not how we do things round here and both wanted to finish off the three-round series with a win.”

For Penny, the race at the weekend was his first appearance in the series and just a warm-up for the 38-year-old father-of-three, who will this weekend take his Suzuki RM-X450 to team up with Queenstown motocross international Scotty Columb and tackle the re-born Suzuki Six-Hour race.

The six-hour race has not run since 2009 because of problems with damage done by rain to the traditional course in Hawke’s Bay and due to issues with consent for land use, but Tokoroa’s Sean Clarke has stepped forward to resurrect the event this year and it will be staged this Saturday on free-draining forestry land between Taupo and Tokoroa.

Penny is a three-time former winner of the Suzuki Six-Hour. He teamed with Rotorua’s Cam Negus to win it outright in 2002, teamed with Motueka’s Brad Thomas to win it outright in 2003 and won the ironman title as a solo rider at the event in 2007.

He previously teamed with Columb in 2005, but a flat tyre meant they had to settle for runner-up spot on that occasion.

“I’m feeling pretty good at the moment,” said Penny. “I have been doing as much riding as possible since getting back in action after breaking my collarbone in February.

“With the electric-start, wide-ratio gearbox RM-X450, I know we have the bike to get the job done. I’m really looking forward to the race.”

Penny and Columb will again come up against some heavyweight opposition, including Power, Power’s cousin Karl Power, Palmerston North’s three-time former national cross-country champion Adam Reeves, Wangamata’s former national enduro champion Jason Davis and Te Awamutu’s Kevin Archer, to name a few.

© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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