KING IN DEFIANT MOOD | Bikesportnz

Hamilton’s Darryll King is in a defiant mood, and he probably needs to be with so many young men again lining up to try and take away his crown.

The just-turned 44-year-old national MX2 motocross champion knows it just gets tougher and tougher for him with each passing season, but that’s never stopped him in the past and certainly won’t perturb him this time around as the 2013 New Zealand Motocross Championships season approaches.

King raced to a convincing win in the veterans’ class at last weekend’s New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville and also finished a strong third in the senior MX2 grade, beaten there only by world MX2 No.4 Jake Nicholls, of Great Britain, and by fellow Yamaha ace Scotty Columb (JCR Yamaha Racing Team YZ250F), of Queenstown.

The weekend started badly for King, with the 2012 world veterans’ champion King on the bottom of a first-turn pile-up in the opening veterans’ class race at Woodville, but, even after setting off a minute or so behind the leaders, he powered his way through from the back to take the lead about two-thirds of the way through the race.

It was an inspirational ride.

King then followed that up by easily winning the next two veterans’ outings, ending the day a safe nine points ahead of New Plymouth’s Mitch Rowe, with Christchurch man Dean Baird taking the third spot on the podium.

“I had to realign myself. I really wasn’t using my head but things came right for me during the day,” said King.

But the veterans’ racing was really just an aside for King, whose main purpose this season is to make it three national MX2 titles in a row.

National No.1 King finished 3-3-4 in his three MX2 outings on Sunday, ending the day just two points behind national No.2 Columb.

It is likely to again be those two men battling for glory when the national series gets underway too.

The four-round New Zealand Motocross Championships series kicks off near Timaru in just over a week’s time, on February 10, with rounds to follow at Patetonga (on February 24), Pukekohe (March 10) and, finally, Taupo on March 31.

“I’m working hard towards the nationals and will be progressing forward from here over the coming days and weeks. It was a brutal day at Woodville, but I guess that’s what motocross is all about.”

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