The third annual Yamaha Taikorea 500 made history at the weekend when Palmerston North’s Adam Reeves became the event’s first outright winner.

By recording a clean sweep of wins in the four-races-in-one event, the Yamaha ace became the first man to win the total $500 prizemoney pool on offer.

The rider who had taken his Yamaha to win the event in 2012 and again in 2013, Marton farmer Cam Smith, had a day from hell, unable to finish either of the two one-hour cross-country races and a non-starter for either of the two 10-minute enduro-cross sprints.

Overall runner-up on Saturday was fast-improving 17-year-old Palmerston North rider James Galpin (KTM), with 24-year-old Masterton possum trapper Allan Gannon (Yamaha) rounding out the podium.

Earlier in the day, Otaki youngster Jake Wyman wrapped up the junior grade overall with an impressive first-time cross-country assault on a Yamaha YZ125 that he’d only collected from Freedom Moto Yamaha in Palmerston North a few days before.

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

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