The defending champion and a ‘super-sub’ teamed up to kick off this season’s Woodhill Two-man Sandpit Cross-country Championships in style at the weekend.

Auckland’s Chris Power, who last season was joined by his cousin, Karl Power, to win the Sandpit series, had a fresh partner – fellow Aucklander James Ainsworth – to begin his title defence on Sunday and it immediately proved to be a winning combination.

Chris Power rode his Honda CRF450, while Ainsworth arrived with his Cyclespot Honda CRF250 for the “tag-team” race.

“Riders were set off in waves, 20-seconds apart, and we were on the second grid,” said Power.

The leaders on the track were Kaukapakapa’s Josh Jack (BikesportNZ.com Suzuki RM-Z250) and Auckland’s Callan May (Yamaha YZ125), but when the Power/Ainsworth combination clawed their way through the field to finish the three-hour race just six seconds adrift, it meant they claimed the outright win by 14 seconds at the chequered flag.

“I was our team’s rider for the seventh and final lap and it ended up being a pretty easy run as all I had to do was keep Callan May in view,” said Power.

“I crossed the finish line six seconds behind May, which meant James and I took the win by 14 seconds. What was even better for me personally is I posted the quickest lap time of the day on my final lap.

“I won the series last year and I definitely want to win it again this year,” said the 31-year-old Power.

The Sandpit event attracted the cream of New Zealand off-road riding talent, including former national enduro champion Jason Davis, of Whangamata, who teamed with Aucklander Mike Skinner to finish the day third overall, four minutes and eight seconds behind the Jack/Ainsworth pairing.

Power said he was now getting himself prepared to race the annual Tarawera 100 cross-country endurance race near Kawera (on July 7) and the fifth and final round of the New Zealand Enduro Championships at Taupo on July 21.

In between those two major events – on July 14-15 – Power will cross the Tasman to race, and hopefully win, the annual Australian 24-Hour Endurance Race near Adelaide. He has won the Australian event twice previously and rates as one of the favourites to again claim the main prize.

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