HOT STUFF IN THE USA | Bikesportnz

The temperatures may have been freezing, but Pahiatua’s Paul Whibley was red hot in North Carolina, in the United States, at the weekend.

He headed off to tackle the Rattlesnake Ridge Team Race in North Carolina on Sunday, co-riding his Yamaha YZ450F practice bike with American rider Matthew Nix as his team-mate.

“Freezing temperatures and a dusting of snow the day before had a lot of people opting for a cup of hot chocolate rather than a ride on their motorcycle. I think this was the biggest reason the turn-out was on the light side,” said Whibley.

Although, what the race lacked in numbers it made up for with quality, the Kiwi hero the No.1 rider in the US in two separate cross-country competitions.

The 34-year-old former Manawatu forestry worker, affectionately dubbed “The Axeman” on the motorcycling scene, won two major cross-country titles in the US last season, clinching the Grand National Cross-country Championships and the Off-Road Motorcycle and ATV crown as well, and now he’s in warm-up mode as the new season of racing kicks off in America.

“The start of the race was scheduled for noon but temperatures hadn’t moved much above freezing and the ground, in a few spots on the hillside, was still frozen rock hard.

“I grabbed the start with Jesse Robinson hot on my heels the whole first lap. I was struggling for that the first lap. It was so cold that my eyes kept watering with the cold air and I could hardly see where to go.

“Just after I started the second lap and past the point of swapping riders I got a flat rear tyre. Since I was just riding my practice bike, I hadn’t fitted any ‘tireballs’, but how I wished I had as the track had turned up a lot of sharp-edged rocks after the quads had raced there on Saturday.

“I managed to stay ahead of Jesse even with the flat tyre, right up till the last mile from the finish where a small bottleneck had formed, I went around one way, Jesse the other, with Jesse taking the advantage.

“I completed the lap and came into the exchange area where my partner Matthew Nix went out and gave chase to Jesse’s partner, Casey Leatherman. Matt put in two great laps, regained the lead, then surrendered it again to Jesse. I went out a few seconds behind Casey for my second session and, after three laps, had set up a good lead with Matt extending it for us during his second session.

“In the final hour we split the laps between us and Matt finished up the race very strongly, taking the win for us with the sun sinking in the sky and the temperatures again dropping to freezing.

“It was a fun day’s racing and proved some good practice with similar conditions to the upcoming OMA race.”

Whibley’s focus now is preparing for the start of the separate GNCC and OMA competitions. In both instances, Whibley will race with the No.1 on his Yamaha YZ450F bike, a ranking he is very keen to retain this season.

Whibley is supported by Monster Energy, Sargent Yamaha in Masterton, MotoSR suspension, BikesportNZ.com, Graphic MX Creation and Yamaha Motor New Zealand.

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