Mokau’s Adrian Smith did not split the workload with anyone and virtually did the job of two men at the weekend as he won the solo section of the annual Woodhill Two-man Cross-country race.

The 27-year-old sheep and beef farmer made only a last-minute decision to race the Woodhill Two-man and, while most competitors were teamed in groups of two, Smith lined up on the 11th row of the start grid in the Woodhill Forest determined to tackle it as an ironman on his Blackwood BikesportNZ.com Yamaha YZ250.

He was quickly on the pace immediately after the flag-fall start to the race, instantly making up ground on the riders set off ahead of him.

Three-time former and current national cross-country champion Smith battled hard on the sandy, tree root-infested forestry course and said he knew, once he had caught up to fellow Yamaha solo rider Adam Reeves, of Palmerston North, he had probably done enough to win his class.

“He’d been about a minute ahead of me at the start, so I knew that if I’d caught him I was probably leading the (race-within-a-race for the) solo category. I didn’t stress on trying too hard to pass him and he actually crossed the finish line ahead of me, but, on adjusted time, I was the winner.”

Smith was credited with a time of three hours 4.09 minutes, while Reeves’ time was three hours 5.08 minutes, making it a Yamaha 1-2 at the head of the solo class at this first round of the Woodhill Two-man series, a competition proudly sponsored by Spectrum Motorcycles and promoted by Endless Dirt Biking.

“It was hard work in the trees and I must have passed 30 or 40 riders from my row 11 start spot. Just as well the solo riders were scored separately from the two-man squads.”

In the two-man race itself, BikesportNZ.com-sponsored Joshua Jack, of Kaukapakapa, and Muriwai’s Luke Mobberley teamed up on a Suzuki RM-Z250 to win the race overall, the only pairing to complete seven laps in the designated three hours.

Jack and May crossed the line ahead of Auckland Kawasaki pair Sean Fogarty and Aiden Kiff, with fellow Aucklander Callan May joined by Northland’s Mitchell Nield, on a BikesportNZ.com Yamaha YZ250F, taking third place overall.

Smith and Reeves finished a creditable fourth and fifth overall.

“I only made the decision to race this event at the last minute,” Smith explained.

“I had to drop a dog off in Thames and just thought I’d carry on and do the race too.”

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