THE REAL DEAL | Bikesportnz

If BikesportNZ.com readers thought that Joshua Jack and Luke Mobberley’s win in round one of the Spectrum Motorcycles-sponsored Woodhill Two Man cross-country race last month was a one-off, then they had better change their thinking because this pairing are proving to be the real deal.

Not only did the young partnership (Mobberley is only 15 years old) also win round two on Sunday but they did it in convincing style with a margin of nearly five minutes back to runners up Callan May and Mitchell Nield.

Aucklanders Shaun Fogarty and Aiden Kiff (pictured here) battled hard all day behind the second place getters but just couldn’t manage to get the pass needed behind the experienced enduro pairing of May and Nield.

Heavy overnight rain and cloudy overhead conditions ensured that riders were treated to probably one of the best tracks in Woodhill forest in recent history. Track conditions that must have suited Masterton solo rider Reuben Vermeer perfectly as he took out his maiden win in this event over the very fast finishing Yamaha rider and new series leader in the solo class, Palmerston North’s Adam Reeves.

Vermeer had a fantastic first lap opening up a 90-second lead over Reeves that he managed to hold right until the chequered flag. He eventually finished with a tight 10-second advantage.

First round winner in the solos, Mokau’s national cross-country champion Adrian Smith (Blackwood BikesportNZ.com Yamaha YZ250), was right up with Vermeer for the first two laps however he made a fuel miscalculation that saw him watching the race from the wet sandy side-line one kilometre from the pits.

With Smith’s demise, Gas Gas rider Sam Brown moved into 3rd place followed by Kawasaki and national cross country No.2 Jason Dickey, of Raglan.

The Junior/Ladies race in the morning saw an increase in rider participants which was very heartening for the race organisers, Endless Dirt Biking.

On his first ride back from injury Jake Wightman took it to the field and dominated from the get go for the whole 2 hours and eventually finished 10 minutes ahead of round one winners James Scott and Daniel White.

Callum Hey was kept busy all morning holding off the impressive Emma Walling who still leads the Solo Juniors overall. However she will have to work extremely hard in the final race at Leighton’s farm to maintain the advantage.

But at the end of the day all honours must rightly go to the Jack/Mobberley pairing who go into the September 29 final round as firm favourites, even though the track for the final round is a 50/50 mix of undulating farmland and pine forest and could suit the motocrossers more. This will surely test young Mobberley’s speed and experience on the little Yamaha YZ125.

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