GROOMBRIDGE WINS FOUR-HOUR

Bay of Plenty’s Brad Groombridge created history when he won the Acerbis Four-Hour cross-country endurance race near Taupo on Saturday, becoming the first man ever to win it as an ironman.

It has been a remarkable winning run for the 23-year-old Taupo refrigeration engineer, winning two major cross-country races and a significant motocross event as well in just a few weeks.

He teamed with Hawera’s Daryl Hurley to win the big Suzuki Six-Hour cross-country challenge near Tokoroa last month and then he convincingly won the premier MX1 class at the big annual Labour Weekend Motocross Extravaganza at Taupo a week ago.

He reverted to cross-country mode, adapting his riding style and installing a slightly larger fuel tank on his Action Suzuki RM-Z450 to win the Suzuki-sponsored Acerbis Four-Hour just north of Taupo on Saturday.

“I’m stuffed,” he exhaled at the end of the gruelling seven-lap race, the Suzuki ace just one of nine entrants – some riders solo but most entered as two-rider teams – required to complete seven laps of the 30-kilometre course when time was still left on the four-hour clock at the end of his sixth lap.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for Groombridge, with hundreds of bikes creating a massive dusty log-jam as the riders headed into the Tahorakuri Forest for the first time after the start and Groombridge found himself trapped in traffic.

Fortunately, Groombridge managed to avoid most of the carnage, although he was still in 18th position and with a lot of work ahead to claw his way to the front.

“I managed to get some clear air and just put the hammer down,” said Groombridge, who had rocketed through to take the lead from Taupo superbike ace Scott Moir (Honda CRF250) and Morrinsville’s Simon Lansdaal (Husqvarna CR125) by the end of lap three.

He pushed on and eventually won the race from hard-charging two-rider tag team Adrian Smith (Yamaha YZ250) and Callan May (Yamaha YZ250F), from Mokau and Titirangi respectively, and Atiamuri’s Hadleigh Knight, who teamed with Tauranga’s Aaron Wiltshier, both on KTM bikes.

Groombridge’s winning margin was actually less than a minute as the Taupo rider “saved energy on the last lap and backed off a little bit”, but that made for a close and thrilling finish.

National cross-country champion Smith and fast rising star of the sport May could smell blood at the start of their seventh and final lap, final-lap rider May well aware that fatigue might be starting to sap Groombridge.

“We’d ridden pretty hard … we went through three sets of brake pads today,” said the 21-year-old May afterwards.

“The track was fast and flowing and I really enjoyed it. I put everything into my last lap.”

Smith was impressed with his team-mate’s efforts.

“A two-man event like his is a lot of fun and it’s great to have a partner who is so good. Callan really stepped it up today and I think he was actually faster than me a lot of the time today.”

Morrinsville’s Lansdaal was perhaps the biggest surprise of the race, taking his bike to second spot straight out of the start gate, just behind holeshot winner Moir and ahead of the KTM 350XC-F bike of Morrinsville brothers Hayden and Nathan Tesselaar.

Lansdaal eventually finished fourth overall and was the second ironman competitor, after Groombridge.

“I knew I could run that pace if I got a good start,” said the 21-year-old apprentice fitter and turner.

“I had a slight advantage because I had put a bigger fuel tank on my bike and, as an ironman competitor, I didn’t have to come into the pit every lap.”

The Motomuck Junior 90-minute race staged earlier in the day was won by Taupo’s Warren Bartlett (KTM 125 EXC), with Cambridge’s Taylor Grey (KTM 200 XC) finishing runner-up and Tauranga’s Reuben Steens (Yamaha YZ125) taking third step on the podium.

Palmerston North’s James Galpin (Husaberg TE125) and Gisborne’s Duncan Summerfield (KTM 150 XC) rounded out the top five in the Motomuck Junior 90.