They say it’s often harder to defend a championship that to win it in the first place.

And Mokau’s defending national cross-country champion Adrian Smith (Yamaha) would probably agree with that opinion after the string of bad luck that has hampered his 2014 season thus far.

Not much has been going right for the three-time former and current Kiwi cross-country champion and former national enduro champion in recent weeks.

He crashed and injured himself when within sight of the finish line at the opening round of the national enduro championships near Whangamata last month – although he finished runner-up at round two near Porirua last weekend – and he was forced to battle through from dead last to settle for fourth place after a shocking start at Taranaki’s opening round of the New Zealand Cross-country Championships, also last month.

South Island rider Ethan Bruce (Yamaha) finished one minute and 40 seconds ahead of Raglan’s Jason Dickey (Kawasaki) in winning the three-hour senior race at Taranaki, with Morrinsville’s Nathan Tesselaar (KTM) in third spot and an exhausted Smith arriving at the finish flag fourth but nearly two minutes behind Tesselaar.

Smith’s ride was courageous but certainly not the way he’d have liked to begin his title defence.

The second of four rounds in the national cross-country series is set for this Saturday afternoon, on steep hill country farmland at Waerenga, near Huntly, and Smith is determined to shake off the bad luck that’s been dogging him.

The points from only three of the four rounds are to be counted towards the title, with riders to discard their worst result, so Smith has possibly already sent his result from round one straight to the rubbish bin.

“To have a bad day (at round one) and still finish fourth is not too bad,” Smith shrugged. “But I really need to win this weekend.”

Smith will have his work cut out, with fellow Yamaha star Bruce showing phenomenal speed and stamina to win in Taranaki, while Dickey is also running hot after winning the final round of the separate Bel Ray Cross-country Series last weekend.

It hasn’t all been doom and gloom for Smith however.

Smith has enjoyed some success already this year, with his winning the first three of four rounds of the Bel Ray Cross-Country Series and wrapping up that series crown with a round to spare, so his withdrawal from the final round last weekend really had no impact on that.

Meanwhile, Waipukurau 16-year-old Ben Fryer (Yamaha) won the 90-minute national championships junior race at Taranaki last month by more than two minutes from Otorohanga’s  Aaron King (Honda) and he is probably firm favourite to win again this weekend, although riders such as King, Marton’s Ethan Breuer, Te Kuiti’s Sean Kelly and Wanganui’s Seth Readon may have something to say about that.

Rounds three and four of the national series will be held respectively in Westland (on Sunday, April 13) and Marlborough (Saturday, May 17).

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

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