NO TIME FOR REST | Bikesportnz

There is very little time for rest and relaxation for Pahiatua’s Paul Whibley these days.

The new dad not only has a busier home-life to deal with at the moment, although wife Katherine takes on the bulk of child-rearing duties with their six-week-old son Colton, but he is also battling harder than ever to win back the Grand National Cross-country Championships (GNCC) title in the United States that he has previously twice won in the past, in 2008 and 2012.

The 35-year-old former Manawatu forestry worker, affectionately dubbed “The Axeman” on the motorcycling scene, is now three races into his 2014 GNCC campaign – where he has thus far finished second and third before suffering mechanical problems at round three – and at the weekend he tackled round three of a lesser series, the Mid-East Hare Scramble Series, just to keep his reflexes sharp.

Whibley finished runner-up at the Mid-East event in Rockhouse, North Carolina, pleased to have gotten past the minor bike problems he’d suffered a week earlier.

“This time we had a dusty event which made a change from all the wet races we have had this year. And while I still prefer mud over dust, it was nice to have a change,” said the BikesportNZ.com-supported Yamaha YZ450F rider.

“A good start had (Australian former GNCC champion) Josh Strang and myself running one and two once we moved past fast starter Matt Beaty.

“There had been some logging on the property and the tracks in these areas where dusty and it was hard to keep Josh in sight. I think on lap one he pulled 10 seconds on me. I think he made about the same on the second lap. During the third lap I pulled the time back in and was hot on his heels as we came into scoring. He stopped for gas, I went one more lap before gassing. Josh came back by while I was gassing on the fourth lap and retook the lead.

“Lapped traffic was pretty tough to battle through at this event and, with the seemingly growing popularity of this series, I’m sure it’s going to be like this at most rounds.

“Anyway a few guys got between the two of us and Josh got away on the last lap. I have got a feeling a similar thing happened to Josh, that he may have been held up, when I caught back up to him.

“The track actually got better with some moisture coming up through the dirt in the logged areas that helped dampen the dust and the short sand section by the creek offered perfect traction.”

Strang won the race ahead of Whibley, with American Chris Bach finishing the day in third place.

Whibley is supported by Yamaha Motor New Zealand, AmPro Yamaha, Monster Energy, Shoei, Sidi, Smith, MSR G2, Asterisk, Moto SR, Vortex Ignitions, EC3D, Bush Riders MCC, Spectro, Acerbis, DID, JT sprockets, Leatt, Kenda, Sargent Motorcycles, Yamaha NZ, Bikesportnz.com, Unibiker and Tire balls.

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