Round three of four in the 2024 New Zealand Cross-country Championships was held at Flemington, in Central Hawke’s Bay, on Saturday.
The fourth and final round is set for Tinui, near Masterton, today, Easter Monday.
Defending senior champion Wil Yeoman won Saturday’s three-hour senior race ahead of nearest rival Callum Dudson, from Rotorua, and New Plymouth’s Sam Parker took the third podium position.
This earned Yeoman a tight three-point advantage at the top of the standings with just today’s race still to come.
Winner of the 90-minute Junior race on Saturday was Te Awamutu’s Nixon Parkes, with Owaka’s Blake Affleck second and Rotorua’s James Bates third.
Affleck continues to lead the Junior grade, but Parkes has now moved up to replace Eketahuna’s Sheldon Brown as his main title threat after Brown crashed out of Saturday’s race.
Affleck’s points advantage over Parkes is a meagre six points, with just today’s race at Tinui left to complete the series.
Pictured above: The top Junior grade riders at Flemington on Saturday were (from left) Owaka’s Blake Affleck (runner-up), Te Awamutu’s Nixon Parkes (race winner) and Rotorua’s James Bates (who finished third). Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
Check back here on www.BikesportNZ.com later this week as we bring you more words and photos from the double-header weekend.
© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
Find BikesportNZ.com on FACEBOOK here
Christchurch rider Glen Munro wheelies his Husqvarna FE350 over an obstacle during Saturday’s three-hour senior race at Flemington. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
Invercargill’s Dylan Marwick (KTM No.193) and Lumsden’s Jonty Richards (Beta No.57) are stuck in traffic soon after the senior start at Flemington on Saturday. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com