Motorsport: Stamina is Smith's strong point

Marton's Cam Smith shows the style that saw him win two national titles in 2008 and he's hoping a run with injuries is now behind him. Photo / Supplied

It's been a long time between drinks for Rangitikei's Cam Smith - far too long for his liking and he's feeling quite thirsty right now.

The Marton sheep and beef farmer was a double New Zealand off-road motorcycle champion in the 2008 season and won the national enduro championships and the national cross-country championships.

But race wins have been few and far between lately, something he intends to put right when the nationals start early next year.

Smith says a deal to race a Yamaha YZ450F for Sargent Motorcycles in Carterton has given him a new lease of life, the zest and impetus to "put things right".

"Things have not been going great for me over the past couple of seasons. I have had a few too many injuries. Mentally, as much as anything else, I felt I needed a fresh start and that's why I was so keen to get a 2011-model Yamaha YZ450F. I rode the YZ450F belonging to [this year's cross-country champion] Adam Reeves and absolutely loved that.

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"I broke my kneecap and took over a year to come right from that, but I'm over my injuries now and feeling 100 per cent again.

"I've had the new bike a few months now and have it all set up for me. I raced the five-round Wanganui Motocross Championships between April and September and won that, so I guess you could say I'm back on track."

But he says the chances of repeating his 2008 double is only a remote possibility at this stage. "I still need to make a decision on which of the two championships I can afford to concentrate on. I can really only budget to do one and I prefer to race cross-country events over enduro.

"As I get older, I prefer to tackle the more technical stuff but a lot of these events are getting more and more wide open these days.

"I love to go hard for three hours. My stamina is my strong point."

Providing Smith can avoid the many dangers that pop up when racing at high speeds across uncertain terrain, he will certainly be a title contender next year.