As the going got tough, Bay of Plenty's Duncan Hart got going, surging to within just two points of clinching the super moto crown at this season's Motorcycling Tri Series.
As the Cemetery Circuit at Wanganui went from sticky and hot to slippery and wet within just a few hours on Boxing Day, the Yamaha ace showed he was quickest to adapt, qualifying fastest and then taking his modified Bayride Motorcycles YZ450F to the front in both of the day's super moto races.
The Tauranga rider never looked back from there, scoring impressive back-to-back wins.
He eventually had to accept runner-up spot in the series to local Wanganui rider Richard Dibben, the series leader from round one, but Hart was also satisfied that he had been able to prove himself a title contender, even finishing 20 points clear of the third-ranked rider, last season's Tri Series super moto champion and fellow Yamaha ace Toby Summers.
Hart, a 37-year-old workshop manager, will race again at the traditional Battle of the Streets meeting at Paeroa in February and, if his performance at Wanganui on Boxing Day is any indication, his rivals have plenty to fear.