Everything on line in points scramble

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

It was a great Gizzy day at Round 3 of the Gisborne Motorcycle Sports Club’s beach racing series.

Riders put it all on the line to get extra points for the final round.

In the senior open class, it was good to see Warren Martin back beach racing on his newly bought Yamaha R6. Malcolm Rau also returned to the sand on his Honda CRF1000 African adventure bike.

Ian Newman (Honda TRX GSXR 1000) was flying on his super quad and managed two wins, leaving the final win to Graham Wedlake (Kawasaki KXF450).

Results — Race 1: Newman 1, Wedlake 2, Nick Wilkie (Honda CR500) 3. Race 2: Newman 1, Wedlake 2, Wilkie 3. Race 3: Wedlake 1, Newman 2, Wilkie 3. Series result: Wedlake 1, Wilkie 2, Newman 3.

In the 0-to-500cc class, Graham Wedlake (Kawasaki KXF450) had his work cut out for him as Benny Forgarty (KTM350) hit the sand running.

Nick Wilkie (Honda CR500) had a good run on his two-stroke.

Race 1: Fogarty 1, Wedlake 2, Wilkie 3. Race 2: Wedlake 1, Wilkie 2, Fogarty 3, Race 3: Wedlake 1, Wilkie 2, Fogarty 3. Series result: Wedlake 1, Wilkie 2, Fogarty 3.

Burt Norman had a clean run in the ATV (all-terrain vehicle) class with three wins, due to his competitors’ machines suffering engine damage.

Series result: Norman 1, Rockie Ellmers 2, Graham Wedlake 3.

Good numbers and hard racing meant the 0-250cc class was not for the faint-hearted. Ben Logan (Honda CRF250) was dialled in as he managed to hold off a determined field to take three wins.

Jody Engelbrecht (Yamaha YZF250), Bryce Norman (KTM250) and Ben Delegat (Honda CRF250) had the throttles against the stops but it was not enough to get any of them the top spot.

Race 1: Logan 1, Engelbrecht 2, Norman 3. Race 2: Logan 1, Engelbrecht 2, Norman 3. Race 3: Logan 1, Engelbrecht 2, Delegat 3. Series result: Logan 1, Norman 2, Michael Fenwick 3.

In the classic class, Ross Large turned up on an old air-cooled Suzuki TS400 two-stroke with a mule-kick power band.

Graham Wedlake was having fun on his 1983 RM125 but Graham Stanaway (1948 DMW 200) and Melissa Stanaway (1954 James 197) were the only two running transponders and so were the only racers to get points.

Race 1: Graham Stanaway 1, Melissa Stanaway 2. Race 2: Melissa Stanaway, Graham Stanaway 2. Race 3: Graham Stanaway 1, Melissa Stanaway 2. Series result: Graham Stanaway 1, Stu Heaps 2, Melissa Stanaway 3.

Sophie Peach (KTM250) ruled the women’s class with three wins, while Fritha Rau (Husqvarna 125) settled for three second placings.

Series result: Peach 1, Rau 2.

In the Junior A class for 125T/250F, Tate Wilson (Kawasaki KX250) was happy going home with three wins, while Branford Barwick (Honda CR125) was left with three second placings.

Series result: Tate (only rider to qualify).

In the Junior B class, Quinta McDiarmid (Suzuki RM85) was pushing hard to take three wins, leaving Jack McNaught (Honda CRF150) to collect all three second placings.

Series result: McDiarmid (only rider to qualify).

It was all on in the Mini 65 class as riders traded places all day.

Brodie Reader (KTM65) managed two hard-fought wins. Claire Ellmers (Apex MXRpro) wasn’t going to let Reader have all the glory and won Race 2. Jordan Fenwick (Kawasaki KX65) could not quite make it to the top spot but did manage two second placings.

Race 1: Reader 1, Ellmers 2, Fenwick 3. Race 2: Ellmers 1, Fenwick 2, Reader 3. Race 3: Reader 1, Fenwick 2, Ellmers 3. Series result: Ellmers 1, Fenwick 2, Reader 3.

The trails class was all action as 10 determined young racers hit the sand. Connor Cavaney (Honda CRF100) went all out hoping for three wins but Duncan Carmichael (Yamaha TT110) threw a spanner in the works with a win in Race 2. Cohen Laing (Kawasaki KX110) wanted to join the gold rush but was just too busy fighting off determined racers Troy Engelbrecht (Honda CRF70), Lila Murphy (Honda CRF70) and terrible twins Jade and Gemma Ellmers (Polaris Outlaw 90s).

Race 1: Cavaney 1, Carmichael 2, Laing 3. Race 2: Carmichael 1, Laing 2, Jade 3. Race 3: Cavaney 1, Carmichael 2, Laing 3. Series result: Laing 1, Gemma 2, Jade 3.

In the Mini 50 water-cooled class, all five racers rode KTM50s. With everyone on the same machine, the racing was close. Jack Murphy had to work hard for his two wins, and Travis Foss managed a win in Race 2.

With top racers Hunter Sadlier, Corrin Newman and Bailey Ireland on the track, no win was easy.

Race 1: Murphy 1, Sadlier 2, Foss 3. Race 2: Foss 1, Murphy 2, Sadlier 3. Race 3: Murphy 1, Sadlier 2, Foss 3. Series result: Murphy 1, Foss 2, Sadlier 3.

In the Mini 50 air-cooled class, Ario Fenwick (Yamaha PW50) was the only racer with a transponder so he officially took out all three wins. That did not stop Jake Grisdale (Honda CRF50), Ivy Fenwick (Honda CRF50) and Quinn Howard (Yamaha PW50) from having a lot of fun racing on the sand.

Series result: Ario Fenwick 1, Corrin Newman 2.

The next beach racing meeting is the East Coast Challenge tomorrow.