Wairoa’s Reece Lister one to watch at NZ Cross-country Championships

Wairoa rider Reece Lister will be worth looking out for at the 2018 New Zealand Cross Country Championships in Mosgiel tomorrow. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ

MOTORSPORT

Wairoa motocross rider Reece Lister is one to watch in the fourth and final round of the New Zealand Cross-country Championships near Mosgiel tomorrow.

Lister held the lead as the field came back into view at the end of the opening lap at Taupo, until disaster struck just a few hundred metres from the timing zone. He lost control of his bike and hurtled into a farm fence.

By the time he extricated his bike from the fence batons and wire and rejoined the race, he was almost last.

In an inspired ride, Lister powered through almost the entire field, claiming sixth overall at the finish and giving him the over-200cc two-stroke class win. He is now second in the series standings for this class, just three points behind Napier’s Mackenzie Wiig.

Meanwhile, Taupo’s Brad Groombridge may be second in the championship standings, but he is still the favourite to win the cross-country nationals, which will go down to the wire.

Racing tomorrow will likely be a showdown between two Bay of Plenty riders, with others also expected to have a say in the outcome.

Groombridge had led the championship chase heading into Round 3 near Taupo last month, but he ran out of fuel while leading the three-hour senior race. He dropped back to be credited only with ninth overall for the day, and this gave the series a massive shake-up.

Taupo’s Nathan Tesselaar celebrated his first national cross-country championship race win that day, the 25-year-old electrician leading Coatesville’s Sam Greenslade and Raglan’s Jason Dickey to the podium.

This result boosted Tesselaar to the top of the standings, his 4-3-1 scorecard for the series so far giving him a serious chance of winning the title overall, although everything now depends on what happens this weekend.

However, with only three of four rounds to be counted — riders to discard their worst result — it means defending national champion Groombridge, with his 1-1-9 score-card, is still the favourite to take the crown.

It means the series will end with a cliff-hanger at Mosgiel tomorrow, with Tesselaar, Groombridge, Dickey (0-2-3) and also perhaps Hamilton’s Phil Goodwright (2-5-7) in title contention.

In the junior grade, Napier’s Bryn Codd is the new points leader after their 90-minute race at Taupo.

However, with the discard rule, Eltham’s Adam Loveridge is mathematically still favourite to win the title, while Raglan’s Coby Rooks, Hamilton’s Caleb Richardson and Cambridge’s Michael Henry will also fancy their chances of winning the crown.