New Zealand's Paul Whibley has a battle on his hands but, for the time being at least, he still leads the Grand National Cross-Country Championship standings in the United States.
The Yamaha ace from Pahiatua won the opening round of the series in Florida in March and has managed podiumfinishes at each of the following rounds, settling for runner-up spot at round four of the series in Union, South Carolina, last weekend.
Former Manawatu forestry worker Whibley snatched the lead at the start in South Carolina, but it was American youngster Kailub Russell who set the early pace, leading 2009 champion Whibley and 2011 champion Charlie Mullins through the opening stages.
As the race progressed, Russell managed to pull away from Mullins and Whibley, who were locked in a fierce duel of their own.
Then Mullins and Whibley struck problems, each of them in turn getting stuck in a deep mud hole and losing valuable time as they extricated themselves.
Whibley was eventually able to get the better of Mullins, accepting second spot on the podium and maintaining a narrow lead in the championship standings.
American Thad DuVall put in another solid ride to take fourth place, while another Kiwi, Yamaha's 2011 New Zealand Enduro Champion Rory Mead of Wellington, came home in fifth place.
Whibley's championship lead has been shaved back to just two points from Russell, with Mullins another 13 points further back. Mead is now sixth overall in the series standings.
