MASON WILKIE got off to a satisfactory start at round 1 of the New Zealand motocross championships on the sand track at Mercer last weekend.
Riding his 250 Honda four-stroke in the 125 grade, Wilkie qualified fourth out of 90 riders and ahead of Damien King.
"It was unbelievable ? a good
day at the office," his father, Craig Wilkie, said yesterday. "People were asking who this new kid was."
In his first race Wilkie ran second to an Australian visitor for half the race, before developing "arm pump" and dropping to fifth. This is a condition where the arm becomes so suffused with blood that circulation is blocked.
In race 2 Wilkie crashed, restarted at around 13th and made his way back to 10th. Race 3 brought another fifth placing, for sixth overall.
Another Masterton racer, Luke Burkhart, was second in the 500cc nationals.
The Pukekohe Motorcycle Club chose the the Mercer sand track over the MR Motorcycles Raceway at Harrisville because Auckland's weather in August can be very wet.
