Motorsport: Mum Michelle a dirt marvel

Whakatane mum Michelle Waghorn continues to defy the odds.

Not only does she continue her quest to win at the gruelling Tarawera 100 cross-country motorcycle endurance race but she has just clicked up finish No13 at a time in her life when many riders, not just women, would have given it up.

The 45-year-old is a mother-of-two - "well, mother-of-three actually, husband Kane is a bit of a kid too," she said with a laugh.

She has become something of a legend at the iconic event.

Though a previous class winner at the big annual dirt bike race, this year she settled for 122nd overall, out of 169 starters, and sixth in the women's class.

But what was perhaps even more significant at the weekend was that Waghorn (Yamaha YZ250F) had made it 13 consecutive outings at the annual race and each time she has been a finisher, a feat that would be the envy of any other rider, male or female.

"I didn't have any problems out there on the track, despite the fact that I didn't really do any training to build up for it this year," she said.

"I was hoping for a mid-pack finish and that's what I achieved. I was riding on instinct really and that got me through in the end, that and my trusty 2010-model Yamaha.

"It was very hard going for me this year but I just kept focused on finishing. That was what was important to me. I've done 13 now and finished every one. I wanted to keep the finishing record intact.

"I'll be back next year and for as long as I'm able to keep riding. My aim is to complete 20 but we'll have to see about that.

"Kane and I would really like to do this race as a family. We all ride dirt bikes but it would be neat to have me and Kane complete it with the kids - Ashley and Jordan - too.

"That's definitely something I'd like to be able to tick off my 'bucket list'."

Meanwhile, winning a national motorcycling title is one thing, but successfully defending it has often been described as the tougher of the two tasks.

But this is something that Masterton builder Mason Wilkie is determined to achieve when he again tackles the New Zealand Motorcycle TT Championships at Kuratau, near Turangi, this weekend.

TT racing is like superbike racing, but on soil instead of tarmac - it's a relatively flat paddock and there are no jumps to slow down the dirt bike racers.

The entry list for the event includes the stars of motocross, cross-country, enduro and even road-racing, All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and super motard and they will hit eye-watering speeds as they chase glory at this 13th annual Bike Torque Yamaha-sponsored national TT championships at the south-western tip of Lake Taupo.

The racing in the premier motorcycle category, the open class bikes, went right down to the wire last season before Wairarapa's Wilkie (Sargent Yamaha YZ450F) finally tipped the balance of power his way.

With three of the weekend's five races completed, Taupo's Cameron Dillon was on top of the open class standings, five points clear of Masterton's Wilkie.

However, Wilkie led from the start in both of the next two races and was never headed, snatching away the title from Dillon.

"It was just a matter of me getting out front and not looking back," Wilkie recalls.

Organised by the Taumarunui Motorcycle Club, the venue is just off State Highway 41, and will be signposted from the Kuratau Junction.