The national titles just keep coming for Cambridge Yamaha ace Damien King.
The 31-year-old was seemingly in a class all his own at the national Veterans Motocross Championships at Amberley, near Christchurch, at the weekend, easily winning the 450-open class title.
He came frustratingly close to making ittwo title wins but for a last-lap incident in the final race of the 250cc four-stroke class. That title instead went to the man who had been hounding him throughout, Christchurch's Brad Norton, riding a similar Yamaha YZF250.
Norton rode a Kawasaki KX450F to finish runner-up to King in the open class.
National 125cc class champion King was happy to cash in on the fact he also now rates as an old timer these days, using the veterans event as a valuable training session before the New Zealand Motocross Championships which kick off near Timaru in just three weeks.
In total, King won eight of the 10 races he entered over the weekend, and declared afterwards that he was fighting fit and raring to go for the nationals.
"It's a little bit hard to deal with the fact I'm considered a veteran rider these days," he chuckled. "But I am pleased with my form at present. My fitness is good and I'm on target to defend my New Zealand title later this month."
The Subway Yamaha rider will ride two classes at the four-round national series. He will defend his national 125cc title on the four-stroke Yamaha and ride a Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke in the 250cc class.
