Motorsport: Mead takes on big boys in US

Rory Mead in winning form. Photo / APN

Wellington's Rory Mead is eager for fresh fields to conquer. He was in scintillating form at the opening round of the Enduro Championships near Kawhia and that's just as well because he now packs up his helmet and boots to head to the United States to race in one of the world's toughest off-road motorcycling competitions.

National enduro champion Mead will race alongside fellow Kiwi international Paul Whibley (Yamaha) in the Grand National Cross-country Championships (GNCC) on the east coast of America this season.

As is the nature of the sport, the better a racer becomes, the less likely we are to see them compete in this part of the world, which is why Kiwi race fans rarely get to witness Whibley's exploits and why followers here will also now miss seeing Mead perform.

Mead's appearance at round one of the Yamaha-sponsored Enduro Championships at Kawhia just over a week ago may be his last for some time, meaning a successful defence of his 2011 domestic title is now impossible, although he vows he will be back again to compete at home in some of the later rounds.

"I can really just take the win at Kawhia and be satisfied with that," Mead said, after blasting his Yamaha YZ450F to victory at the steep and rocky farmland venue on the North Island's rugged west coast.

Mead's American adventure will keeps him away from at least one, and possibly more, of the remaining rounds in the New Zealand enduro.

Mead will be racing at least three rounds of the GNCC series, riding for the WMR Team based in Florida.

"I had my first experience of racing the GNCC by doing several rounds last year," Mead said.

"My best finish was a fifth and I finished 15th overall after contesting just nine of the 13 rounds. I'm feeling very fit at the moment and I believe I have the pace to match Whibley and the other international stars, so I'm really looking forward to it."

And that means it could be up to Palmerston North's national cross-country champion Adam Reeves to uphold the national honour for Yamaha.

Reeves finished second-equal at Kawhia, with his elapsed time identical to that of Auckland's Chris Power (Honda), although a 20-second penalty handed to Reeves for an apparent starting infringement cost him dearly and was a tough lesson to learn.

The battle in the over-300cc four-stroke bike category that is developing between Reeves and Power will be well worth watching.

However, for the time being at least, Mead showed he is still king of enduro in New Zealand.

"The track was wicked," Mead said.

"I was actually riding cautiously at Kawhia because I didn't want to injure myself before I fly out."

The next round of the enduro is scheduled for Northland on March 11.

Rounds to follow will be at Whangamata on April 14 and Waimiha on May 5. The final will be in Taupo on July 21.