Whanganui's Seth Reardon finished fifth as the 2019 Yamaha-sponsored New Zealand Enduro Championships kicked off in the Thames-Coromandel District at the weekend as Helensville's Tom Buxton shined out among the talent-packed field on the premier AA course.
The 20-year-old Buxton won the corresponding opening round of the enduro nationals atthis venue last season too and his victory at Whangamata on Saturday had all the same hallmarks of that, crossing the finish line a solid 28 seconds ahead of runner-up rider Dylan Yearbury, of Cambridge.
It was another impressive performance from Buxton, the young man in only his fifth season in the top grade of competition, but it's early days for the series and still anybody's guess as to who might win the title this year, with six more rounds still to be run.
One thing probably is certain though, there will be a different national enduro champion this season with last year's eventual outright winner, Taupo's Brad Groombridge, currently sidelined with injury and therefore a non-starter on Saturday.
However, there are still plenty of highly-skilled individuals capable of winning the crown in 2019.
Third overall in the Taungatara Forest, just north of Whangamata, was Thames rider Jason Davis, the former national enduro champion back from retirement, with another former champion, Glen Eden's Chris Birch, finishing fourth and the 21-year-old Reardon rounding out the Top 5.
The Yamaha and Mitas tyres-sponsored series will head down to the Kapiti Coast for round two on April 6.
