TAIHAPE'S Sarah Elwin knew she'd have a fight on her hands to defend her national women's crown at the 2015 edition of the New Zealand Motorcycle TT Championships near Kuratau last weekend.
An impressive array of riders had lined up at this 16th annual Bike Torque Yamaha-sponsored event in abid to wrest the crown away from 20-year-old Elwin and she was on a different bike to the one she'd used in all her previous campaigns.
Elwin, who now lives in Papatoetoe but calls Taihape her home, rolled her new Yamaha YZ250F four-stroke bike to the line at Kuratau this year, a very different proposition from the Yamaha YZ125 two-stroke she'd raced to victory the previous two seasons, and also the national women's motocross title in 2013.
But Elwin's always been fast on a dirt bike and she's a fast learner too, so was soon to grips with the different handling and power of the 250cc four-stroke.
"It was a tough weekend. I was braking too soon for the corners when I should have allowed for the fact that engine-braking would slow me down anyway," said Elwin, who works in Auckland as a motorcycle accessories salesperson and is supported by Motorcycle Central in Takapuna, The Dirt Guide, MX Antix, NDub Design, BikesportNZ.com, Moss Institute and Yamaha-Motor New Zealand.
"I had a rocky first race on Saturday when I got tangled with one of my main rivals (Thames rider Natasha Cairns). Her front wheel got stuck in my rear wheel's swing-arm when we collided in a corner. We both ended up way back in the field, but I managed to get back up to sixth place.
"Another top rival, (Taupo's) Alex Dillon, won that race and Natasha (Cairns) also finished ahead of me and so I thought that might have meant my championship bid was all over.
"I just kept doing what I had to do - trying to win races - and didn't even look at how the points were adding up. I knew it was tight at the top though."
She needn't have worried - with a 6-2-1-1 scoreline after four of her five races, Elwin was in command and, when she also won the final race, the title was again in her hands.
