Time to get down and dirty

DIRT RIDERS: Racing will be tight in the second and final round of the Wanganui Motorcycle Club's Cross Country Series in Fordell this weekend.PHOTO/FILE

THE points race is close in most divisions of the Wanganui Motorcycle Club Cross Country Series as the second and final round looms in Fordell this Sunday.

The round will be run the reverse way from round one at Clive and Nickie Higgie's farm in Denlair Rd.

Just 10 points separate the first three at the top of the leaderboard in the Senior A 250cc class: Ethan Brewer, Mark Walker and Danny Willemsen.

Willemsen is an old hand at the game and is likely to apply pressure on Sunday.

A similar picture is painted in the Senior A 250cc+ category where Mark Dermer leads from Steven Craig and Kieron Bryant at the top of the table.

Excitment is building in the Senior Vet 40+ division with Ant Rountree, event organiser Shayne Wainhouse and Mike Gilbertson filling the top three places.

While youngster Seth Reardon may be out of contention in the Senior B all-in grade after a DNF in round one, he will make life interesting for the series leaders.

Reardon is new to the grade this season and is probably better known for his deeds in Enduro racing.

Last season Reardon won the national and central region Enduro junior titles, but he is certainly no slug at the motocross discipline.

The cross country track has been modified slightly for this weekend to make allowance for all the rain that has fallen over the past week.

The junior track will now be about 12km and the senior track 15km.

The changes have removed the swampy sections and a number of slippery downhill sections and left a course that is still rideable by all.

The Minis track has been shifted to a paddock closer to the pits and will consist of an undulating course of about 2.5km.

Points gained by club members in the Cross Country Series will be combined with points gained during the club's MX series (four rounds) to determine the "Wanganui Dirt Rider of the Year" award.

The two cross country rounds have double points compared to the MX races.