Smith Wins Bel Ray Series Opener

Smith Wins Bel Ray Series Opener

DECEMBER 1, 2013: Mokau's Adrian Smith will probably count Sunday's cross-country motorcycle race victory among one of his greatest.

The three-time former and reigning national cross-country champion was one of many of New Zealand's elite off-road bike racers who turned up to help the Huntly Motorcycle Club celebrate the start of the 20th annual Bel Ray Cross-country Championships, but none had an answer for the Mokau Yamaha ace.

Smith snatched the lead soon after the start, fending off attacks from Rotorua motocross ace Michael Phillips and wearing down fellow cross-country ace Jason Dickey, of Raglan, before consolidating his position at the front to eventually finish the two-hour race a comfortable one minute and 20 seconds ahead of Phillips, with Dickey finishing third, another six seconds further back.

Morrinsville pair Simon Lansdaal and Nathan Tesselaar rounded out the top five.

This first of four rounds in the series was a perfect launching pad for Smith's season, with his 2014 national championship title defence set to kick off in Taranaki in just over two months' time, on February 16, and the Bel Ray series is a good build-up to that.

Although giving away a massive horsepower advantage, with many of his rivals on 450cc four-stroke bikes, Smith took his Blackwood BikesportNZ.com Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke bike to the front on the first of six laps and, apart from briefly giving up his lead when he came into the pits to refuel midway through the race, Smith was a dominant force at the anniversary event.

Smith had fitted his 2013-modl YZ250 with a larger 12-litre after-market fuel tank, but still he needed to pit for fuel at least once on Sunday, while rival Dickey was able to complete the entire race on one tank of gas.

"I had a battle at the beginning with former junior champion Taylor Rae (of Hamilton) and he made me work for my lead," said the 27-year-old Smith. "Then I had Phillips and Dickey to deal with. I may have led most of the race but it really wasn't that easy. Those guys were riding really well.

"I had a huge battle with Jason (Dickey) for a while and I had to go nuts to create a gap. That was important because I knew he didn't have to pit during the race, while I would lose a lot of time coming in for fuel.

"It certainly is good for me to get a good result on the scoreboard. I'm starting to build up now for the nationals."

Smith is supported by Yamaha Motor New Zealand, Blackwood Yamaha, BikesportNZ.com, Axo, Renthal handlebars, Michelin tyres, Oakley, Suomy helmets, Ariete, TCX boots, Workshop Graphics, G2 handguards and MotoSR suspension.

Words by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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