KIWI RIDER 01 2020 VOL2 | Page 27

“The bike was awesome, stock standard, straight out of the manufacturer’s crate. I’m looking forward to the nationals now, with talent coming from overseas too and I’m excited about that.” The 20-year-old Chase was naturally disappointed not to achieve the MX2 class win for himself after featuring at or near the front in all five of his races. “I won two out of five races today and it was definitely hard racing on this track. It’s a build- up event for me and I have not felt 100 percent all week... lacking energy and just feeling weak, but I still showed I’m on the pace to win,” Chase concluded. The MX1 class was more cut and dried after national MX1 champion Cody Cooper (Honda) decided the injury he had sustained during training on Friday was “too uncomfortable” Kayne Lamont for him to continue beyond the first lap of his warm-up at Summercross on the Sunday morning, clearing the way for Bay of Plenty’s Lamont and visiting Belgian rider Jens Getteman to take charge. Lamont (Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team YZ450F) won the first four of five MX1 races on the Sunday, with Kawasaki hero Getteman runner-up each time, but Getteman saved his best for last, taking his borrowed, stock-standard Kawasaki KX450F to win the longer-duration final MX1 race of the day. It was Getteman’s first time in New Zealand and the track unfamiliar to him – although he did still qualify fastest – but his Grand Prix racing experience from Europe meant he was able to settle into a good pace in the longer final race of the weekend. Jens Getteman KIWI RIDER 27