Rachael Archer
Jake Whitaker
82 KIWI RIDER
one staged near Whangamata on April 21 and
round two held near Tokoroa the following day.
He won the day at Whangamata on the Saturday
by just three seconds from 2016 national enduro
champion Brad Groombridge (Suzuki RM-
Z250), of Taupo, and he then followed that up
by winning day two at Tokoroa by 21 seconds,
on this occasion finishing ahead of fellow KTM
rider Sam Greenslade, from Coatesville.
“Winning round one surprised me a bit and
then winning round two as well was even
more of a surprise to me,” said Buxton.
“I’m riding the same bike I rode last year, a
KTM 350 EXC-F, but a 2018 model, and I feel
very comfortable on it. My aim at the weekend
was simply to ride without making mistakes.
“It was very slippery at Whangamata on
Saturday and so I couldn’t be aggressive.
It was different on Sunday, quite a fast
course, but again I was being cautious.
“I stalled the bike at one point today, but, other
than that minor thing, it was a trouble-free run.”
Unfortunately, this may be Buxton’s only
two appearances in the domestic series
this season as he now heads off next month