KIWI RIDER AUGUST 2020 VOL.1 | Page 110

“ WITH A 4-2 SCORE-CARD AFTER THE FIRST TWO ROUNDS, BUXTON IS THIRD OVERALL FOR THE SERIES crashed at high speed. It was very slippery and I came into the corner way too hot. “I was okay and uninjured, but this dropped me back to about 10th. “I then just concentrated on working my way back towards the front. I passed Tommy [Buxton] for the lead on lap five of the six and then managed to pull a bit of a gap on him. “My aim is to win the Dirt Guide series this year. It would be a first for me. “It follows on nicely from my enduro nationals campaign, where I was leading the points, but not quite able to seal the deal [by winning the title]. I finished that series runner-up to 2019 125cc Youth Enduro GP World Champion Hamish Macdonald, so I have to be happy with that.” Meanwhile, Hamilton’s Rowan Watt (KTM) won the intermediate grade at this second round of the Dirt Guide series, finishing ahead of Taupo’s Scott Taylor (KTM) and Hamilton’s Luke Taylor (Gas Gas). It was a switch-around of the top two placings at round one of the series and so Rowan Watt and Scott Taylor now share the lead overall after two rounds. New Plymouth’s Josh Houghton (Yamaha) won the 90-minute junior 12-15 years’ grade race earlier in the day, finishing ahead of Auckland’s Ryan Hayward (KTM) and Rotorua’s Daniel Bates (KTM). With a 1-4 score-card after the first two rounds, Whangamata’s Ethan Jameson (Husqvarna) leads the junior grade for the series overall, just three points ahead of Bates. The third and final round of the Dirt Guide series is set for the same venue at Ohakuri, in forestry near Atiamuri, about halfway between Tokoroa and Taupo, on August 15. 110 KIWI RIDER