KIWI RIDER MARCH 2021 VOL2 | Page 27

Top right : The senior podium at round one of the 2021 New Zealand Cross-country Championships near Marton was ( from left ) Palmerston North ’ s Paul Whibley ( 2nd ), Napier ’ s Tommy Watts ( 1st ) and Napier ’ s Reece Lister ( 3rd ) Bottom right : Raglan ’ s Brandon Given , who battled with the leaders before settling for fourth overall in the three-hour senior race

T he 2020 New Zealand Cross-country Championships were abandoned when the virus first impacted on sports in New Zealand in March last year and , almost exactly 12 months later , a fresh outbreak again threatened to end the competition before it had really begun . As Auckland was put on Level Three alert and the rest of the country set at Level Two conditions at midnight on Saturday , February 27 , plans to run the opening round of the Yamaha-sponsored 2021 New Zealand Cross-country Championships near Marton the following day was thrown a curve ball . At virtually the last minute , organisers were told that medics would no longer be available to attend the event and a mad scramble followed to find an alternative or

no racing could take place . Right up until about half an hour before the racing was due to begin at Marton on race day morning , event organisers were considering an abandonment . Fortunately a paramedic made themselves available and racing could finally go ahead , many of the riders having already arrived in the region well before the pandemic restrictions had been announced and comfortable in the knowledge that racing could continue without flouting the fresh Level Two restrictions for the region . “ It was a bit of a drama for us to get this happening ,” said Motorcycling New Zealand cross-country commissioner Chris Smyth . “ We spent a couple of hours ringing around medics between 11.30pm and midnight , but thanks to help from ( MNZ
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