Title winners

Press, Issue 33842, 14 May 1975, Page 34

Title winners

(By

ROD DEW)

Two Christchurch riders, Gary Boote and Kevin McCleary, are the new national motorcycle road racing champions in the 250 c.c. and 125 c.c. classes, respectively.

Both cruised to safe second places in the final rounds of the series at Bay Park, Tauranga. Boote, who rode a three-year-old air-cooled Yamaha

(TD3 two-stroke racer, i finished the long, 250 c.c. (series only four points ahead ■of Murray de Lacy (Hamilton), who had won the title (for the two previous seasons. Boote took the lead for the i first time when he won the 'New Zealand light-weight igrand prix at Ruapuna Park 'at Easter and held it throughout the remaining four rounds.

Now only 19. Boote will! leave for Australia next! Tuesday where he will team! up with his brother, John, for'

imajor events there. He will (ride John Boote’s spare |TZ7SO racer. I He expects to stay in Australia until September. Then, (he will return for the opening rounds of the New Zealand road championships at (Pukekohe on September 28. Gary Boote had not previ-

ously won a New Zealand road racing championship series but McCleary has a long list of achievements behind him. One of the few active riders

who can claim to have raced on the old New Zealand grand prix shingle circuit at Cust, he has won the lightweight grand prix title five times. In 1967. he was the national 250 c.c. champion. Since that time, he has been in semi-retirement. Several good wins in the 125 c.c. class earlier this season prompted him to try for the title. That he succeeded in

(winning in spite of missing i almost half the rounds is a (tribute to his skill. He rode la TAI2S Yamaha,