Moto-crosser wins on kill button

Press, 6 November 1978, Page 3

Moto-crosser wins on kill button

By

ROD DEW

A spectacular crash while practising almost brought! the New Zealand moto-cross [ title quest of the outstanding: Dunedin rider, Gary Goodfel-j low (Honda CR2SORZ), io a 1 premature end on the 1 eddington circuit yesterday. I Goodfellow, New Zealand’s! newest internationally rated rider, was familiarising himself with the circuit in prep-' aration for the South Island 'final of the New Zealand! moto-cross championship I ! later in the day when water( : seeped into the carburettor; of his Honda and jammed; the slide wide open. Unable! to throttle back, Goodfellow! went flying and his. machine! was badly damaged. It was only through the: efforts of his mechanic,! [Warren Calder, that he was) (able to ride at all in the! [qualifying races. Calder rushed into Christchurch for a new front wheel and fork assembly, returned, and rebuilt the front, end of the Honda in time- for Goodfellow to take his place qn the starting line for the -first championship race. Calder’s efforts were not j in vain. Goodfellow won his

first, race in impressive style: and, in spite of suffering an-! ether minor spill and twice) losing his chain in sub-) sequent races, emerged the! outright winner of the 2501 championship with 39) points. The joint runners-up in) the class were the two fine) Christchurch riders, John! Nichols (Yamaha) and Ross I Horsburgh (Honda), with 35) points. All three will now) progress to the New Zealand) 250 championship rounds toi be he'd in the Christmas-! New Year period. And it) seems highly likely that one: of them will win the title. j Goodfellow’s performance | was quite remarkable con-! sidering he rode the entire: meeting with the carburettor slide jammed open, altering [the speed of his machine by ; using the engine “kill” button. It explained some rather hairy riding by the 22-year-old Dunedin rider, who did

not always appear to be in) control of his own destiny. [ “I rode every race on lull) throttle. I didn’t worry about) lit when I was out there rac-i ling but when it was all over! I was shaking. The thought) i of what I had been doing) [scared me stiff,” he said 'afterwards. ) I But his chief rivals, Nich-| ells and Horsburgh, were not) without their troubles,l either. Nichols, runner-up ini the New Zealand champion-j ship last season, would cer-| tainly have won the class; had he not forgotten to fill) -up his fuel tank before the! .third heat. He was leading! ,the heat by a wide margin' [when his engine spluttered! Ito a halt. ! Horsburgh lost a chain while third on the last lap | of the opening race and on | another occasion rocketed ;off course after momentarily | losing control in a muddy ! patch at the end of the short [finishing straight. But he rode well in his first meet ing on a 250 machine since deciding to make a comeback to the sport. With Goodfellow also failing to score in one heat, the third, when his chain fell off. the final heat became via tally important to the outcome. .Fortunately for the leading trio, riders were able to discard their worst perform-

ance of the day. Nichols entered the final race with 27 points, three ahead of Goodfellow, and four ahead of Horsburgh. Tensions were high at the start as Horsburgh rocketed to the front. Then, seconds later at the top of the course, Nichols’s attempt to overtake Horsburgh ended in disaster. The gap closed, he hit Horsburgh’s rear wheel, and he went down heavily. He remounted quickly but not before he had lost six places. Horsburgh eventually broke clear of them, only to find that Nichols had worked his way through the [field and was challenging [him for second place. Nichlols needed second to tie I with Goodfellow on aggregate and he made his bid on [the last lap at the end of ) the finishing straight. However, his bike hit a rut and ;he went sliding down the course.

Once again, he remounted but when the race ended he was in fifth place. Horsburgh finished second and Allan Reid finished strongly to claim third. Afterwards, Nichols was (disappointed but unbowed. “I enjoyed that. You never get anywhere without a bit of competition.” Results (riders from Christchurch unless otherwise stated! 1 were.—• 125 class.—First race <6 lapse P, Guthrie (Nelson), Suzuki 1; R. Hampton, Yamaha, 2; C. ; Brady, Suzuki, 3. Second race (6 ‘ lapse B. Jacobs (Gore;, Suzuki, 1; ! Hampton 2; Brady 3. Third race i<B lapse Guthrie I.; Brady 2; ' Hampton 3. Fourth race” (19 lapse Brady 1: Hampton 2; Jacobs 3. Final points: Brady and ; Guthrie, 37 points, 1 lequal); : Hampton, 36, 3; Jacobs, 34, 4; T. ; Brady. 25, 5. ! 250 class.—First race <6 lapse G. Goodfellow (Dunedin), Honda. 1; J. Nichols, Yamaha, 2; R [Selby, Suzuki, 3. Second race <6 lapse Nichols 1; Selby 2; B. Nisbet. Husqvarna. 3. Third race I (8 laps): R. Horsburgh. Honda, I: ' Nisbet 2; Selby 3. Fourth race I (10 lapse Goodfellow I; Hors'burgh 2; A. Reid 3. Final points: Goodfellow, 39, 1; Nichols and Horsburgh. 35. 2 'equal); Selby | 32. 4; Nisbet, 31. 5. j Open class. —First race <6 laps' iT. King (Mosgiel), Suzuki, 1; R ; Happer (Dunsandel), Maico, 2; P ; Sales (Renwick), Honda, 3. Sec ;ond race (6 lapse. King 1; Happei !2; Sales 3. Third race <8 laps) ■ King 1; Happer 2; G. Morrisoi (Blenheim), Yamaha. 3. Fourti race <6 laps): King 1; Happer 2 ! Sales 3. Final points: King. 45 |1; Happer. 36, 2; Sales. 30. 3 ■ Morrison. 23. 4; G. Rhodes. 26, 5