Waikato rider wins N.Z. moto-cross title

Press, 15 February 1982, Page 38

Waikato rider wins N.Z. moto-cross title

Frank White from Atiamuri, Waikato, needed only four of the five scheduled heats to accumulate enough points to win his first New Zealand open moto-cross title at Kaiapoi at the weekend.

Before the final heat yesterday White had an unassailable lead of 17 points over his nearest rival, Chris Maindonald from Hamilton. There was no real need for White to start in the last event, but he did and coasted into third place. White's placing was instrumental in shunting Maindonald back to third in the final points. A teenager from Te Awamutu, Bryan Patterson, slipped into second place. The three top placings went to Waikato riders.

The defending champion, and veteran of the open class, Ivan Miller, won the last heat, but a series of mediocre places in the first four heats left him in fourth equal place with Craig Coleman, a rider with considerable international experience.

Last year White finished seventh in the national championship, a heavy crash ending his chances of finishing higher in the final placings.

But this year his racing was marked by consistency. He finished second to Steve Harrison, an English entrant, in the first heat. In the second heat on Saturday

White was first and Harrison second.

The stage looked set for a dour battle between this pair for the national title. But in the third race Harrison had mechanical problems, and he failed to score a point from the last three heats.

White careered away with the third heat, and in the fourth yesterday he rode coolly into second place behind Patterson to secure the title.

Patterson’s bold riding in the last three heats earned him two seconds and a first. An Australian, Jeff Ballard. withdrew after engine problems in the first heat. Murray Anderson from Lower Hutt, with four good placings in the first four heats, was able to cruise through the final heat into fourth place and win the 259 cu.cm title.

Last year Anderson won the 125 c.c. class, and although stepping up to the bigger machines this year, was still the favourite for the title.

Anderson made the perfect start winning the first heat, but in the second heat had to be content to finish second behind Dave Temperton. Anderson's winning break came in the third heat which he won. Temperton could finish only fourth.

At the start of the fifth heat Anderson had an advantage of four points over Temperton and lying third at

that stage, nine points behind Anderson, was Greg Brinck (Raumati). Brinck with dare-devil riding won the last two heats and boosted himself to a share of the second prizemoney with Temperton. Anderson’s calculated riding brought him in fourth and three points clear of his rivals. ■ An 18-year-old from Tauranga. Ross Saunders, lifted the 125 cu.cm, title. Wins in

the second and third heats gave Saunders a comfortable points margin that he did not look like relinquishing in yesterday’s two final heats. Phil Turnbull from Palmerston North. the runner-up, and Neil Potter from Te Kuiti who was third, tossed away any chance of challenging’ Saunders. Both scored points in only four of the five heats. Results page three.