VOL. 52 ISSUE 20 MAY 19, 2015 P49
tough day like this," Nambotin added.
In the E3 class, Factory KTM's Phillips was on point.
The Australian rider swept the open class in Portugal,
and succeeded in cutting into Mathias Bellino's points
lead. Bellino—who scored a double victory at the previous
round—carded a somewhat disappointing 2-4 finish, but
the Bel-Ray Husqvarna Factory rider still holds a four-point
lead over Sherco's Matti Seistola in the E3 championship.
Phillips is another eight points back in third.
"I didn't get the results that I hoped for but it's certainly
not been a disaster," Bellino said. "I got some cramps
on day one, also made a few mistakes and didn't have
enough speed in the motocross test. Day two was really
disappointing. I don't really know what happened, but to
miss out on a podium result on the final test is hard. But
the championship goes on and there is a lot more racing
to be done."
Factory KTM's Laia Sanz once again dominated the
Enduro Women's class with a perfect 1-1 sweep of the
weekend. In the Junior ranks, Jamie McCanney held on
to the lead with a 2-2 finish, although it was Beta riders
Giacomo Redondi and Steve Holcombe who split wins at
the GP of Portugal.
Jean Turner
WHIBLEY CROWNED
T
he New Zealand National
Cross Country Champion-
ship title came down to the wire
at the final round of the series
between Paul Whibley and
Adrian Smith. Whibley, the two-
time GNCC Champion and six-
time OMA Champion, managed
to pull off a win at the finale, and
earn the title after a somewhat
tumultuous race.
"I got off to a good start, taking
the holeshot and leading the way
around the 23-km [14.3-mile]
loop," Whibley said. "It was hard
to pull away on the fresh track and
at one point we all bunched up
as we had to push through a mob
of sheep. Mid-lap while leading,
I missed some arrows and went
the wrong way, dropping back
to about 15th. I could see Adrian
[Smith] in the lead group so I
knew I had to make quick work
of the guys between me and him.
I pushed hard and took plenty
of chances in the mostly open
farmland. Somehow I clawed my
way forward and retook the lead
before the end of the first lap."
From that point on, Whibley
remained in control of the race.
He suffered a crash on a slick
grassy downhill on the second
lap, but the Yamaha Freedom
Moto rider was able to re-mount
his YZ450F before the second-
place rider closed in.
Smith gave it everything he
had to catch Whibley, but was
forced to retire early from the
race after suffering mechanical
issues. Despite the DNF, Smith
still carded the runner-up finish
in the championship.
"Last time my name was on
this trophy was 2002," Whibley
commented. "Long time be-
tween NZ titles, but it's good to
be back."
Jean Turner
Laia Sanz once again dominated the
Enduro Women's class.
