within striking distance of Loveridge, second
equal and just seven points behind.
Meanwhile, Cambridge’s Michael Henry
(KTM 250 XC-F), Hamilton’s Caleb Richardson
(KTM 250 SX-F), Dannevirke’s Ben Paterson
(Yamaha YZ125) and Eltham’s Josh Loveridge
(Husqvarna FE250) must also fancy their chances,
these four riders in a tight battle for fourth
overall and separated by just two points.
Racing on Sunday is on farmland at 6204
Western Bay Road, Waihaha, west of Lake
Taupo. The fourth and final round of the New
Zealand Cross-country Championships is set
for farmland near Mosgiel on May 12.
Only three of the four rounds are counted
towards the championships, with riders to discard
their one worst score, but there is a stipulation
that riders attend the final round, and this
means the battle for a coveted podium result
could last right until the final lap at Mosgiel.
RAGLAN
ADVENTURE RIDE
T
he Yamaha Raglan Adventure Ride on
Saturday April 14 will take you from
the popular beachside settlement to
Taharoa, an isolated and exposed location
on the North Island’s west coast.
Taharoa has the largest deposits of
ironsand in New Zealand and is the site of an
environmentally controversial sand mining
operation. Millions of tonnes of black sand have
been dredged from the dunes and hills over
more than four decades. The mine was opened
by then government-owned New Zealand Steel
in 1973. In a deal with local Maori landowners
the company gained access to the estimated
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