NZ GNCC Tauranga Round 4
Race Report: NZ GNCC Tauranga Round 4
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: Am Pro Yamaha
Bike: Yamaha YZF 450
Result:1st
The forth round of the NZ GNCC series was held at Maddix Park near Tauranga.
Extremely dry and dusty conditions greeted riders as the morning race took off in a blinding cloud of powdery dust. It was obvious that a start would be critical to getting a good result.
Lining up on the front row ready for the wave of the flag. The green flag shot up and we were off. The YZF launched me to the front but mid straight I hit a massive power sucking powder pile and dropped back to third. Chris Power grabbed the holeshot followed by Sam Greenslade. I pushed pretty hard and made some risky moves to get past Sam in the blinding dust. I knew Chris was up front in clean air and putting time on us. I caught Chris in a fresh patch of bush where there was some moisture in the soil and the dust wasn't so bad. When we entered another dusty section I had two choices, crash in the dust or drop back. I got some pretty tight arms riding with a bit of a death grip in the dust so I slowed down and relaxed a little. There was a cool little enduro X section added for spectator entertainment near the end of the lap that Im sure did its job.
After the fuel stop I was ready to make another challange and a lap later had pushed my way into the lead with only a couple of close calls. Once in the lead I was able to relax again and began to pull away.
The track was pretty rough and the fresh sections in the trees cut up nicely with some good ruts and a few roots. With this being the first real test of the new YZF in rough race conditions the bike felt very balanced and I felt comfortable through the rough. The bike also felt very nimble through the tight trees with direction changes being easy.
By the time the flag came out for the finish I had built a lead of over 4 minutes.
Greg and the team should be congratulated for laying out a top track. The dust was beyond their control so we can't hold that against them. This is close to the kind of track the NZ riders need to be riding to prepare for some GNCCs in the States.
Results:
1st: Paul Whibley
2nd: Scott Barr-Smith
3rd: Chris Power
Thanks to the following sponsors for their support in NZ:
Yamaha NZ, Sargent Motorcycles, MotoSR, Ohlins, Spectro, Pirelli, DID, JT, G2, Tire Balls, Smith, CTi, Shoei, Sidi, Acerbis, GHQ, MSR, WER, FMF, Vortex Ignitions, Rekluse, ProMoto Billet
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: Am Pro Yamaha
Bike: Yamaha YZF 450
Result:1st
The forth round of the NZ GNCC series was held at Maddix Park near Tauranga.
Extremely dry and dusty conditions greeted riders as the morning race took off in a blinding cloud of powdery dust. It was obvious that a start would be critical to getting a good result.
Lining up on the front row ready for the wave of the flag. The green flag shot up and we were off. The YZF launched me to the front but mid straight I hit a massive power sucking powder pile and dropped back to third. Chris Power grabbed the holeshot followed by Sam Greenslade. I pushed pretty hard and made some risky moves to get past Sam in the blinding dust. I knew Chris was up front in clean air and putting time on us. I caught Chris in a fresh patch of bush where there was some moisture in the soil and the dust wasn't so bad. When we entered another dusty section I had two choices, crash in the dust or drop back. I got some pretty tight arms riding with a bit of a death grip in the dust so I slowed down and relaxed a little. There was a cool little enduro X section added for spectator entertainment near the end of the lap that Im sure did its job.
After the fuel stop I was ready to make another challange and a lap later had pushed my way into the lead with only a couple of close calls. Once in the lead I was able to relax again and began to pull away.
The track was pretty rough and the fresh sections in the trees cut up nicely with some good ruts and a few roots. With this being the first real test of the new YZF in rough race conditions the bike felt very balanced and I felt comfortable through the rough. The bike also felt very nimble through the tight trees with direction changes being easy.
By the time the flag came out for the finish I had built a lead of over 4 minutes.
Greg and the team should be congratulated for laying out a top track. The dust was beyond their control so we can't hold that against them. This is close to the kind of track the NZ riders need to be riding to prepare for some GNCCs in the States.
Results:
1st: Paul Whibley
2nd: Scott Barr-Smith
3rd: Chris Power
Thanks to the following sponsors for their support in NZ:
Yamaha NZ, Sargent Motorcycles, MotoSR, Ohlins, Spectro, Pirelli, DID, JT, G2, Tire Balls, Smith, CTi, Shoei, Sidi, Acerbis, GHQ, MSR, WER, FMF, Vortex Ignitions, Rekluse, ProMoto Billet
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Gordy30 Aug : 10:48 Shit, Katerine. I see you got the no. 1 plate already on your bike. The bush riders need to keep practing before you get home.
Whibbs18 Aug : 06:50 Hi "Other Paul" We had a great time in MN. The track was great, I was having a lot of fun and was pretty disappointed when my day ended early. One of my favorite tracks this year! Will have to come back sometime and try win it. We have to thank the Debel family for letting us stay and showing us around.
Range Riders12 Aug : 14:03 Paul, what did you think of the Hill City race. No B/S, straight up comments. It was great to see you their and would love to see you come back, minus the chain guide breaking. Matt Stavish had the same thing happen to him. Look forward to hearing your comments good or bad. The other Paul
Neil Mercer04 Aug : 18:12 Paul, Congratulations on your recent OMA wins and being back in the lead. Keep up the good work. Hope to see you in the US this month. Cheers, Neil.
Whibbs27 Jul : 05:40 Im still working on finding that perfect mapping. I have tried smoother maps but I also keep coming back to the std map for the power it produces. I have used the G2 throttle cams to mellow it out. Also Im now testing the Q4 FMF silencer. This takes that initial surge away. Now I may be able to go back to a more aggressive throttle cam and mapping. With more testing I hope to have a better idea. I will let you know what I come up with.
eazrider27 Jul : 02:52 Paul, good on ya' and your Yammy..I also have a 2010 450f, and am curious if you would share MAP settings you typically might use for different types of terrain. I find the stock mapping a bit abrupt for off road, tight terrain, but stock seems to work well for motocross. I can adjust timing/fuel mixture to take the 'surge" off initial throttle, but it also takes the 'snap" away that I like to use to steer with the rear wheel...any thoughts..? Wuld like to hearr recommendations...
yzfan15 Jul : 23:13 Go the YZ!It must be a hoot to finally be riding the grown-ups bike now. Wonderful result at the OMA last weekend. Good work.
Whibbs08 Jul : 12:03 Thanks for the info on the race in MN. Will look into it and see if we can stick around for the race. Paul.
Range Riders26 Jun : 12:54 Paul, the weekend after the OMA in MN there is a National Harescramble race in Hill City, MN. You should stick around and hit it then the following weekend is the OMA in Mo. All real close. You can check it out at rangeridersmc.org. Love to see ya their.
rossco14 Jun : 13:51 Congratulations on the Oma win over the weekend. It must be nice to see the view from the top step again.
Gordy09 Jun : 09:25 Another podium finish Paul. Well done. One more race then you can enjoy a summer break. certainaly not summer here with 3 degrees this morning.
Whibbs05 Jun : 07:02 Pretty proud to be recognized as Tararua's Sports person of the year. Also good for the sport of Motorcycle racing to be acknowledged and put in the spotlight. Also you never know were racing will take me. If the schedule falls into place, I may turn up to a CRA event.
jerrymcclure27 May : 07:22 Paul remember if things were easy they would not be worth doing, keep a positive outlook and surport those who surport you have fun. the old ky guy.
harescrambled24 May : 07:13 Paul...keep pushing. I know you have it in you to win...we saw that last year. Keep your chin up, and ride like you know you can. We miss you at the CRA events :( View all posts (173) | |
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