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New Zealand National MTB series #4 - 2
Napier, New Zealand, February 25-26, 2006
Race 1 - February 25: Downhill
NZ Junior beats World Champ
Wanganui 17 year old Sam Blenkinsop produced the race of his life to beat two times and current down hill mountain biking world champion Fabien Barel of France in the UCI class 2 race at Napier Saturday. Blenkinsop, who recently signed up with a pro team to compete on the World Cup circuit in Europe this year, was less than half a second ahead of Barel. New Zealand national champion Nathan Rankin was third.
For Blenkinsop this was a major achievement. Not only did he beat the current world champion but he also collects valuanble UCI points which allows him to enter World Cup events. "To beat a two time world champion and someone 9 years more experienced is an amazing result" said Ted Jones, BikeNZ Event Manager. "Barel was trying his best and chasing the UCI points so for Sam it makes the result doubly impressive".
The presence of Barel from France and women's world number 1 Tracy Moseley from Britain added extra spice to the fifth round of the New Zealand Community Trust Mountain Bike National Series Down hill race held at Eskdale north of Napier.
For Barel this was his first race in New Zealand, after only arriving in New Zealand less than 24 hours earlier. The lure of UCI points and the chance to compete prior to the Oceania Mountain bike championships next weekend was enough incentive to make the effort to race at the Hawkes Bay event. "I am thrilled to be in New Zealand. Everything is great and I am so pleased to be here" a gracious Barel said. "The course here was very technical and hard, a lot of pedaling, and very different to Europe where it is all mountains. But it is very good". Following his second placing on the podium Barel was full of praise for Blenkinsop. "I was really trying my best but Sam was just too good, he raced really well and I congratulate him".
Meanwhile former world champion Vanessa Quin held of strong challenges from Tracy Moseley and Jennifer Makgill to take the elite women's race
The race was held in hot and dusty conditions on the 1.7km course and had 145 competitors.
Results
Elite Men 1 Samuel Blenkinsop (NZl) Wanganui 3.18.06 2 Fabien Barel (Fra) France 0.00.44 3 Nathan Rankin (NZl) Levin 0.02.66 4 Glenn Haden (NZl) Wanganui 0.03.29 5 Cameron Cole (NZl) Hamilton 0.04.87 6 Justin Leov (NZl) Christchurch 0.06.51 7 Tom Holland (NZl) Rotorua 0.06.56 8 Scott Sheldon (NZl) Christchurch 0.08.23 9 Kieran Bennett (NZl) Nelson 0.08.40 10 Blair Christmas (NZl) Lytleton 0.10.41 11 Hadley Boyce (NZl) Palmerston North 0.10.77 12 Hayden Lee (NZl) Tauranga 0.10.90 13 Craig Pattle (NZl) Rotorua 0.12.04 14 Des Curry (NZl) Rotorua 0.14.46 15 Mike Skinner (NZl) Auckland 0.14.90 16 Jared Capey (NZl) Nelson 0.15.55 17 Leighton Neal (NZl) Blenheim 0.21.65 18 Mathew Hyland (NZl) Wanganui 0.23.73 19 Karl Paterson (NZl) Wellington 0.23.78 20 Tim Mackersy (NZl) Dunedin 0.25.01 21 Cheyne Beaver (NZl) Hamilton 0.25.09 22 Reon Boe (NZl) Levin 1.00.15 23 Wyn Masters (NZl) New Plymouth 1.20.22 24 Sean Kennedy (NZl) Christchurch 1.36.45 25 Mark Johnston (NZl) Queenstown 1.42.04 DNS James Baron (NZl) Auckland DNS Hayden Mckay (NZl) Nelson DNS Byron Scott (NZl) Auckland Elite Women 1 Vanessa Quin (NZl) Tauranga 3.49.11 2 Tracy Moseley (GBr) United Kingdom 0.02.89 3 Jennifer Makgill (NZl) Auckland 0.08.91 4 Scarlett Hagen (NZl) Queenstown 0.14.05 5 Sheryl Macleod (NZl) Dunedin 0.15.64 6 Amy Laird (NZl) Christchurch 0.36.78 DNS Helene Fruhwirth (Aut) Austria Junior Men 1 Michael Langford (NZl) Porirua 3.37.06 2 Joel Daniels (NZl) Wanganui 0.00.47 3 Hayden McGregor (NZl) Tauranga 0.03.27 4 Reuben Miller (NZl) Nelson 0.13.68 5 Matthew Scoles (NZl) Alexandra 0.16.70 6 Peter Joynt (NZl) Tokoroa 0.18.55 7 Paul Gray (NZl) Rotorua 0.22.89 8 Jonathan Hall (NZl) Rotorua 0.31.84 9 Zac Williams (NZl) Dunedin 0.31.84 10 Michael Davis (NZl) Auckland 0.33.62 11 Ashley Potts (NZl) Hamilton 0.36.31 12 Michael Scrimshaw (NZl) Lower Hutt 0.42.08 13 Simon Jowett (NZl) Palmerston North 0.51.54 14 Beaudene Oldham (NZl) Tauranga 1.09.65 15 Tom Oskam (NZl) Wanganui 1.18.21 16 Lionel O'Dwyer (NZl) Tiokoino 1.20.15 17 Brad Ineson (NZl) Christchurch 1.30.63 18 Xris Old (NZl) Tauranga 7.15.47 DNF Edward Masters (NZl) New Plymouth DNS Scott Bedford (NZl) Taranaki DNS Nicholas Daniel (NZl) Christchurch DNS Sam Gibbs (NZl) Wellington DNS Kieran McLoughlin (NZl) Gisborne DNS Daniel Meilink (NZl) Wellington DNS Julian Tollestrup (NZl) Auckland U17 Men 1 David Scandrett (Christchurch) 3.33.64 2 Aari Barrett (Hastings) 0.10.00 3 Peter Cooper (Blenheim) 0.12.87 4 Nathan Vella (Auckland) 0.12.91 5 Jayden Harris (Taupo) 0.14.75 6 Brook MacDonald (Napier) 0.26.23 7 Henry Hunt (Dannevirke) 0.29.60 8 Cameron Jones (Auckland) 0.30.65 9 Ashley Abel (Auckland) 0.34.22 10 Ian Thurlow (Hastings) 0.35.36 11 Michael Brinsley (Napier) 0.38.91 12 Shea Barnes (Gisborne) 0.45.15 13 Brock Cooley (Wellington) 0.49.94 14 James Charlesworth (Wellington) 0.50.53 15 Rian McLoughlin (Gisborne) 0.51.66 16 Adrian Retief (Auckland) 0.55.60 17 Mike Graham (Hawkes Bay) 1.02.11 18 Gordon MacDonald (Tiokoino) 1.03.47 19 Nathan Cunliffe (Wellington) 1.08.01 20 Kane Elliot (Wellington) 1.13.23 21 Brad Warren (Havelock North) 1.19.97 22 Warwick Barratt (Wellington) 1.29.48 23 Ryan Perkins (Hastings) 1.34.99 24 Tom Beaton (Napier) 1.44.11 25 Logan Riley (Auckland) 1.45.05 26 Scott MacDowell (Wanganui) 1.45.97 27 Cliff Moran (Hastings) 1.51.16 28 Simon Barratt (Wellington) 2.00.44 29 Jonty Coats-Harrison (Napier) 2.04.74 DNS Reuben Joel (Wellington) DNS Richard Leacock (Wellington) DNS Tom Sligh (Lyttelton) DNS James Jennings (Hastings) DNS George Brannigan (Hastings) Senior Men 1 Jeffery Bryson (Canada) 3.37.93 2 James Hampton (Christchurch) 0.01.32 3 Jerym Soames (Tirau) 0.06.57 4 Jeff Craig (Auckland) 0.07.22 5 Gerald Mullen (Rotorua) 0.08.56 6 Caleb Warrender (Wellington) 0.08.79 7 Daniel Aitken (Wanaka) 0.09.59 8 Joseph Allen (Christchurch) 0.11.84 9 Ryan Lee (Auckland) 0.14.79 10 Lester Perry (Hamilton) 0.15.17 11 Steven O'Connor (Auckland) 0.20.34 12 Kai Crow (Palmerston North) 0.24.00 13 Rob van Geneijgen (Hamilton) 0.25.47 14 Michael Joyce (Palmerston North) 0.26.46 15 Victor Gin (Wellington) 0.28.41 16 Baryn Mitchell (Napier) 0.29.50 17 George Jones (United Kingdom) 0.35.45 18 Tim Warner (Hamilton) 0.37.42 19 Rob Farmer (Levin) 0.51.17 20 Kevin Warner (Hamilton) 0.55.73 21 Luke de Jager (Levin) 1.08.52 22 Allister Payne (Hamilton) 1.10.80 23 Robert Chappell (Palmerston North) 1.18.39 24 Nick Latta (Wellington) 1.29.97 25 Craig Fleming (Napier) 1.41.77 DNF Brian Tindall (Auckland) DNS Caleb Warrender (Wellington) DNS Luke McCarthy (Napier) DNS Jon Clark (Christchurch) DNS Aaron Gates (Upper Hutt) DNS Oz Golan (Israel) DNS Ty Haley (Levin) DNS Matthew Harris (Auckland) DNS David Meijer (Auckland) DNS Lance Pilbrow (Tauranga) DNS Sam Reed (Marlborough) DNS Solomon Reid (Tauranga) DNS Glenn Richards (Hastings) DNS Michael Scott (Palmerston North) DNS Daniel Sims (Auckland) DNS Daryl Webb (Christchurch) DNS Mike Evans (Wellington) DNS Keat Taylor (Tauranga) DNS Ryan Mitchell (Hamilton) Master 1 Men 1 Dale Cragg (Auckland) 3.40.11 2 Christian Meuli (Queenstown) 0.07.67 3 Raymond Orre (France) 0.09.48 4 Darius King (Wellington) 0.14.37 5 Campbell Wilson (Lower Hutt) 0.20.19 6 Aaron Fernandez () 0.23.46 7 Luke Simmons (Wellington) 0.31.11 8 Matt Callaghan (Wellington) 0.33.58 9 Steven Amrein (Taupo) 0.39.07 10 Greg Larsen (Taupo) 0.40.46 11 Cameron Hills (Palmerston North) 0.59.44 12 Brent Cochrane (Napier) 1.00.69 13 Stu Fisher (Stokes Valley) 1.39.32 DNS Bevin Stewart (Rakala) Master 2 Men 1 Les Chapman (Auckland) 4.07.94 2 David Vieglais (Wellington) 0.02.95 3 Peter Oskam (Wanganui) 1.08.94 DNS Hugh Blackburn (Rotorua) Hardtail Men 1 Lance Harris (Marton) 4.15.67 2 Peter Futterup (Auckland) 0.07.42 3 Travis Henry (Levin) 0.11.66 4 Shanan Whitlock (Wanganui) 0.14.43 5 Patrick Amos (Waikato) 0.15.49 6 Michael Keogh (Wellington) 0.41.33 7 Sean McCarthy (Napier) 0.45.44 8 Scott Purser (Napier) 1.12.19 9 Kieran Ogier (Napier) 1.14.91 10 Peter Stewart (Napier) 1.59.14 11 Trent Castle (Palmerston North) 2.14.27 DNF Gareth James (Napier) DNS Andrew Hill (Hawkes Bay) Senior Women 1 Misty Lee (North Shore) 4.06.78 2 Olivia Johnston (Christchurch) 0.31.63 3 Victoria Bloomer (Napier) 1.27.27 DNS Jen Conlon (Christchurch) DNS Hannah Latta (Wellington) DNS Julia Stewart (Rakaia) Sweeper 1 Dan Aitken (Napier) 3.51.94 2 Vaughan Woolhouse (Napier) 0.09.89
