North Island Downhill Cup #1- NE

Esk Forest, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, December 15, 2007

2006 Results

Blenkinsop wins over Leov at the New Zealand downhill opener

The 2008 season is different this year with there being both North Island Cup series and the South Island Cup series. The idea being that this will ease the costs of traveling from island to island, as riders now have the opportunity to focus on one of the two series, or do both if they wish. A separate one-off National Championships will decided the National Champion.

This past weekend saw the first round of the North Island Cup held in Napier. In the lead up to the event, there had been a little rain on Friday night after the practice sessions and before the Saturday finals. This meant the conditions were a little treacherous for the riders on their first race runs, and thus were quite a bit slower than the second runs.

Blenkinsop had three tenths of a second over Leov in race one, and both were clear of the rest of the field on the steep and technical track, as the sun started to dry things up for the second run. They both then stepped it up by another four seconds in the second race, with Leov improving just a little more, but not quite enough to catch Blinky; the final margin just 8/100ths of a second.

"The cheeky bugger just got me!" said Leov just after the finish. "That was an awesome track to start out the season and we were both having fun out there. I'm really happy to be back from my collarbone injury from the crash at the end of last season, and it's good to know I'm keeping pace with Sam. [I'm] really motivated for the 2008 season, looking forward to more racing here in New Zealand then heading over to Sea Otter in April."

As the only elite woman racing, Amy Laird also logged a victory.

Results

Elite men

1 Sam Blenkinsop (Gravity Group)      2.33.8
2 Justin Leov (Yeti / Fox Factory)    0.00.0
3 Wyn Masters                         0.04.5
4 Glenn Hayden                        0.05.0
5 Michael Davis                       0.05.6
6 Michael Skinner                     0.07.3
7 Hayden Lee                          0.08.1
8 James Dodds                         0.09.0
9 Craig Pattle                        0.09.3
10 Daniel Sims                        0.09.4
11 James Rennie                       0.10.0
12 Tom Holland                        0.10.2
13 Reuben Miller                      0.10.5
14 Daniel Meilink                     0.10.7
15 Joel Daniels                       0.11.1
16 Cameron Cole                       0.11.4
17 Sam Reed                           0.12.1
18 Edward Masters                     0.12.1
19 Michael Langford                   0.12.7
20 Tom Oskam                          0.14.5
 
Elite women

1 Amy Laird                           3.21.1
 
Junior men

1 Brook MacDonald                     2.38.9
2 Aari Barrett                        0.03.1
3 Richard Leacock                     0.08.7
4 Reuben Joel                         0.09.5
5 Peter Cooper                        0.11.0
6 Cameron Bruce                       0.13.2
7 Antony Snodgrass                    0.16.7
8 Evan Thomas                         0.18.6
9 Stefan Jon Gardner                  0.21.2
10 Bryn Dickerson                     0.24.3
11 Daniel Kamp                        0.25.0
12 Henry Hunt                         0.26.4
13 Daniel Heads                       0.28.7
14 Dominic Stulen                     0.29.2
15 Ben Hobbs                          0.30.8
16 Henry D Ath                        0.32.7
17 Daniel Tong                        0.33.5
18 Steven Pattle                      0.33.6
19 Ricky Clift                        0.34.3
20 Thomas Humphries                   0.34.8
21 Kane Elliot                        0.35.0
22 Matthew Coburn                     0.36.7
23 Jayden Harris                      0.38.4
24 Jamie Lyall                        0.38.8
25 Carl Edmondson                     0.39.1
26 Tom Beaton                         0.39.2
27 Nick Mead                          0.39.4
28 Tourley Munro                      0.42.1
29 Brock Cooley                       0.42.2
30 Ben Tyas                           0.43.0
31 Shaun Robb                         0.46.9
32 Jason Burgess                      0.51.0
33 Andrew Sherratt                    0.51.9
34 Campbell Robertson                 0.58.4
35 Tyler Perrin                       1.10.4
36 Cliff Moran                        1.57.0
DNS Tom Matthews                            
DNS Nick Mcconachie                         
DNS Adrian Retief                           
DNS Ian Thurlow                             
 
Under 17 Men

1 Vaughan Woolhouse                   2.41.9
2 George Brannigan                    0.04.5
3 Rupert Chapman                      0.10.0
4 Lachie Watson                       0.14.9
5 Sam Baker                           0.18.6
6 Mitchell Mcdivitt                   0.22.6
7 Ricky Hamilton                      0.24.1
8 Simon Barratt                       0.24.8
9 George Diver                        0.26.4
10 Jimmy Ellis-Jones                  0.30.6
11 Johnny Casey                       0.31.6
12 Brayden Arnold                     0.34.1
13 Sam Hefferman                      0.36.3
14 Ryan Jones                         0.37.5
15 Hayden Pearson                     0.38.1
16 Anzac Riley                        0.38.8
17 Michael Dodds                      0.40.1
18 Brandon Ransfield                  0.41.3
19 Jared Quinn                        0.45.1
20 Corey Penney                       0.45.3
21 James Morpeth                      0.55.4
22 Lucas Jackson                      0.56.7
23 Aidan Arnott                       0.57.7
24 Nathan Sheppard                    1.03.1
25 Kotahi Paranihi                    1.06.5
26 James Coutts                       1.07.9
27 Samuel Shaw                        1.08.4
28 Hunter Thompson                    1.18.4
29 Adam Lynskey                       1.24.8
30 Zac Wulf-Ryan                      1.36.2
DNF Jake Dikstaal                           
DNF Luke Wheeler                            
DNS Lucas Jackson                           
DNS Tim Goodman                             
DNS Martin Hill                             
DNS Kyle Weedon                             
DNS Rogan Young                             
 
Senior Men

1 Scott Bedford                       2.49.6
2 Jeff Craig                          0.03.7
3 Philip Marfell                      0.06.0
4 Michael Scott                       0.06.4
5 David Balderstone                   0.07.3
6 Brett Costello                      0.09.8
7 Kai Crow                            0.12.2
8 Oliver Knight                       0.12.5
9 Luke Mccarthy                       0.18.0
10 Matthew Heath                      0.20.4
11 Benjamin Kamp                      0.23.6
12 Glenn Richards                     0.29.5
13 Simon Bethune                      0.31.1
14 Tim Warner                         0.32.4
15 Tony Stewart                       0.32.6
16 Gavin Barber                       0.33.0
17 David Meijer                       0.33.5
18 Allister Payne                     0.35.3
19 Kevin Warner                       0.42.1
20 Ryan Lee                           0.52.8
21 Matthew Stulen                     1.10.2
22 Robert Bruce                       1.12.1
23 Joseph Collins                     1.17.8
DNS Mathew Mcgovern                         
DNS Michael Abehart                         
 
Master 1 Men

1 Dale Cragg                          2.56.5
2 Campbell Wilson                     0.04.6
3 Dave Hamilton                       0.14.1
4 Andy Patchett                       0.23.4
5 Andrew Martin                       0.29.0
6 Hamish Kay                          2.15.1
DNS Andrew Dent                             
 
Master 2 Men

1 Luke Simmons                        3.11.1
2 Shane Baker                         0.09.4
3 Mark Simmons                        0.14.7
 
Hardtail Men

1 Sam Parsons                         3.08.7
2 Jesse Barham                        0.18.5
3 Jonathan Lovell                     0.21.1
4 Todd Smith                          0.32.2
5 Anthony Hill                        0.32.7
6 Maiu Rowe                           0.38.3
7 Brad Coutts                         1.23.1
 
Junior Women

DNS Katherine Jones                         
 
U17 Women

1 Charlotte Clouston                  4.09.3
 
Hardtail Women

1 Linda Bruce                         6.42.9
 
Novice Boys

1 Louis Hamilton                      2.57.9
2 Jay Barrett                         0.08.2
3 Mitchell Townsend                   0.11.4
4 Tom Rose                            0.27.8
5 Karl Van Der Plas                   0.30.3
6 Brad Sheeny                         0.31.7
7 Thomas Jenkins                      0.33.4
8 Harrison Redshaw                    0.34.7
9 Kurt Summerfield                    0.35.8
10 Jarrod Anderson                    0.39.0
11 Michael Griffin                    1.12.4
12 Jacob Griffin                      1.36.1
 
Novice Girls

DNF Chelsea Munro                           
 
Sweeper

1 Connor Hamilton                     3.46.4
2 Connor Hamilton                     0.18.7