It was probably bound to happen sooner or later, but Bay of Plenty rising star Callum Dudson finally achieved his career breakthrough moment when he dominated racing at round two of the Forestland Cross-country Series near Atiamuri on Sunday.

The 22-year-old Honda rider from Rotorua has been “knocking on the door” of greatness for several seasons now, but on Sunday Dudson excelled when he produced a courageous come-from-behind ride to win the two-hour expert class race and storm into the lead in this immensely popular series.

He “screwed up” the start in the premier race at midday on Saturday, finding himself stuck mid-pack, in about 20th position or worse, and battling to find breathing room as the swarm of bikes entered the forest at Ohakuri for the first time.

“I thought, damn I’ve just made this very difficult for myself,” says Dudson, a massive understatement from the Rotorua builder when considering that one of his main title rivals, Wainuiomata’s multi-time national champion Jake Whitaker, had clear air in front of him as he led the pack shortly after the shotgun blast had signalled the start for the more than 130 senior riders.

But Dudson wasted no time in carving his way through the fast-moving traffic and, by midway through the first of what would eventually be a five-lap race for the Honda man, he had snatched the lead from Whitaker and had also opened up a sizeable gap.

“For that first lap I went crazy to get in front before the riders got too spread out,” says Dudson. “I passed a lot of riders.”

Dudson was eventually the only individual to complete five laps in the allotted two-hour race duration after he arrived in the timing zone with a huge lead at the end of his fourth lap, but with time still left on the official race clock.

He was therefore waved on and sent out for a fifth lap, totally unaware that Whitaker and the rest of the chasing bunch were going to be stopped, these riders having arrived at the timing zone at the end of their fourth lap with the two hours now elapsed.

“I didn’t know whether I still needed to push hard on that last lap, but figured I had a solid lead and so just treated it as a casual ride at that stage anyway,” Dudson explains.

The signs had been there for Dudson (Honda CRF450RX) to produce the goods on Sunday.

The first round of the Forestland Cross country series the previous month had been a massive challenge – after two weeks of fine weather, the track could not have been better, right up until 9.45am on race day, when it started raining heavily and then it all turned to custard.

Dudson had also risen to the challenge on that occasion, battling with Auckland’s Ryan Hayward in the sloppy conditions for the senior race lead, before eventually settling for overall runner-up on the day.

With Hayward currently racing overseas, it did ease some of the pressure on Dudson on Sunday, but he still had to beat an impressive crop of New Zealand’s elite cross-country riders.  

In addition to Dudson and Whitaker, talented riders such as Whitianga’s Blake Wilkins, Eketahuna’s Luke Brown, Rotorua’s Daniel Bates, New Plymouth’s Sam Parker, Whangaparoa’s Jacob Refoy and Napier’s Luke Taylor, to name just a few, also showed incredible pace at Ohakuri on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Eketahuna’s Sheldon Brown, won the morning’s 90-minute junior race, crossing the finish line ahead of Cambridge’s Harrison Findlay, Havelock North’s Luke McBeth, Rotorua’s James Bates Ngaruawahia’s Bailey Babington.

The third and final round of the 2023 Forestland Cross-country Series is set for the same venue at Ohakuri on September 3.

Dudson is supported by THS Moto, Blue Wing Honda, Flying W race suspension, Fly racing apparel, Gaerne boots, Leatt, Pirelli tyres, IRC tubes and Polisport plastics.

2023 Forestland Cross-country Series calendar:

Round 1, Ohakuri, between Taupo and Tokoroa, Sunday, June 18;

Round 2, Ohakuri, Sunday, July 16;

Round 3, Ohakuri, Sunday, September 3.

-By Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com