A former champion who loves the motorcycle he’s currently riding can only add up to one thing … an unbeaten run thus far in the 2024 New Zealand Enduro Championships.

Bay of Plenty’s Brad Groombridge is used to winning and, after a lengthy hiatus enforced by injury, the 33-year-old is confident now that he’s back to his title-winning best form.

Groombridge is a three-time former New Zealand cross-country champion (winning in consecutive seasons, in 2016, 2017 and 2018) and twice previously won the New Zealand enduro championships overall, in 2016 and again in 2018.

After taking his 2024-model Beta RR300 bike to finish unbeaten in the first two of five rounds of the enduro championships this season – victorious at round one at Omihi just over a week ago and repeating the dose at Coalgate, also in Canterbury, at the weekend – the Taupo man is now well positioned to add a third national enduro title to his CV.

“It’s certainly a nice feeling to be on top again,” says Groombridge.

“I underwent shoulder reconstruction surgery in 2018, but I feel I’m back to full fitness again now.

“The first day of racing at Coalgate on Saturday was pretty tight and I made a few mistakes, mostly due to sunstrike and I lost a bit of time.

“There was just one second between me and (young Oparau rider) James Scott after day one (the first five sections of the course) and that’s remarkable in itself because you don’t often have racing that close.

“It’s tough too because you don’t see most of your competition throughout the event, so you don’t know how you’re going until you see the timing sheets at the end of the day.

“I just had to ride as fast as I could, within limits, and hope for the best. The bike was fantastic and it was only human error by me that cost me time.”

Groombridge finished a solid 59 seconds ahead of Scott on day two on Sunday and that gave him the overall win for the weekend, after a total of 14 full-throttle sections. 

With massive support again from the Whyteline motor vehicle dealership in Paeroa, Groombridge reckons he is “repaying the kindness” shown to him by Whyteline’s owner Mark Whyte by putting his immaculate Beta RR300 bike on top of the premier grade.

“Mark (Whyte) made sure I had everything I needed … took everything on the ferry and drove all the way from Paeroa to Christchurch to make sure I had nothing to worry about. I just had to catch a plane and fly down for the racing itself,” says Groombridge, who calls himself “a very busy electrician”, a man stretched to take time off work.

It’s interesting to note that this year’s International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) is set for Spain in October and the racing in New Zealand throughout this domestic series will help Motorcycling New Zealand to make selections for the Kiwi team to travel away for that.

“I have scored maximum points so far in the New Zealand Enduro Championships, so I hope that answers any questions that the selectors might have had about me,” Groombridge laughs.

“I’m keen to go to the USDE in Spain, so I knew I had to turn up and perform in Canterbury these past two weekends. It’s nice to know I still have the speed.”

The next two rounds in the championship will be at separate venues – near Wellington and Martinborough respectively – on consecutive weekends in the North Island in June, with the fifth and final round a one-day competition, set for Bideford, near Masterton in November.

2024 NZ Enduro Champs calendar:

Round 1: April 20-21, 1045 Reece’s Road, Omihi, near Christchurch.

Round 2: April 27-28, 981 Whitecliffs Road, Coalgate, Canterbury.

Round 3: June 1-2, Porirua (signposted from SH 58, Haywards Hill Road) Moonshine Valley Road, Wellington.

Round 4: June 8-9, Ruakokoputuna Hall, near Martinborough.

Round 5: November 2, Bideford, near Masterton.

-By Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com