Racing’s Rock Stars Head for Nelson in New Zealand Champs
Michael D. Jacques / 17.04.2003
Team Seagate.com - currently the hottest team on the adventure racing world circuit - are favourites to retain their national series lead in this weekend\'s Rollo\'s Nelson Adventure Race. Along with 150 other endurance junkies they will head for New Zealand\'s sunshine capital this weekend for round three of the Sportzhub.com New Zealand Adventure Racing Series.Not surprisingly Seagate.com, comprising Geoff Mitchell, Neil Jones, Kristina-Strode-Penny and local Nelson hero Nathan Fa\'avae, are favourites for the non-stop 24-hour event. But in one of the strongest fields ever assembled for a 24-hour adventure race Seagate must beat a classy conglomerate of fellow Kiwis. It’s not going to be easy for them.
Seagate are an American-sponsored, but all Kiwi, Team and their strength is that every individual in the team is a world-class athlete in their own right. In 2002 they won the internationally renowned Eco-Challenge and Southern Traverse events. However, New Zealand racing has such strength in depth they will have just as much trouble winning in Nelson as they would in any internationally ranked race.
Standing in their way for the top spot on the podium this weekend are three top ranked Kiwi teams. Perhaps most likely to beat them are Team Icebug - Craig Stevens, Marcel Hagener, Tim Pearson and Jill Westenra. They don’t race together regularly but their individual skills make them a match physically for Seagate. Stevens and Hagener are two of the most talented multisporters in the country, while Pearson has competed internationally and Westenra is rated with Seagate\'s Kristina Strode-Penny as two of the best women on the world circuit right now.
The experienced Sierra International team of Rob Harrow, Jo Forbes and the Minehan brother, Julian and Paul, are also expected to be somewhere close. Their strength is experience, which will have them waiting in the wings if any other team makes a mistake. At the other end of the spectrum are the relatively inexperienced Team Grasshopper - Neil Gellatly, Dan Dollimore, Jacob Roberts and Kat Lawton. Gellatly and Dollimore are experienced international campaigners but Roberts and Lawton are relatively unknown, which marks their team as the Darkhorse this weekend.
Seagate need nothing less than a win if they want to retain the national series lead they lost two weeks ago. As winners of the Southern Traverse they were the early leaders, but just two weeks ago Team Blue Ducks took the lead after winning Coromandel\'s ARC adventure race.
The Coromandel event was round two of the national series, and as the only team to contest both the Southern Traverse and ARC events Blue Ducks took the lead almost by default. If Seagate win in Nelson they will regain the top spot by just one point. Wellington-based ‘Sierra International’ are the only other team likely to move up the rankings in Nelson this weekend. Currently ranked 7th, a top three placing will move them up to third.
