Young motocross rider jumps past world's best
17.05.06
Motocross rider Katherine Prumm is now number one in the world.
The 17-year-old Pukekohe schoolgirl stunned the top riders when she scored back-to-back wins at the opening round of the United States Women's Motocross Championships in California.
This put the icing on the cake on her international campaign this year, which started in Germany where she finished 2-1 in the opening round of the world championships.
Kawasaki ace Prumm flew out from Leipzig on Monday to California to compete at the opening round of the AMA (American Motorcyclists Association) Women's Motocross Championships at Glen Helen, and had less than a week to prepare herself for the event.
But by Saturday afternoon (US time) she was phoning her Kiwi friends and family to report she had aced both races and was now top of the podium in two continents.
Prumm battled French rider Livia Lancelot and German Stephanie Laier to win in Germany. And in California, on her Kawasaki KX250F, she hammered the field 1-1. The next best, American number four Sarah Whitmore, could manage only 3-5 in the two races.
Despite her dominance, Prumm didn't have it all her own way.
"I spun on the line and was second last around the first turn and knew that I had to do a lot of catching up to do," she said.
"I was 11th at the end of the first lap. I kept working hard and found myself behind Sarah Whitmore and we were battling for about three laps as well as trying to come through the field.
"I got up to about fifth by the fourth lap. I could see a group of three in front of me and first place was a little way in front of them.
"The next lap I came around to the big hill out the back and saw that race leader Tarah Geiger had crashed and now it was only the group of three in front of me.
"I pushed hard and managed to catch them and they were holding me up a bit so I was trying to get past as fast as I could.
"With about three laps to go in the 20-minute race I got the lead and pulled away from the group and held on to take the race win.
"I felt really good on the bike. Jeff, my mechanic and engine-builder, did an awesome job on the bike."
The blond-haired Kiwi was also caught in traffic at the start of race two.
"I was seventh around the first turn. Again I pushed hard on lap one to come through the field and had Jessica Patterson just in front of me.
"I passed her on the top of the main hill and kept on charging. I got to second place quickly behind Alisa Nix.
"I was right on her tail for the whole race and I just kept staying close enough.
"On the last lap I could hear Jessica Patterson getting close so I went for it on the corner before two double jumps and passed Nix around the outside.
"I was so happy with my ride. I had felt strong on the bike the whole race and I always felt in control and within my limits."
Prumm is already women's champion in New Zealand and Australia, and her achievements over the past two weekends have seen her rocket to the forefront of the sport internationally.
She is now preparing for the second round of the United States series on Saturday. Then she will return to New Zealand to train for the final round of the women's world championships in Sweden on July 1-2.