Racing: Zarczynski makes it six in a row

Colin Zarczynski has retained his mantle as Australia's moto trials doyen with a superb victory in this year's national title at Pacific Park (NSW) last weekend.

On an extremely difficult course which got the better of many seasoned riders, Zarczynski again showed too much poise to stretch his unbeaten run in the Aussie title to six years with a 29pt (176 to 205) victory over Jake Whitaker, who was runner-up for the second year in a row.

But it wasn't Whitaker who gave Zarczynski the biggest scare at Pacific Park, with an upset on the cards after day one when young gun Kyle Middleton sat only 2pts adrift of his more experienced competitor.

But his challenge evaporated early on day two when he twisted his ankle and knee and suffered ligament damage.

The injury isn't expected to keep Middleton out of Australia's team for this year's Trial des Nations, where he will join Zarczynski, Trevor Campbell and Dylan Rees in the four-man equip.

Campbell (238pts) and Rees (243pts) were fifth and sixth last weekend, with the fast-finishing Neil Price (210pts) claiming the last podium spot from the second Zarczynski sibling, dual national champion Kevin.

Price was a lowly seventh after day one, before a barnstorming finish saw him only finish 5pts behind Whitaker.

The victory was Colin Zarczynski's second at Pacific Park, which is where his unbeaten stretch started in 2004 when he defeated his brother and Rees.

Since then, the policeman from New South Wales has been imperious, although he did lower his colours to a posse of global stars in 2005 - who were in town for the following weekend's International Two Day Super Trial -- but he retained his national title after being the first local rider to finish.

Click on the following link for all the results in this year's Xispa Australian Moto Trials Championship.