FLINGING THE MUD
It’s probably going to be a muddy afternoon in the Wairarapa on Sunday.
Ands that suits the dirt biking community right down to the ground.
It’s the penultimate fourth round of the Yamaha Top Trail Rider (Central) Enduro Series near Martinborough on Sunday, with the battle for top honours likely to feature a few of the nation’s top “mud bugs”.
Men such as Pahiatua’s recently-crowned national cross country champion Adam Reeves (Yamaha), Mokau’s Adrian Smith (Yamaha), Whangamata’s Jason Davis (KTM), Auckland’s Karl Power (KTM), Hokianga’s Mitchell Nield (Husqvarna), Atiamuri’s Duncan McLaren (Yamaha), Hamilton’s Chris Singleton (Kawasaki), Palmerston North’s Morgan Dransfield (Honda) (pictured above) and Tokoroa’s Sean Clarke (Yamaha), to name just a few, should be among those fighting for glory.
Directions to the course will be signposted from the main square at Martinborough.
The fifth and final round of the TTR (Central) series is set for Santoft Forest, near Palmerston North, on July 26.
The Yamaha TTR series targets novice and enduro first-timers, offering challenging but not impossible terrain to tempt and introduce newcomers to the sport.
The Yamaha New Zealand TTR series features two parallel but separate series — the five-round TTR Yamaha Central Enduro Series and the five-round TTR Yamaha Northern Enduro Series.
Both TTR series run independently from the national championships series, with emphasis on low-stress, good time rides, an ideal format for club riders to try out enduro racing without the stress associated with the elite level of the sport.
The twin TTR series and the nationals are all sponsored by Yamaha New Zealand, Kiwi Rider magazine, Acerbis, Mitas Tyres, HJC Helmets and is supported by Motorcycling New Zealand.
Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com