The country came to town in Auckland on Sunday with two first-time visitors to New Zealand and an expatriate Kiwi, all riding European motorcycles, reaping the greatest harvest at a spectacular extreme enduro event.

The second Red Bull City Scramble at Westhaven Marina in central Auckland attracted spectators by the thousands and they baked under a clear, blue sky as Britain’s Graham Jarvis (Husaberg TE 300), expatriate Kiwi Chris Birch (KTM 300 EXC) and another British visitor, Paul Bolton (KTM 300 EXC), hogged the podium at this extreme enduro, the man-made course constructed among the yacht moorings on Auckland’s waterfront.

The contrasts could not have been more extreme, with concrete high-rise buildings there to overshadow an off-road motorcycle race that would more typically have been staged far from the maddening crowds, in steep, remote and inhospitable native bush or farmland.

The 36-year-old Jarvis, from Leeds, dominated the event from the start – winning each of his three eight-lap qualifying heats – and it wasn’t until the 13-lap grand final that he was headed for the lead for the first time and forced to dig especially deep and fight back.

Fellow Brit Bolton was the man who asked the question of Jarvis, passing him halfway through the all-important final race of the afternoon, but Jarvis answered immediately, snatching the lead back that same lap and maintaining his advantage to the end, claiming the $5000 first prize.

Bolton settled for runner-up, pocketing $3000, while Auckland native Birch, now living in Natal, fought his way through the pack after a poor start to secure the $2000 prize for finishing third.

“I just had to keep pushing,” said Jarvis afterwards. “I was under a bit of pressure from Paul and that was good because it makes you appreciate a win when you really have to fight for it.”

Bolton, 32, from Bolton in Lancashire, said the event was “absolutely awesome”.

“I saw the trials bike guy (Wellington’s five-time national trials champion Jake Whitaker, who’d grabbed second spot at the start) pushing Jarvis and saw him making a few mistakes. I didn’t think I’d get past the two of them but it worked out better than I expected.

“I really want to thank Red Bull and KTM for making this happen. I hope I can come back and do it all again.”

Although Birch had finished runner-up at the inaugural Red Bull City Scramble in Auckland’s Britomart square in 2009, he said he was “surprised” to finish as high as third this time around.

“I am very sore. I have an injured left knee, right ankle and left wrist … the knee is the biggest problem. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to last to reach the final,” he said.

“I had a shocking start in the final. I think I must have been asleep because I totally missed nailing it.

“Regardless of my personal result, I’m just thrilled the event was such a success.”

© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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