There will be no favours expected or granted when the nation’s top off-road motorcycle racers kick off the New Zealand Enduro Championships near Kawhia this weekend.

The series opener is set for steep and rugged terrain at Oparau, near Kawhia, tomorrow (this Saturday, February 2) and a lot will be riding on the results because this brutal venue has been a graveyard for title hopefuls in the past.

Boosted this season to an eight-round series, consistency will count more than ever before this time around, although none of the competitors will want to begin their respective campaigns on the wrong footing and therefore be forced to play catch-up over months of arduous battling.

As well as the usual suspects, the Yamaha New Zealand Enduro Championships has also attracted champion riders from several parallel codes, including Palmerston North’s three-time former national cross-country champion Adam Reeves and Wellington’s six-time national moto trials champion Jake Whitaker, a multi-talented athlete who is crossing over from trials to enduro riding this season.

The nation’s elite riders will embrace the new series with Kiwi international Chris Birch returning home from South Africa, Whangamata’s former national champion Jason Davis back from injury, current national cross-country and 2012 outright national enduro champion Adrian Smith, of Mokau, back from a stint in the United States and Auckland’s Chris Power (pictured above) arriving at Kawhia fresh from taking his Yamaha WR450F to an impressive third in the river race section of last weekend’s New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville.

“A lot of interest is also being shown in the series this year by riders who have never before tried enduro racing, so I guess we must be starting to tap into the trail bike riding scene, said Motorcycling New Zealand enduro commissioner Shaun Prescott, of Hikuai.

“Basically, if you can ride a trail ride, you can ride an enduro championship round … it’s just a fraction more intense.”

The series will incorporate the Kiwi Rider Junior Cup competition as well this year, catering for younger riders at the same national championship rounds. They will ride the intermediate sections of the course.

“This is a huge growth area for the sport,” said Prescott. “This is where our future national and world champions will come from.”

The championship series wraps up near Tokoroa on September 21.

2013 Yamaha NZ Enduro Championships calendar:

Round 1, Feb 2, Oparau

Round 2, Feb 23, Whangamata

Round 3, March 24, Riverhead

Round 4 April 27, Wellington

Round 5, May 11, Waimiha

Round 6, June 1, Maramarua

Round 7, July 20, Taupo

Round 8, Sept 21, Tokoroa

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