It was almost total orange domination when the inaugural KTM Extreme Enduro Series wrapped up at Oparau, near Kawhia, over the Easter Weekend.

Riders on KTM motorcycles swept the Pro class for the four-round series with Auckland’s Michael Skinner (KTM 250 XC-F), Wellington’s Jake Whitaker (KTM 250 EXC and Husaberg FE250) and Tauranga’s Jim Lowe-Pattie (KTM 300 EXC) leading the way in a KTM 1-2-3 at the top – KTM bikes eventually filling out nine of the top 10 spots overall.

Whitaker rode a KTM at round one in the Riverhead Forest and then switched to the Husaberg for the remaining rounds, the change apparently a seamless one as he continued to run at the front.

Saturday’s No Way In Hell extreme enduro at Oparau was a stand-alone event, with Auckland’s Chris Birch (KTM 300) winning the two-day battle, but it also doubled as the fourth and final round of the fledgling extreme series, with Skinner doing enough at the weekend to edge out Whitaker for overall series glory.

This was the fourth running of the No Way In Hell enduro at Oparau and it was a huge success, with 60 riders taking part,” said event organiser Sean Clarke, of Tokoroa.

For Birch this was his second No Way In Hell victory, with a winning time at the weekend of four hours and 27 minutes over the brutal 96-kilometre course, all set out in the rugged Hauturu Valley.

After winning the prologue on Saturday, Birch was the first pro rider to be waved away on Sunday morning and he never looked back after that.

Second in the pro class and second overall at the weekend was multi-time former national moto trials champion Warren Laugeson, from Hawke’s Bay. Laugesen rode a steady race right from the start then put a huge effort in the last 32km section to snatch second place from Lowe-Pattie.

Laugesen was actually five minutes faster than Birch in the final section.

The battle for Pro class series honours went down to the wire between Skinner and Whitaker.

Whitaker needed to beat Skinner by two positions at the weekend to take the series win but Skinner held his cool and finished close behind Whitaker, enough to steal the glory. Whitaker finished fourth and Skinner fifth at this final round.

In the Expert grade, Ngaruawahia’s Kelvin Babington took the win from Tokoroa’s Mark Newton by just over five minutes, who in turn was about 13 minutes ahead of Reporoa’s Brendon Imlig.

Auckland’s Liam Draper had already wrapped up the Expert grade title win three wins in earlier rounds, so he opted to ride in the pro class at the final event, finishing a creditable 12th.

Cambridge’s Dylan Yearbury took the clubmen class win at the final round but it wasn’t enough to elevate him on to the podium for the series. Cambridge KTM rider Taylor Grey finished third at the weekend but he had done enough to win the series in the clubmen class, with Auckland’s Luke Mobberley taking second spot for the series and Auckland’s Tom Brian rounding out the top three.

“Just to finish this event is a real accomplishment,” said Clarke. “It is up there with some of the hardest events in the world.

“The KTM series was a huge success, taking riders to their limits at the four different events. Thanks goes out to the Waitemata Motorcycle Club, Forest Trail Events, the Te Puke Motorcycle Club and the Hauturu District and school.

“Also thanks to the sponsors of the series, KTM New Zealand, Motorex, Michelin Tyres, Maungapapa Angus, Dirt Guide, Kiwi Rider Magazine and former national enduro champion Elliott Kent of Precision Helicopters in Te Pahu.”

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