Taranaki was the venue at the weekend for rounds five and six of the North Island Moto Trials Championships and BikesportNZ.com was there to capture some of the action.

The prime requisites for the sport of Moto Trials are balance and throttle control and even riders at the bottom of the rankings exhibit scintillating skills in this regard.

With this branch of motorcycling sport, the emphasis is not on speed – the prime aim is on conquering the extreme terrain without touching feet on the ground or falling off. Points are lost for these “faults” and a rider with the lowest score wins.

The 10-round series remains tight in several of the grades and the battle for Expert Grade honours still remains especially tight between Taranaki rider Matt Foster and John Haynes, from Rotorua.

The next two rounds of the series will be held in Wellington on August 23 and 24 August, before the final two rounds in Hawke’s Bay on October 4 and 5.

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

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