He is a record eight-time former New Zealand moto trials champion and former Australian moto trials champion, and now he’s turning those skills into great success in a completely different bike discipline, that of enduro and cross-country racing.

But it’s not hard to see where Wellington rider Jake Whitaker traces his beginnings and not hard to see how his moto trials riding skills can come in very useful in an enduro or cross-country environment.

He made the switch to enduro racing a couple of seasons ago and it really hasn’t taken him very long at all for his finesse with the throttle and his tightrope-like bike balancing abilities to transfer into success on the gnarly enduro scene.

Here’s a video clip made this week that showcases some of those skills.

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

© Video by Jane Roberts

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