The annual Korito Technical Matrix event in Taranaki at the weekend again drew the cream of the crop from across a diverse range of motorcycling codes and they all brought something special to the popular event.
Now in its ninth year, this “cross-pollination” of dirt biking expertise once more drew a diverse and talented field of off-road bike riders to race the Korito Technical Matrix (K.T.M.) on the farmland course near Egmont Village on Saturday.
They had arrived to contest this unique cross-over trials/enduro/cross-country competition, a motorcycling package dreamed up by Kiwi enduro legend Dougy Herbert and hosted on his farmland property, just 15 kilometres south-west of New Plymouth.
Tough, moderate or just a little bit easier, the course options were entirely up to the individuals and, with riders classified as Gold, Silver or Bronze grade.
The tricky part was deciding on the risk-versus-reward factor, whether to take the easier-but-longer route or to take the much shorter but incredibly more difficult pathway and riders, regardless of their actual ability, could decide the best route for themselves.
The four-lap race surely sorted the men from the boys, the chequered flag going out when the first Gold Grade rider had completed his four laps.
A large crowd enjoys the antics of leading trials exponent Connor Newton as he traverses the matrix phase of the weekend’s event. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
“It was rideable, but with the weather conditions we have had recently, where it’s been sunny for so long, the moss has grown, and then with a little bit of moisture the past few days, it became quite slippery in places.
“If you look at the lap times, with a similar course to last year, the riders were probably 10 minutes slower this year,” Herbert explained.
“I try not to make it a last-man-standing affair. I try to make it so that people can actually finish it, but it’s never easy.”
Riders on moto trials bikes again dominated this time around, despite an obvious horsepower handicap when they lined up against the mostly enduro bike exponents.
One of those enduro bike rider was none other than record eight-time New Zealand moto trials champion Jake Whitaker, who rode an enduro bike and found that, despite the outright speed advantage that his 300cc bike offered, the tight and technical nature of the farmland course perhaps better suited the slower but more nimble moto trials bikes.
Bulls rider Connor Newton eventually won the premier Gold Grade overall, the 18-year-old apprentice builder finishing just over 13 minutes ahead of his nearest challenger, fellow trials bike exponent Cameron Judd, a 19-year-old shepherd from Judgeford, near Wellington.
New Plymouth’s Tony Parker finished third overall, with Whitaker, New Plymouth’s Abe ‘Bolt’ Herbert and Taupo’s Wil Yeoman rounding out the top six in the Gold Grade.
Meanwhile, Paeroa’s Ashton Whyte won the Silver Grade ahead of Gisborne’s Angus Thomas and Te Kauwhata’s Samuel Singer, while Taupo’s Axel Lowe won the Bronze Grade ahead of Whangaparoa’s Nathan Refoy and New Plymouth’s Jesse Smith.
The popularity of the K.T.M. was surely a testimony to the superb job that’s been done over the years by Herbert and his valiant team of volunteers, with them turning this novel cross-pollination of dirt bike codes into a must-see and must-do event.
This was emphasised by a comment made by recent No Way In Hell extreme enduro winner Yeoman, who on Saturday described the K.T.M. as “the hardest event in New Zealand”.
“For people that go overseas, or even people who watch this stuff from the sofa, it’s not until you do it that you realise it’s actually harder than it looks,” Herbert confirmed.
“Riders who really have some skill, they shine through. Clutch control is a big thing to master and the slippery creek beds is what catches most riders out. Riders ask how long the lap is and when we tell them 15km, they go ‘how hard can that be?’ Well, they found out, didn’t they?”
Click HERE for highlights from this year’s K.T.M. event, which was streamed live during the course of the day on Saturday.
Herbert said this technology offered instant updates on race times, track conditions and rider welfare that event organisers could watch on screens back at base and fans could follow from home, anywhere in the world.
© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
Find BikesportNZ.com on FACEBOOK here
Check back here on www.BikesportNZ.com during this week as we bring you more words and pictures from the weekend.