It came as no surprise that seven-time national moto trials champion Jake Whitaker dominated the weekend at rounds seven and eight of the North Island Trials Championships in Wellington.

But it was a surprise that he was riding a different bike than he’d raced in the past.

“This was my first outing on the new Gas Gas 300 I’m going to be competing on now,” Whitaker explained.

“The bike looks awesome and is definitely turning some heads!

“It took some getting used to in the slippery, wet conditions due to the more aggressive power of the bike than what I have been used to,” said the Wellington man.

“I’m very happy with how it feels however and looking forward to the next couple of months training in the lead up to the New Zealand Championships over Labour Weekend in October.”

Whitaker won both days at the weekend, with a 34-point lead on Saturday and a 12-point lead on Sunday.

“I made too many mistakes on Sunday that cost me a few too many points, allowing second place to get very close at one point. Still I’m happy to take the overall win for the weekend and taking away a few things that I want to improve and sharpen up on before the NZ Champs.

“The change-over to the Gas Gas bike for me has gone really smoothly so far.

“The bike is absolutely amazing and I am extremely happy with its performance. It has exceeded all expectations.

“The Gas Gas 300 factory replica is the first trials bike I have felt that is ready to compete on at a high level straight out of the box. Suspension and power delivery of the engine is something you have to experience to believe.

“The change has been great in the way of giving me some extra motivation in doing well on something new, along with working alongside a very professional company with friendly people who go out of their way to please, all in a short time of two weeks. I already feel like this is the start of something great. I cannot wait to show everyone what I am capable of on such an awesome machine.”

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