It may have been a little bit like taking a knife to a gunfight, but woe betide anyone who underestimates Mokau’s Adrian Smith and his 250cc two-stroke Yamaha.

It was a real clash of champions when the 2017 New Zealand cross-country nationals wrapped up near Cambridge on Saturday.

A serious competition for New Zealand’s elite dirt bike racers, a challenging afternoon’s ride in the bush or just a leisurely cruise along leafy forest pathways – the Dirt Guide Cross-country Series is whatever you want it to be.

Adrian Smith has his hands full running his sheep and beef farm near Mokau, but the multi-time former national cross-country and enduro champion still manages to find time to race his dirt bike.

A phone call out of the blue enabled Mokau’s Adrian Smith to celebrate a back-to-back win at the weekend.

Taupo’s Brad Groombridge is threatening to run away with the New Zealand Cross-country Championships again this season and just one more win will be enough for Groombridge to successfully defend his 2016 crown.

Taikorea’s Paul Whibley has enjoyed an international motorcycle racing career that many professional riders could only ever dream of.