Jake Whitaker is spreading his wings.
The 15-year-old rising international motorcycling star heads south from the comfort of his Wellington home this weekend to tackle the opening round of the South Island Trials Championships near Christchurch.
The weekend is a double header with the first of six rounds in the series being staged Saturday, in Western Valley on Banks Peninsular, and round two the following day at Glenelg Spur, on the Port Hills overlooking Christchurch. Only five of the six rounds count towards the South Island title, so this weekend‰Ûªs opening stanza of competition is vital.
Whitaker will be taking no prisoners this weekend.
He beat national champion Warren Laugesen (Levin) at the opening round of the parallel North Island series a fortnight ago, the first time he‰Ûªs done that in his fledgling career, and it gave him confidence. This weekend he‰Ûªll arrive in Christchurch determined to prove his form is hot enough to take overseas later in the year.
But, hot though Whitaker may be, he‰Ûªll still face a stiff challenge from the cream of South Island talent.
Names to look for include Nelson‰Ûªs Brenden Eggers and the Hibbs brothers, Jason and Brad, from Invercargill. This year will be the first for the Hibbs brothers in the expert grade, the former A-grade stars each with a point to prove.
Lower Hutt‰Ûªs Carl Robson heads south to tackle the A grade section and that‰Ûªs where he‰Ûªll face Nelson‰Ûªs Karl Clark and former New Zealand champion Stephen Oliver (Nelson) and his son Nicolas. Another Oliver sibling, Peter Oliver, contests the intermediate grade.
Stephen Oliver is the director of the Motorcycling New Zealand-supported Non Stop High Performance Trials Academy and he brings a wealth of experience to the series.
Christchurch event organiser Lyall Sinclair said the two venues each offered different obstacles and, with recent rain, would most likely be very slippery and muddy, putting the pressure on riders to show sublime skill with the throttle hand.
He said Sunday‰Ûªs venue was particularly good for spectators with rocky outcrops sure to make the competition spectacular.
2007 TRIALS CALENDAR:
North Island Champs:
Rounds 1 and 2, Wellington, March 3-4.
Rounds 3 and 4, Tauranga, April 7-8 (also the Oceania Trials Champs).
Rounds 5 and 6, Manawatu, May 19-20.
Rounds 7 and 8, Hamilton, June 23-24.
Rounds 9 and 10, Taranaki, August 4-5.
South Island Champs:
Rounds 1 and 2, Christchurch, March 17-18.
Rounds 3 and 4, Blenheim, July 21-22.
Round 5 and 6, Alexandra, September 8-9.
Best five of six rounds count.
New Zealand Trials Championships: Hawke‰Ûªs Bay, October 20-22.
