The cream of young Kiwi motorcycling talent floods into New Zealand's King Country this Anzac weekend as Otorohanga hosts the annual New Zealand Junior Motocross Championships.
The four-day affair, starting with noise-testing and bike scrutineering on Friday, pits the best of New Zealand's future motocross stars against one another on one of the most spectacular courses in the country.
"There have been a huge number of hours spent on the track," said event secretary Lisa King. "It's been widened in some places, levelled in others and will be completely fresh to most riders. There will be no unfair advantage to local riders," she said.
There are six riders entered from Australia but most eyes will focus on the top Kiwis in the bigger bike classes, the 250cc four-stroke and 125cc two-stroke divisions where a couple of key absences will be noticed, throwing the title chase wide open.
With Warkworth's Hamish Dobbyn racing overseas and Mangakino's Cameron Dillon sidelined with injury, the 14-16 years' 250cc four-stroke class could become a battle between riders such as defending champion Henry Madams (KTM), from Wellington, Rotorua's John Phillips (Kawasaki), Whitianga's Michael Litt (KTM), and Masterton's Bjarne Frederiksen (Honda), to name just a few of the likely frontrunners.
The 15-16 years' 125cc two-stroke class will also be fiercely fought with Waitakere's Ethan Martens (Yamaha), Otane's Kieran Scheele (KTM), Cambridge's Kieran Leigh (Yamaha), Tauranga's Scott Barr-Smith (Yamaha) and Marton's Michael McCarthy (Honda) expected to be among the leaders.
The racing will be no less intense in the younger age groups, with riders such as Wanganui's Tom Managh (Suzuki), Tauranga Yamaha pair Logan Blackburn and Roydon White, Christchurch's Craig Smith (Honda), Albany's Brandon Tipene (KTM), Feilding's Haki Waller (Kawasaki), Napier's Stuart Young (Honda), Featherston's Callum Moore (Yamaha), Kumeu's Chase Smith (KTM), Takaka's Hamish Harwood (Honda) and Tauranga's Cameron Forlong (Suzuki) just a small selection of the favourites.
Jointly sponsored by KTM and Kawasaki, the national championships feature racing in seven separate age-group and bike capacity classes. The championship will comprise seven races in each category.
