There was probably never any doubt that Wellington‰Ûªs Jake Whitaker would dominate but, in the end, even he had to bow to Mother Nature.
The opening round of the South Island Motorcycle Trials Championships attracted top riders the length and breadth of the country, but it also attracted some of the most extreme weather conditions experienced by these elite competitors.
With temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius on Saturday, hot, dry and dusty conditions greeted the riders as round one began on steep, bush-covered slopes just outside Christchurch.
Overnight it switched to cold, wet and gusty as round two began the following day on lava rock terrain on the Port Hills, overlooking the South Island‰Ûªs largest city.
Through it all, the one constant was Whitaker‰Ûªs superb mastery of his Spanish Gas Gas 125 motorcycle, completely outclassing the expert field.
The 15-year-old Whitaker finished both days with less than half the penalty points of his main rival, Motueka‰Ûªs Brenden Eggers (on a Spanish Sherco 250 bike), and this was despite the fact that Whitaker was sorely tested by the conditions.
‰ÛÏI couldn‰Ûªt complete some sections on Sunday because I got blown off my bike,‰Û
