World class British extreme enduro racer and pioneer for the sport , Graham Jarvis , put on a masterclass on his first visit to Taranaki .

Photo : Jesse Wickham

Matrix event again drew a diverse and talented field of off-road bike riders to Taranaki , this time including an international superstar . The world class British extreme enduro legend , Graham Jarvis , was quickly into his stride and , not unexpectedly , produced an absolute masterclass during his visit on March 12 . The man from Yorkshire comfortably won the four-lap Taranaki event by nearly 10 minutes from local father-and-son pair Sam Parker and Tony Parker , with Napier ’ s seven-time former New Zealand trials champion Warren Laugesen and New Plymouth trials hero Matt Foster rounding out the top five in the elite Gold Grade . “ I had a really good day here ,” said Jarvis afterwards . “ It was good fun and good training for me . It was good to see such a great turn-out and I hope to come back next year .” Fourth-placed Laugesen , the first of the trials bike riders to finish , was also enthusiastic about returning for another crack at the Korito Technical Matrix . “ It was a big effort from the organisers ,” said Laugesen . “ This event should perhaps be worthy now of national status . It was a great format and interesting course and had a bit of everything to keep everyone on their toes . “ Fitness was my downfall ,” said the 49-yearold . “ I was expecting to go and just have fun , but the competitive nature within me took over . I do hope to be back next year , it was well worth the trip .” The novel event is a unique cross-over between trials / enduro / cross-country competition , a motorcycling package dreamed up by Kiwi enduro legend Dougy Herbert . Even many of the Gold Grade riders had possibly underestimated just how difficult the course would be . Kiwi former International Six Days Enduro ( ISDE ) gold medal-winning enduro rider Sean Clarke commented , “ the course was too hard

KIWI RIDER 15