‘BANDITS OF BALANCE’ ENSURE MOTOFEST HAS IT ALL
H
ampton Downs could be
Words: by Andy McGechan
classified as New Zealand
motorsport’s “centre of
excellence” when the Mike
Pero MotoFest erupts there
in the first weekend of
March. A massive part of the March
3-4 weekend will be the running of the
third round of four in the New Zealand
Superbike Championships and, while
that is significant in itself, it will really
just be one phase of the huge spectacle
that will be on offer to bike fans.
The track, located midway between
Mercer and Huntly, will host a wide
assortment of motorcycling activities
over the two days and, with international
superstars such as American Randy
Mamola, Englishman Steve Parrish,
Australian Robbie Phillis and New
Zealander Aaron Slight, among others,
in attendance at the weekend, there
will be plenty to enthral the crowds.
Hampton Downs Motorsport Park’s
commercial manager, Mike Marsden,
said the event will have a “festival feel,
with high profile racing on two circuits
and track time for amateur riders”.
“I’m pretty sure nothing like this
has ever been done in New Zealand
before,” Marsden said, “Our plan
is to grow the event over the next
Wellington’s record eight-time national moto trials champion
three years into the biggest on the
Jake Whitaker, sure to feature in the Motul Stadium Moto Trial
motorcycle event calendar.”
“The Franklin Farm freestyle motocross excitement at MotoFest 2018
team will thrill the crowd with aerial
Legends Dinner being staged on the
action on the main Skid Pan, while
Saturday night of the event.”
the Kawasaki Public Trail Ride, which will be run on
The Motul Stadium Moto Trial event is
adjacent farmland, gives families and enthusiasts
expected to be one of the major spectator
the chance to go for a ride and then enjoy all other
attractions over the two days.
aspects of the events – this is really quite unique as
It will feature many of New Zealand’s leading
is the track time for are offering road riders each
“bandits of balance”, including record eight-time
day on the international circuit,” said Marsden.
national champion and two-time former Australian
“Rounding out the entertainment is the
moto trials champion Jake Whitaker, of Wellington.
Star Insurance Bike Show and the Alpinestars
20 KIWI RIDER
A tricky course has been imagined by former
New Zealand champion Andrew Poad, with help
from A Grade exponent Phil Shilton, and they
will set out between six and eight “diabolical”
sections, with obstacles in the arena that will
include wooden towers, concrete pipes, a
couple of shipping containers, two Volkswagen
cars, wire spools and concrete blocks.
“Spectators will be able to see the event from
above the arena area, viewing from the grass
bank by the footbridge,” said Motul Stadium
Moto Trial event manager Tony Perkins.
“Each section will be tackled by the riders
before moving on to the next one. This will
prevent spectators missing out on the attraction
with too much happening at the same time.”
Helping to explain to the crowd the gravity-
defying action them will be well-respected moto
trials commentator John Ravenscroft, from Te Kuiti.
“There will be a break during the main Superbike
races, as this is one of the main attractions
of the weekend. The Moto Trial will be over
the two days and riders will be competing for
the ‘Stadium Trophy’ and prize money.”
In addition to the always-spectacular Whitaker,
seven-time former national champion Warren
Laugesen, from Napier, and Wellington’s rising
young star Dylan Ball will feature, along with fellow
Kiwi international Blake Fox, from Dunedin.
Talented French rider Jules Huguenin,
now resident in New Zealand, will add
international flavour to the event.
Ball is only 13 years old, but already he has
shown he has the potential to go on and perhaps
emulate the international feats of legendary
and world-renowned Kiwi Stefan Merriman, the
Tauranga man who was a former world moto
trials champion before going on to become
a multi-time world enduro champion.
Ball is the current and two-time Australian
open junior champion and four-time New
Zealand under-17 champion and he has just
returned from a trials training camp in Spain.
“Keep an eye on this kid. He will be a top
rider. He has awesome potential to reach the
highest level of the sport,” said Perkins.
With this branch of motorcycling sport,
the emphasis is not on speed, but on fine
balance, bravery and throttle control.
The prime aim is to conquer the extreme
terrain without touching feet on the ground
or falling off. Points are lost for these “faults”
and a rider with the lowest score wins.
Head to www.hampton downs.com for
information on tickets, hospitality packages,
the legends dinner and camp sites.
KIWI WINS IN THE USA
L
iam Draper’s recent move to the USA to
contest the GNCC this season has already
borne fruit. Entering the first round of the
Full Gas Sprint Enduros, which is a two day
event in Georgia that features six tests a
day. Draper won both days and had this to
say, “The first is a motocross test which is like a
grass flat track with a sandy base, some doubles
and big bowl turns, and then there’s a woods test.
Riders do each test three times on Saturday and on
Sunday the course is normally reversed, but they
didn’t reverse it this time. After 500 bikes had been
through each test three times it sure got pretty
rough! I really enjoyed the event. There was no trial
section, so it was pretty cool to go back to the pits
and play with the suspension and have something
to eat. I’m pretty stoked to win both days and
really looking forward to the first GNCC round.”
KIWI RIDER 21