Cameron Judd , from Judgeford , near Wellington , navigates his Beta Evo over the challenging obstacles of the Korito Technical Matrix , finishing overall runner-up
Tough , moderate or just a little bit easier , the course options were entirely up to the individuals and , although riders were classified as Gold , Silver or Bronze grade , it really only mattered what lap time could be achieved by each individual competitor . The tricky part was deciding on the riskversus-reward factor , whether to take the easier-but-longer route or to take the much shorter but incredibly more difficult pathway and riders , regardless of their actual ability , could decide the best route for themselves . The four-lap race surely sorted the boys from the men , the chequered flag going out when the first Gold grade rider had completed his four laps . Each lap was divided into two timed sections – the cross-country loop and The Matrix , a short arena-cross-style extreme enduro prologue course that could also be described as being quite similar to a typical trials section . “ Historically , the trials club guys and the dirt bike codes do their own thing , but , when I went to the international Red Bull Romaniacs [ extreme enduro event in Romania ], you could see that the trials guys are able to find traction where nobody else could ,” said Herbert .
Below : Mangakino ’ s Ki Barker ( Beta RR200 ), who finished eighth overall in the elite Gold grade at the Korito Technical Matrix
“ So this event is a cross-pollination of the bike codes , where they can all learn from one another . Everyone will have learnt something here today . “ For people who go overseas , or even people who watch this stuff from the sofa , it ’ s not until you do it that you realise it ’ s actually harder than it looks . “ Riders who really have some skill , they shine
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