24.09.2018
The challenge had been made and KTM rider Jake Whitaker gleefully accepted it.
The second round of four in this year's inaugural NZ Xtreme Off-road Championship series sent riders into the damp and dark depths of the Akatarawa Forest on Sunday and, after more than three hours of brutal off-road racing, it was Wainuiomata's Whitaker (KTM EXC300) who emerged first.
The steep, rocky and treacherous tree root-lined course, about halfway between Lower Hutt and Porirua, was set to test even the hardiest of men and machinery, but for father-of-one Whitaker it was probably just another day at the office.
The 27-year-old Whitaker is already a Kiwi legend in another motorcycling code – he is record eight-time national moto trials champion – and he used some of those same precise throttle control and bike balancing skills needed for trials riding to conquer the brutal Moonshine Valley enduro course.
Whitaker finished the day more than two minutes ahead of runner-up rider Dylan Yearbury (Husqvarna FX350), from Cambridge.
"It was a pretty demanding course today, with only a few short stages where a rider could rest a bit," said Whitaker.
"It was an extremely physical day of riding, with hill climbs and creek crossings to keep everyone on their toes."
"The weather was great and the courser surprisingly dry, although there were a few spots in the forest that probably never really dry out, so we did strike a bit of mud too."
Hamilton's Phil Singleton (Husqvarna FE350) had won the day at the series opener at Whangamata, but he was forced to settle for third overall at Moonshine.
This was, however, enough for Singleton to keep his series lead as the riders now prepare for round three, in Hawke's Bay on November 3-4.
Whitaker said he was thrilled to excel on his new bike, the 2018-model KTM EXC300 only collected by him a few days earlier.
"It is the new fuel-injection model and so the power delivery stayed smooth and reliable even on the steepest down-hills and there was no chance of it flooding when I lay the bike over. I enjoyed the benefits of that today for sure.
"I didn't contest round one of this series and will be absent too for the next event, so I really have no chance of winning this series overall, but it was good training for me as I prepare to tackle the upcoming Wildwood Rock Extreme Enduro near Melbourne (on November 4)."
Meanwhile, the top three finishers in the Silver Grade on Sunday were Lower Hutt's Ryan Scullion, followed by Cambridge's Beau Taylor and Whangarei's Wayne Cox.
Best of the Bronze Grade riders was Whitianga's James Kerr, with Tauranga's Matt Reece and Whitecliffs' Cody Corson not too far behind.
The series continues now with round three in Hawke's Bay and then round four at Oxford, near Christchurch, on November 16-17.
Only two of the four rounds of the NZ Xtreme Off-road Championship are to be counted, with riders to discard their two worst scores, while double points are offered for the final round in the South Island.