Words | Dan Self
Racing is back! After a year filled with changes and cancellations, it was a refreshing start to come straight off the Christmas period and crack into racing. With strong fields at all events its clear to see that DH is alive and well here in NZ!
“Kaua e mate Wheke, mate Ururoa kē. Don’t die as a octopus, die like a hammerhead shark”
“It was sick, I had some good races and some not so good ones. But to win two of them against the top elite boys in NZ was a good feeling knowing the young boys are on pace. To take the win for the series and win in the last round made me so happy and ready for what’s to come next” – Tuhoto-Ariki Pene. PC The Perfect Line
Once the dust had settled on the four-race season it was Tuhoto Ariki Pene who once again took the top honors. After securing two national series wins Tuhoto will have his eyes firmly set on National Champs at the end of the month. Until then though, here’s the roundup from one of the most hotly contested National seasons we’ve seen!
Round One: 440 MTB Park
Clear forecasts and blue skies greeted riders, the track was running fast and it was shaping up to be a brilliant day out! However, some midday showers arrived and rapidly turned to a downpour, anyone who has ridden the clay-based trails at 440 know this was a racers worst nightmare.
Tuhoto-Ariki Pene was looking fast & smooth all day. PC Robbie Dalziel
Daniel Self pushing his Megatower to the limit in a field of big bikes. PC Robbie Dalziel
Boaz Hebblethwaite, the dark horse of the day. Unfortunately, it was not to be after coming unstuck in his race run. PC Robbie Dalziel
Cam Beck Charging hard. 2nd on the day for Cam by a mere 0.01 seconds. PC Robbie Dalziel
Young gun Seth Stylianou battling in the treacherous conditions after the downpour. PC Robbie Dalziel
Tuhoto-Ariki Pene finding what little grip there was on the inside line. 3rd on the day for Tuhoto. PC Robbie Dalziel
Round Two: Dome Valley
Just 6 days after the action at 440 it was on again, about an hour north of Auckland with a long metal access road, Dome always feels a little remote. A short track with a few key technical sections made for some tight racing.
Something new lurking in the pits for Dan Self, his first ever ride on a DH bike. PC Robbie Dalziel
The crew doing their best boy band impression... PC Robbie Dalziel
Cam Beck looking comfy on course. Keeping things consistent with another podium finish! PC Robbie Dalziel
Seth kept things upright this weekend to finish with a solid 4th in his first year of U17 racing. PC Robbie Dalziel
Daniel looking comfortable on his new V10, landing 8th in a big elite field once the dust settled. PC Robbie Dalziel.
Finn Hawkesby-browne made some bold claims on Instagram earlier this year about going faster than YOU. Luckily, he backed them up with a 3rd in his first Elite race. PC Robbie Dalziel
Tuhoto-Ariki Pene was the fastest and smoothest on track all day. He took a commanding win, nearly two seconds clear of the field! PC Robbie Dalziel
Round 3: Nelson
DH racing has come to our own backyard. Held on the notorious Kaka trail, this one is an old school classic. Scary steep and brutal unforgiving terrain with some big new features at the bottom of the track made sure this was a testing race.
Local grom Lucas Malham looking confident for his first ever national race. PC Henry Jaine
Boaz Hebblethwaite appears unfazed by what is without a doubt the gnarliest track on the circuit. PC Henry Jaine
Finn Hawkesby-browne seeing if there any magic sauce in Tuhoto’s bike setup. PC Henry Jaine
A long way from home trail comforts now. Seth Stylianou was quick to adapt and finished up 5th. PC Henry Jaine
The future is bright! Xanthe Robb storming down the hill on her trail bike and into 4th place in U17 female. PC Henry Jaine
You could be forgiven for forgetting Cam Becks focus is Enduro. Another DH race, another podium. 2nd today for Cam. PC Henry Jaine
Player of the day for Brady Stone. He put down a blistering 2nd place seeding time that was faster than most race runs. Unfortunately, a mechanical put an end to his race.... oh, and he was racing on his Megatower too! PC Henry Jaine
Scars of the trade. Tuhoto-Ariki Pene had a big crash in seeding. He soldiered on with it and still put out a 10th place time in his race run. PC Henry Jaine
5th place today gives Boaz Hebblethwaite another opportunity to practice his podium beatboxing skills. PC Henry Jaine
Two podium spots locked down. Watch out for the young guns, they are coming. PC Henry Jaine
Round 4: Coronet Peak
What a place to hold the season finale. Breath taking views, perfect dirt and arguably one of the best tracks in the world to race on. With most of NZs top pros calling.
With views like this it would be easy to lose focus. PC The Perfect Line
The high alpine landscape makes for a unique race course. PC The Perfect Line
Mr Consistent. Cam Beck with yet another podium spot. PC The Perfect Line
Finn Hawkesby-browne finding the limits, maybe a little too much sauce. PC The Perfect Line
Lots of learning for Seth Stylianou this season, 10th today but with experience in the book at every race we can’t wait for the next one. PC The Perfect Line
After last weekend Tuhoto-Ariki Pene was out for redemption and looked unstoppable. PC The Perfect Line
Always one for a yarn, Boaz Hebblethwaite spinning some good race run stories for the boys. PC The Perfect Line
Tuhoto-Ariki Pene takes the win here at Coronet peak and secures the national series for the 2nd year running! PC The Perfect Line
And that’s a wrap! Excellent performances all around from the team. Banter was had, races were won, crashes may have happened here and there. Everyone is fired up and ready to go for NZ Open and National Champs coming up. Stay tuned.
Find full series results & points here.