Eighty-six riders will be competing in the New Zealand Trials Championship this weekend at Alexandra. The IDA Garden Bar and Kitchen sponsored event will be held over 3 days from Saturday to Monday.
The current New Zealand champion, Mats Petit has returned to France and will not be defending his title so one of the five riders who are contesting the orange line (the hardest grade) will be the new champion. Taranaki’s Matt Foster is expected to be the front runner but he will have some strong competition from Ashley Bell, John Haynes, and the Oliver brothers, Nick and Peter who have returned to the sport after an 8 year hiatus. Bell, who has ridden at expert level in the UK, is new to the New Zealand trials scene and hasn’t ridden at Alexandra before, but he may find the wet conditions that are predicted for the weekend to his liking.
A second tier of expert riders will contest the red line. Six times New Zealand Trials Champion, Warren Laugesen starts as favourite, but the field also includes Blake Fox, who has won at this level three times previously.
Sixty-nine year old Kevin Pinfold was runner up in the intermediate class last year and he will be keen to regain the title which he has won several times previously. His main opposition is likely to come from Connor Newton and John Ross. There will be interest in how Stu Lawton goes on the Beta Techno that his brother James rode when he won the New Zealand Championship in 1999.
Mike Owen looks likely to head the Sportsman class (green line) and the field of fifteen riders in this group includes last year’s winner of the women’s class, Gabby Gundry.
Twenty-one riders will contest the Clubman class (blue line), which has riders whose ages range from 10 years to the early 70s. Thirteen year old Luke Pearce from the Ixion Club, Rangiora’s Dave Chambers, Roxburgh’s Brian Spedding and Tauranga’s Francis Sydenham could be the riders to watch.
The junior class is expected to be a contest between 15 year old Finn Pearce and 12 year old Zack Furniss. Pearce who was runner up last year, is recovering from an injury in the Kaikoura 3 days trial which has restricted his riding recently.
Four women are competing in the event and Gabby Gundry is expected to retain the women’s title. There are also classes for Veteran 1, Veteran 2, Twin Shocks and Air-cooled bikes.
Four riders will also compete in the mini classes, and there is likely to be a good competition between 8 year old Liam Ross and 9 year old Max Blanchard.
The full entry list is available here:
https://pioneertrials.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NZ-Champs-riders-list-2024.pdf
Words by Peter Hosking
Photo caption: The 2023 New Zealand Trials Champion, Mats Petit.
Photo by Peter Robson