Endurocross

Trials MX Mix

maddix park mx

Chris Birch started the rocks rolling in May 2009 when the first Red Bull City Scramble was held at Britomart in the heart of downtown Auckland. The Scramble was his idea and the concept a new one for NZ- our first urban motorbike endurocross. Riders had to jump from a ramp into skip bins full of water, negotiate a wall section with banked corners that lifted riders 3 metres high on a 45 degree angle  and perform U turns in a course that included two big rock garden sections.  The huge crowd of over 10,000 fans were totally wowed as Rory Mead headed off the German rider Andreas Lettenbichler to win the race. Red Bull hopes to make the City Scramble a biannual event.

 

Murray Jensen from Te Puke loved the concept and to test the waters, included a small endurocross section in the GNCC round 2 held at his property later in the year.  Murray had set a benchmark, and, because of its success with riders and spectators alike, a similar section of log and tyre obstacles was included in round 4 of the GNCC held at Maddix Park this January.

However Murray is taking endurocross another step further and back into the general public arena.  With the Te Puke Motorcycle Club, he is organizing the first  annual EnduroCross for the Bay of Plenty. A course of tyres, logs and humps and bumps has been planned. The event  will be held at the Te Puke A & P Show on Saturday 13th February 2010 at the Te Puke Showgrounds in Showgrounds Road, Paengaroa. It will be a Vegas style endurocross event for experienced enduro and trials riders with prize money for the best riders and a spectacular show for spectators. Chris Birch will be riding plus several other top enduro riders. Check out www.tepukemcc.co.nz for details.

What, then, is endurocross exactly ? It is a mix between trials and motocross. Riders go over trials type obstacles at MX speed but balance and the control of the bike is often more important than the speed.   Balance and control is the chief focus of trials riding and it is interesting to note that many of NZs top enduro riders, Birch, Whibley, Mead, Merriman for example, are former junior trials champions.  If you want to check out more about the popularity of endurocross worldwide, go to www.endurocross.com .  Check out as well some of the cool video footage there is around, for example www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKXDqItaFmE

Or, if you want to have a try yourself, check out the small log and tyre section by the pits area at Maddix Park. It might prove just the challenge you need for 2010.

 
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