Dirt bike action for all on challenging Ohakuri course

Forestry land halfway between Tokoroa and Taupo¯ will this weekend be the site once again for some of the country’s best dirt bike racing action when the 2021 edition of the popular Dirt Guide Cross-country Series kicks off on Saturday, June 26, with the leafy yet challenging venue at O¯ hakuri once again set to thrill and challenge riders in equal proportions.

It will be signposted from Atiamuri on State Highway 1 and the 90-minute junior race is set to kick off at 9.30am, while the two-hour senior race will start just after midday.

The three-round series again promises to be anything you want it to be . . . a serious competition for New Zealand’s elite dirt bike racers, a challenging afternoon’s ride in the bush or just a leisurely cruise along pine needle-laden forest pathways.

Round two for the series is set for the same course the following month, on July 24, and the third and final round of the series is on August 21, also at the popular Ohakuri venue.

For each of the three rounds, a trail ride will be held at the same venue the following day. The trail ride on Sunday (June 27) will offer mostly different trails than those traversed on Saturday and will be twice as long.

The popularity of The Dirt Guide Series has grown steadily since it started in 2008 and, with separate trails and different grades incorporated into the day’s racing, catering for all levels of confidence and ability.

The event is also an ideal opportunity for lesser or novice riders to learn from the masters and the following day, Sunday, may also be a chance to hone those skills with a trail ride planned for the same venue.

“There has been a lot of logging going on at Ohakuri, so it will be using same area of land but it will be entirely different,” said Dirt Guide Series organiser Sean Clarke, of Tokoroa.

“There’s some flowing stuff that has never been used too, bulldozed tracks like what riders would encounter in most cross-country races and it’s free-draining land, so rain won’t cause too much of a problem on the course.

“We want all dirt bike owners to come and have a go at this,” said Clarke.

“With riders getting older every year, we are really keen to provide an experience to entice the younger riders to come along and ride. There are classes for riders as young as 7,” he said.