It was almost impossible to separate KTM duo Jake Whitaker and Ryan Hayward when the 2023 New Zealand Hard Enduro Championships kicked off north of Wellington at the weekend.
The first of two rounds in Yamaha-sponsored series was held over two days in the Akatarewa Forest near Pauatahanui, north-east of Porirua, and Wainuiomata’s Whitaker and Papakura’s Hayward (pictured here) were both simply outstanding.
The margins between these equally-skilled KTM riders were slim indeed, with 32-year-old father-of-two Whitaker edging out 18-year-old Hayward by nearly three minutes on Saturday and then Hayward outpacing Whitaker by just over three minutes the following day.
When the times were added together, Hayward got the nod, winning the premier Gold Grade outright by just 47 seconds.
Remarkably, this was Hayward’s debut ride in the Gold Grade, but, after his impressive showing at the Red Bull Romaniacs hard enduro in Romania last month, where he finished up as the best-performed New Zealander at the massive international event, it was probably expected that he would step up to the top category for the weekend’s domestic championship event north of Wellington.
Whangaparoa’s Jacob Refoy (KTM), on his way to winning the Silver Grade at Moonshine at the weekend. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
Third best after the two days was South Islander Luke Corson (Beta), from Whitecliffs, near Christchurch, while New Plymouth’s Sam Parker (Husqvarna) and Nelson’s Tom O’Brien (KTM) rounded out the top five in the elite Gold Grade.
Whitaker won this series overall in 2019 and 2021 and then again last season too, and his credentials as a record eight-time New Zealand trials champion – a parallel motorcycling code where the emphasis is on balance and throttle control rather than pure speed – help add to the mystique that possibly surrounds him in this most difficult of off-road bike racing disciplines, but it’s a lofty position that is now coming under threat.
The depth of talent in this sporting code runs deep in New Zealand and, with rising stars such as Hayward now threatening to dethrone him, Whitaker would be the first to tell you that nothing can be taken for granted in hard enduro racing and he’ll need to be at his best if he’s going to nudge past Hayward and clinch this title for a fourth time in November.
“Congrats to Ryan on a well-deserved first gold class win,” said Whitaker afterwards. “We were both lucky to have the new generation 2024 KTM 300 EXC bikes arrive just in time for us and they definitely didn’t disappoint. I rode my KTM 250 SX-F four-stroke bike on Saturday and the new 300cc two-stroke on Sunday.”
Hayward revealed he had a slight issue to deal with when his tyre started coming off the wheel rim on Saturday and that cost him valuable time in the pits to rectify the matter.
Honda rider Blake Affleck, from Owaka, south of Balclutha, winner of the Bronze Grade at round one of the hard enduro nationals at the weekend. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
“I lost a minute fixing my bike in the pits,” Hayward explained. “On Sunday I started second behind Jake and caught him up in the first few minutes. We rode together for the first quarter of the lap, but, after a technical downhill section, he pulled away from me. I didn’t see him for the next two hours, until the second lap where I caught back up to him halfway through the lap.
“We got to a really tricky uphill where I helped him get his bike to the top and he helped me get mine up too. I regained the lead soon afterwards and knew there was only one gold section left on the course. We pushed hard until the end and I won with less than a minute between us after four hours of racing.”
Meanwhile, best of the Silver Grade riders at the weekend was Whangaparoa’s Jacob Refoy (KTM), winning ahead of Havelock North’s Tom Hislop (KTM) and Tinui’s George Williams, while Owaka’s Blake Affleck (Honda) won the Bronze Grade ahead of Porirua’s Jarrod Moss (KTM) and Dannevirke’s Anders Easton (Husqvarna).
Round two of the New Zealand Hard Enduro Championships is also known as the Nutbuster Enduro and set for Canterbury on the weekend of November 17-18.
2023 NZ Hard Enduro Championships:
Round 1: September 9-10, Moonshine Xtreme, Bulls Run Road, Porirua;
Round 2: November 17-18, Nutbuster, Christchurch.
© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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Blenheim’s Raphael Zyla (KTM), who managed 16th overall in the Silver Grade at the weekend. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com