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Last year the Suzuki Four hour cranked into life and was immediately NZ's most popular Cross Country teams/individual event. It had a great bush track, great grass track, fantastic atmosphere and a nail biting finish. I knew it would be hard to beat that event, but it looks like year 2 is going to be a cracker also and here's why...
Improvement One: There are some rocket ship riders entered including; Daryl Hurley and Brad Groombridge (experience and youth), Tarawera 100 winner Cody Copper and Mark Penny (sheer speed with a fantastic all round MX and XC rider), Team Honda with cousins Karl and Chris Power flying the red flag, Shaun Fogarty (Tarawera 100 runner up) and part time Aussie resident Jason Davis on the Austrian orange KTMs. Plus last years winners Nick Saunders and Rhys Carter will be back to defend their hard won title on the mean green machines. Last years runner up Sam Greenslade is also rumoured to enter and that will be another top Suzuki pilot.
Yamaha - Damien King where are you buddy? - we need someone to fly the Yamaha flag.
Improvement Two: New track. The event will be held at a completely new venue - Tauhara forest. It is only 10 minutes from Taupo and has never been used for a motorcycle event so fresh is the word. There is a fantastic paddock for the pits and 2 superb rolling paddocks to use for the all important Moto tracks. The track length will be around 24km. Competitors will start in Moto paddock one, then charge into the first Moto track of 1km before disappearing into the bush, 11km later riders will jump over the fence turn close to the pits (Neil Ritchie will go crazy), then the riders will disappear for another 11km loop in the bush (different to the first 11km). By now the riders have done 23km and they then charge into the base area to do Moto track #2 (also 1km long). Riders then have a choice of either a pit stop or bypass the pits to enter Moto track one. (Brad Groombridge, I recommend stopping for fuel!!!) Repeat all this 8 times and four hours later, that is the Leatt Four hour 2010.
Improvement 3: Leatt have taken on title sponsorship and are supplying some great Leatt prizes. All other sponsors including Moto SR, RG3, Spectro, EZ Up, The Shed Bar, Chris Jolly Outdoors, CamelBak, DirtRider Downunder and Suzuki are also supplying heaps of product prizes, most of which is given out at random.
Leatt braces have really upped their game in the NZ market over the last year and we are very proud to be associated with their product. It is pretty simple really. Motorcycling is a reasonably high risk sport that can cause neck and spinal injury. Leatt braces are the original and very best neck brace on the market and can literally save your neck. See http://www.leatt.co.nz/ for details.
Now here are some deadlines to make. Thursday 12th August - merchandising orders close - there are some sweet looking hoodies, tees and beanies that you can buy for a very reasonable price. Monday 16th August - late fees apply which will cost another $10 per rider so be smart and enter by this Sunday.
New for 2010 is a mixed gender class for all you guys who just can't bear to be separated from your partner. So far there are 10 teams entered in this category.
For people new to racing there are some tips at www.epicevents.co.nz
Remember the Leatt Four hour is a national class race, but the focus is on everyone having a good time on and off the track. There will be intense rivalry at the sharp end of the field and all the way though with mates racing mates and brand against brand, but at the end of the day we all end up at the Shed bar in Taupo having a laugh, a few beers (2 free per rider) and telling all the post event lies about how fast we were (or used to be).
