The six-round New Zealand Championship for the extreme motorsport discipline of 4x4 Trials will begin with a Bay of Plenty event next month.
The Bay of Plenty Four Wheel Drive Club is hosting the opening round of the national series at a Waihi Beach venue on Saturday November 15.
Championship events regularly attract about 70 vehicles with competition in six classes, including the high-powered and radically engineered Class C and D Super Modified machines.
The BOP club staged the second round of the 2013-14 national series near Te Puke in December 2013 with that event having 72 teams in action.
This year the club has selected a new venue which overlooks Waihi Beach and will provide some steep and challenging terrain.
"There are lots of new trucks and new owners of trucks this season and the site will have some demanding obstacles," said club spokesman Neville Dunton.
Without an earlier national event to provide some guide to form, Mr Dunton said it's too early to pick likely winners, either for the day or the season.
"Zane Edlin will be campaigning with former national champion Dan Cowper as his co-driver. Zane has bought Dan's former truck.
"Graham Kingston is also be back this season, in another new Cowper truck."
Local contingent is also strong.
"There has been a resurgence of competitive trucks in the BOP Club with eight Class D trucks likely to enter as well as two in C Class and one F Class team.
Dunton will compete in the Class D truck previously driven to two New Zealand titles and two runner-up positions in the last five years by Derek Smythe. The truck has been re-powered with a new Corvette race engine and transmission for this season.
A national championship 4x4 trial requires teams to tackle a course comprising about 30 obstacles - including steep hillclimbs and sidlings, bog sections and a time trial section - while attempting to incur the fewest number of penalty points.
Following the Waihi Beach event the 2014-15 season calendar also includes national events at Taranaki, Manawatu, Hawke's Bay and Wellington before the Easter weekend final round hosted by the Thames Valley 4WD Club.