The bikes are primed and ready to go and the track at Taupo is groomed for action ... all that's left now is for the Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team riders to take their places on the start line.
This Labour Weekend's annual Motocross Extravaganza at Taupo's Digger McEwen Motorcycle Park will be "the first big shake-down" for national MX2 champion Scotty Columb and his teammates as they prepare to defend their New Zealand Motocross Championship titles in 2014. It won't be easy for the Yamaha men because it will be champion versus champion and teammate versus teammate in this first outing of the season.
Queenstown's MX2 No1 Columb and national 125cc No1 Cameron Vaughan, of Rotorua, will go head-to-head in the MX2 (250cc) class, Columb on a YZ250 two-stroke and Vaughan on an Altherm JCR Yamaha YZ250F four-stroke machine.
Meanwhile, with MX1 regular Billy MacKenzie overseas, Waitakere's Ethan Martens will step in at Taupo to keep the seat warm in the big bike class on the Altherm JCR Yamaha team's YZ450F.
For multi-time former national champion Martens it will also be a step up.