NZ National 4x4 Trial series coming to Te Puke

Te Puke's Nathan Fogden in action the last time the NZ National 4x4 Trial series came to Te Puke in 2021. Photo / Stuart Whitaker

Muddy 4x4 action will make a return to rural Te Puke next month.

Bay of Plenty Four Wheel Drive Club will host the fourth round of the National 4x4 Trial series on February 12 at 1201 Rangiuru Rd. A round of the series was last held locally in 2021.

After the third round of the series last weekend, Te Puke’s Nathan Fogden and co-driver Mike Gibbons lead the C-Class standings in their Zook-Sport/BF Goodrich Tires C-Class Cowper. Last season was the first full season for Nathan’s older son Cody with co-driver Karl Burgener, while his younger son Brinn is competing for the first time this season, with Sean Bydeley in the co-driver’s seat.

Class C and D vehicles are super-modified trucks of up to four cylinders and five or more cylinders respectively, with Nathan scoring third place overall in the first two events in the series. In the latest event he won Class C, and was 10th overall.

Open to the public and spectator-friendly, the NZ National 4×4 Trials Series is made up of one-day events hosted by NZFWDA-affiliated clubs around the country.

Trials are based on the ability of competitors to drive their vehicles over difficult terrain, including hill climbs, mud bogs, and going up steep hills, over rocks and along banks. The course is made up of a minimum of 28 short obstacles. Blue pegs mark the start and end points of the obstacle, and the boundaries of the obstacle are indicated by red pegs (on the right) and yellow pegs (on the left).

The driver and co-driver attempt to negotiate their vehicle through each obstacle as far as they can, and vehicles from all classes drive over the same obstacles.

Classes include production, production-modified, super-production, modified and super-modified.

Each event has an overall winner and class winner for the day. Points won go towards deciding the overall and class winners for the different zones and national placings at the end of the season.

There will be food trucks and coffee cart at the Te Puke event, at which money will be raised for Waipuna Hospice.

Entry is $25 for a family (2 adults and 3 children) or $10 per adult and $5 per child.