A big crowd at the new Wattles track on Tarawera Rd saw the reigning Queen of Crankworx Jill Kintner win the inaugural 100% Dual Slalom Rotorua.
Last night's win marked the American's sixth consecutive in the discipline at Crankworx after claiming the top step every year in Whistler since 2013.
Tomas Slavik from the Czech Republic made it a three-peat in the Crankworx Dual Slalom competition after he won in Whistler in 2016 and 2017,
But while the Queen prevailed, the battles were tight. Second place finisher American Kialani Hines proved a worthy opponent for Kintner, finishing just 0.28 seconds behind her in the first heat and 0.85 in the second.
"There was fierce competition today," said Kintner.
"It's cool to see such talented ladies from all disciplines, and a few fresh faces."
One such face was Tahnée Seagrave.
"I snapped my chain in the semis. I would've liked to have made it into the final with Jill, because you know she's the one to beat and I've looked up to her for a long time in my career. It would have been sweet, but there's always another one."
In the end Seagrave claimed the final podium spot after beating Australian Danielle Beecroft in both rounds of the Small Final, an accomplishment that left her smiling ear-to-ear.
"Tonight was amazing overall. I've never done anything like it. It was really chilled. Everyone's smiling. Great atmosphere. I loved it."
Competition on the men's side was arguably even more fierce, with a who's who of international mountain bike competitors spanning all ages and disciplines, including Mick Hannah, Kaos Seagrave, Barry Nobles, Darren Berrecloth, Adrien Loron, and Bas van Steenbergen.
"This is what's really special about Crankworx," said Slavik.
"This is the place where we meet together and we race against each other...this is pretty unique and pretty special. And the racing was amazing today. There were so many fast guys. Really hard race."
The big final on the Pro Men's side came down to Slavik and Kyle Strait who had won all his heats to that point, save one against New Zealand's Matt Walker.
Slavik would take both rounds.
The battle for third came down to the wire. Luca Cometti and Walker traded wins but in the end Cometti edged out Walker by 0.09 seconds.
The track itself featured four distinct sections. Berms, rollers and rhythm, then flat corners, finishing with a table top before racers crossed the finish line into a sea of kids looking for fist bumps and autographs.
Slavik said the style of the Rotorua track added to the rivalries.
"You had to go without any mistakes. You had to go super fast, 110 per cent, which is what Dual Slalom is all about. It was amazing."
A crowd of nearly 1500 local and international fans came out to watch the action go down on the all-new track, built by trailbuilders Empire of Dirt as a legacy project for the community in Rotorua.
"I'm really happy that we're bringing more Dual Slalom competitions into Crankworx," Slavik said.
"It's like old-school and new-school stuff coming together, which is really working. People are loving it and the riders are loving it."
Slavik's podium topping performance marks his first points in the battle for King of Crankworx, and Kintner's second. She now solidifies her third place standing with 225 points, behind Vaea Verbeeck's 265 points and Casey Brown's 325.
Other key points awarded after tonight were 50 earned by Walker for his fourth place finish, bringing him up to 205 after a weekend of Enduro and Downhill, behind Keegan Wright with 275 and Sam Blenkinsop with 300.
Crankworx Rotorua action now shifts to Skyline Rotorua MTB Gravity Park for the next five days of competition.
"I can't wait," said Seagrave. "I literally can't wait to get started."
Get the times and details for all live webcasts during Crankworx Rotorua: http://bit.ly/2Fo51w0
Start lists and results: Results
Details on the royal battles: King/Queen points