The race begins with a mass, shotgun start.
''When the shotgun goes, you start the bike and go flat out as fast as you can and do as many laps as you can in two hours,'' said Lauder.
Sunday's race venue is Ohakuri, midway between Tokoroa and Taupo.
''The track they use is really awesome - mostly it's in the pine forest and it's a good base of 'pumicy' soil. It drains well, but it also means you've got good traction everywhere. The trickiest bits are through the tree roots in the pine forest. They have fast sections - they try and have a variance of stuff, fast road sections, tight stuff in the trees, and some more open areas - but the trickiest parts are the tight sections in the trees.''
Tracks are laid out for each specific event.
''It's not like a motocross track where you can go and practice, you can pretty much only ride these tracks at the races.''
The team Patterson O'Conner Motorcycles rider had ridden motorcycles most of his life, although he had a stint of around five years away from riding competitively when he took up drifting and rose to be among the country's top drivers.
''I started doing the cross country rides maybe four years ago. I went along to one one day and thought 'this is pretty good, I could get into this.'
''Drifting got a bit expensive, so went back to the motorbikes. I really enjoy it because you see more of the countryside. We go to a lot of different places and you turn up and ride for two hours, or sometimes three hours, and then you're done. You're not really racing - you are riding with other people, but you are racing yourself - and if after an hour and a half you are tired, then you didn't do enough training.''
One of the major modifications to the bikes is a larger fuel tank - but even then, a stop for fuel is necessary during the race.
''When I had a smaller tank, there were a few times I ran out of gas - that's not fun.''
Originally set down to be a four-round series, the second round in August was cancelled.
Series promoter Sean Clarke of Tokoroa said the original format was for three of the four rounds to be counted, as riders were to discard their worst score, but, because the series is now reduced to only three rounds in total, all points will be counted.
The 90-minute junior race is set down to start at 9.30am, with the two-hour senior race starting about 12.30pm.
Former Kiwi motorcycling international Callan May heads the standings going into Sunday's round. However, he knows he can take nothing for granted with riders such as Manawatu's Paul Whibley (Yamaha), Coatesville's Sam Greenslade (KTM) and Palmerston North's Adam Reeves (Suzuki) just a handful of the many who will be expected to apply pressure on Sunday.
The popularity of The Dirt Guide Series continues to grow rapidly and, with separate trails and several different grades incorporated into the day's racing, catering for all levels of confidence and ability, Sunday's event is also an ideal opportunity for the lesser or novice riders to learn from masters such as May, Whibley, Greenslade and Reeves.
In addition to the expert grade riders, the series caters also for mini and junior riders and for intermediates, veterans and women as well.
The third and final round of the Dirt Guide Series is scheduled for Tar Hill, about 20km south of Tokoroa, on October 2.
