Just one little mistake or a flash of brilliance could decide where the main trophy ends up in this season's Dirt Guide Cross-country Series.
The third and final round of this popular series is set for Ohakuri, just south of Tokoroa, this Saturday and all eyes will likely focus onBay of Plenty's Reece Burgess.
The KTM rider is in command of the series lead after finishing third at round one and then backing that up with a splendid win in deep mud at round two last month, but nothing is assured for Burgess.
He will need to remain wary as top national calibre riders such as Rotorua's Nathan Sharland, Taupo's Greg De Lautour, Taranaki's Tony Parker, Masterton's Reuben Vermeer, Wellington's Jake Whitaker, Auckland trio Callan May, Freddie Milford-Cottam and Liam Draper and New Plymouth's Dougy Herbert look to close in.
Former national enduro champion Jason Davis, of Whangamata, won the series opener in April but he was sidelined with injury at round two. He may well be fighting fit to race again this weekend, although a series win is probably out of the question for him.
The juniors ride a 10-kilometre loop with their 90-minute race set to start at 9.30am, while the seniors face a 20-kilometre course and their two-hour gut-buster starts at about 12.30pm.
The cross-country series is run parallel with, but separate to, the Dirt Guide Trail Ride Series, with that phase of the weekend's action set for the same venue the following day.
The trail rides have also proven to be popular events with hundreds of riders taking the opportunity to tackle the trails traversed by the professionals just 24 hours earlier.
