Nerves of steel needed as dirt bike riders face Kuratau course

It combines horsepower with heroics, demands both boldness and bravery, couples speed with stamina and mixes torque with technique - it is the annual New Zealand TT Championships.

TT racing is like superbike racing on soil instead of tarmac, the racing is off-road and the competitors use dirt bikes but, unlike motocross, there are no steep hills or jumps to slow things down.

There should be some close and exciting action on the flat, natural terrain course near Kuratau, at the southern tip of Lake Taupo, today and tomorrow.

Former motocross world champion Ben Townley (Tauranga) will rate as a fresh favourite, despite this being his first crack at the event. Rotorua's Scotty Canham will also be among the favourites in the MX2 category.

Wairarapa's Mason Wilkie dominated the event last season, taking five wins from five starts in the premier bike class, but he has since moved from Masterton to Christchurch and commitments to his new work will keep him from making the trip north.

Wilkie was pushed all the way last season by Waitakere's Ethan Martens, while Taupo's former national TT champion Brad Groombridge also featured.

The two riders will likely be near the front at the Bike Torque-sponsored event this time around as well.

In the premier all-terrain vehicle (ATV) class, Canterbury's Ian Ffitch was the big winner last season. Although he was pushed all the way, a cool head under pressure gave the 43-year-old the advantage where it counted and he won the final race of the weekend to snatch the title ahead of Rotorua's Jason Jepson and Stratford's Camo Keegan.

Ffitch will be among the ATV favourites again this weekend.

Organised by the Taumarunui Motorcycle Club, the venue will be signposted from the Western Bay Rd turnoff, Kuratau Junction, SH41 and SH32.