Walker out to defend trophy on home turf

SOARING: Kawerau's Matt Walker will lead the way at the New Zealand Downhill series event in Rotorua today. PHOTO/KELVIN TEIXEIRA A-101010KT3

Local rider Matt Walker will look to defend the James Dodds Memorial Trophy today, during the first stop of the New Zealand Downhill Mountainbike series.

The first round of the series will be held on The Taniwha trail in the Whakarewarewa Forest today. The event begins this morning, with timed runs held between 2pm and 4.30pm.

The rider with the fastest time today will be awarded the James Dodds Memorial Trophy, which was created in memory of the late mountain bike enthusiast.

Walker, brother of BMXer Sarah Walker, the Olympic silver medallist, is the current holder of the trophy and will be tough to beat, according to Descend Rotorua president Dave Hamilton.

Hamilton said about 150 riders would be attending the event.

"Everyone is starving for a race after the winter," he said.

Hamilton said the James Dodds Memorial Trophy had become a prestigious award in recent years.

He said Dodds was well known in Rotorua as a track builder and bike manufacturer and was really involved with the Rotorua Mountain Bike Club.

He said he also helped out with junior riders at Descend Rotorua. "The award has a lot of kudos attached to it."

Rotorua riders Keegan Wright and Connor Hamilton will also be racing today, the pair fresh from their top-10 finishes in the men's junior category at the world downhill champs in Norway earlier this month. The pair both finished in the top-10 in the men's junior category this month.

The New Zealand Downhill series includes five stops and is the first big series of the New Zealand downhill season.

The next four events will be held in Wellington (October 11), Napier (November 1), Taupo (November 22) and Auckland (December 13).