KEY POINTS:
The eyes of the motorcycling world remain focused on the Bay of Plenty region as Taupo again draws a host of international superstars to its popular Digger McEwen Motocross Track.
On two separate occasions this year, the cream of the junior motocross world will descend on the central
North Island geothermal resort town as the sandy Digger McEwen Motocross Track hosts two major events - the New Zealand Junior Motocross Championships in April, followed by the World Junior Motocross Championships in August.
The Miro St venue has staged several big international events in recent years but the town is set to explode twice more this year, starting with the Kawasaki and KTM-sponsored junior nationals from April 17-19.
"Early indications are that entries for the junior nationals will be in excess of 360 riders," said Taupo Motorcycle Club president Geoff Hall.
"In each of the various categories, the riders will race five 20-minute races over the three days.
"This will also, no doubt, be a part of their build-up for the world championships and, with that in mind, there has been some keen interest expressed by a number of top Australian and Indonesian riders who are coming to race our nationals to get a taste of racing on this track."
The Junior World Motocross Championships will be held just four months later, on August 15-16.
Competition is hot for selection for the world championships with starting positions limited and only an elite few will be granted the right to race.
Hall said: "It is very exciting for the club and for New Zealand as a whole.
With the region hosting a world championship event in 2009, it puts us on the world stage.
"I'm thrilled that we have won recognition as a club that can stage a world championship event."
Leading local riders expected to compete at both events include Taupo's Cameron Dillon (Honda) and Atiamuri's Hadleigh Knight (KTM), along with Ryan Knight (KTM), Warren Bartlett (Kawasaki), Scott McKinstry (Yamaha) and female riders Alex Dillon (Honda) and Nikita Knight (KTM), to name just a few.
Taupo is no stranger to such high-profile events.
The same venue drew the world's motocross elite in November 2006 and then the world's top enduro riders battled there too, just a week later, when the International Six Days Enduro was also staged near Taupo.
The innovative Taupo Motorcycle Club then repeated the dose in November last year when motocross Grand Prix stars again arrived from Europe to battle the Kiwis.
Taupo is fast becoming a recognisable venue on the world scene and, with the New Zealand senior nationals staged there in the past and the junior nationals there this year, it has become a hub for domestic activity too.