Suzuki Extreme 4x4 Challenge in Turakina provides action-packed Sunday

Whanganui's Hamish Auret and co-driver Paul Barnes will be looking for redemption at the 2018 Suzuki Extreme 4x4 Challenge in Turakina on Sunday.

A full field of top guns will again provide action-packed thrills at the fourth annual Suzuki Extreme 4x4 Challenge in Turakina this weekend.

The invitation only elite field of 10 includes the NZ1, NZ2 and NZ 3 teams battling it out with the cream of this country's best drivers tackling 10 technically challenging hillside hazards.

Hosted by former New Zealand champion and truck builder Dan Cowper on his SH3 farm just south of Turakina, the event is widely regarded as even tougher than the courses faced in national championship rounds throughout the country.

Freshly-crowned 2018 New Zealand champion Scott Biggs from Auckland, who finished runner-up to Andrew Garner from Tauranga in last year's Extreme Challenge, will again do battle with the two-time challenge winner.

However, also in the field is Whanganui's own Hamish Auret who only failed by one point to haul in Biggs in the national final a fortnight ago. Auert's mimesis that day was Waikato's Greg McDell who won the final round to ultimately give three-time runnerup Scott Biggs the title. McDell is also in the elite field on Sunday.

Auret is a multiple New Zealand champion.

World FMX superstar Levi Sherwood will be first up on Course no.7 at this year's challenge. This time Sherwood has recruited the help of longtime motocross friend Stephen Montgomery to sit beside him and help with the independent brakes when needed. They will be driving the CowperTrucks LS3 Chev V8-powered truck which is fresh from an extensive rebuild since its trip to Eurotrial UK 2017.

Sherwood had a fantastic debut at last year's event finishing a credible 6th outright and scoring top points on 2 of the 10 courses.

"They came here on Saturday and Levi had his first drive since last year's Extreme Challenge," Cowper said.

"He's a natural. Levi will also give a FMX display during the lunch break with fellow rider Nick Franklin weather permitting."

Cowper said this Sunday's course featured the bones of last year's hazards with a few alterations.

"We have a particularly difficult one where we have excavator tyres providing a real challenge. There is a row of them buried halfway into the ground with a row on top of the ground followed by another row half buried.

"The can't just drive over the hazard, they will need to hit the first lot just right to land on the next lot and propel themselves over the final row - it's about four-metres wide and right in front of the crowd," Cowper said.

The event will be again filmed by TV3's CRC Motorsport production crew.

The action begins at 10am. Hot food and refreshments are available on-course.