Walker gets wildcard for Enduro race

LOCAL STAR: Kawerau's Matt Walker is one of the wildcard entries for Crankworx Rotorua Enduro.

Local downhill rider Matt Walker is one of the wildcard entries announced for the 2015 Crankworx Rotorua Enduro event, which will run as part of the Enduro World Series.

Enduro is the fastest-growing competitive discipline of mountain biking in the world, and there is huge demand for the limited 400 spots for the Rotorua event in March.

Nine Kiwis have already booked their place at the top event thanks to their ranking in the Endurance World Series (EWS).

They include female riders Rosara Joseph, Anka Martin, Gabby Molloy and Meggie Bichard, and male riders Justin Leov, Jamie Nicoll, Joseph Nation, James Hampton and Kurt Lancaster.

Twenty wildcard spots have also been reserved for top Kiwis, with the top five Kiwi female riders and top 10 male riders from the 2013/14 New Zealand Mountain Bike Crown Enduro rankings offered wildcard entries yesterday.

The women are Raewyn Morrison, Jenna Makgill, Anja McDonald, Harriet Harper and Sasha Smith.

The men are Matt Walker, Byron Scott, Connor Macfarlane, Hayden Lee, Ed Kerly, Karl Paterson, Reuben Miller, Jimmy Pollard, Ben Robson and Tom Lamb.

Another five places will be allocated at the discretion of Crankworx Rotorua Enduro race manager Neil Gellatly. Riders wishing to express their interest should email Gellatly if they think they are eligible.

The criteria include placement in a New Zealand Enduro event in the 2013/14 season and the 2014/15 season up to December 14, and/or placement in an international Enduro event in 2014.

Public entries will open at 9am on Thursday, January 22, with entry fees about $135. Enduro World Series events can sell out within the hour, so this is a date to highlight on the calendar.

The Crankworx Rotorua Enduro is round one of the EWS season, marking the start of the professional mountain bike racing calendar.

Race manager Gellatly said he believed it was the first time a wildcard announcement had been made transparent and he was proud to hold 20 spots for Kiwis, so they can ride at home alongside the world's best.

"It's important to have a strong New Zealand presence in this Crankworx Rotorua Enduro race as it's a sport we want to grow - if these wildcard entries help to propel Kiwi riders on to the world circuit, it will be huge for New Zealand mountain biking."

Enduro mountain bike racing took off in New Zealand two years ago and has quickly exploded in popularity, with more than 40 events nationwide in 2014.

Enduro is similar to car rallying, being based on timed downhill runs and untimed uphills.

Racing is held over a series of stages and the fastest combined time after those stages wins.

However, riders also need to get between stages within a certain timeframe.

In 2015 the EWS is increasing to eight rounds. Theseries will visit, in order, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, France, the US, Canada, Spain and Italy.