KTM Rallye NZ

This entry is part 2 of 19 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #33

The 2018 KTM Rallye rolled on to New Zealand’s North Island. Danny Wilkinson and his camera were there to capture, and enjoy, another world-class event.

Chris Birch taking in the views around Port Jackson.

Edd Shepherd and Karen Grover were among a contingent of very capable two-up riders.

Chris Birch waited for the next Ultimate Race competitor to struggle their way up the slippery hill. Photographer Wilko took the safe option and walked up.

Rain.

The kind that falls in waves and creates havoc for organisers of adventure rides.

That was the talk leading into the recent KTM Adventure Rallye staged around the northern tip of New Zealand.

There was so much of it that KTM ambassador Chris Birch mocked up a new aquatic goggle for the Power Parts catalogue.

Thankfully, the Kiwis are masters of building all-weather gravel roads. So, as the riders departed the seaside town of Paihia on the first morning, it was a relief to drop straight on to the ‘metal’ roads and find they offered a firm base and consistent traction.

That wasn’t always the case during the week that followed, but the organisers did a great job of ensuring the standard route was achievable by all, even in testing conditions.

The same couldn’t be said of the various breakout options frequented by the talented local riders who thrived on the challenge.

Five-time American enduro champion Russell Bobbitt joined the ride as a midpack sweep.

Best laid plans

Essentially, the Rallye for 2018 was broken into two distinct sections. Initially it covered the remote branches of the Northland.

Barry Reiher – many times a Kiwi motocross champ – and Mike Johansen put together some amazing tracks that traversed sandy pine forests, remote beaches and the wild coastline of Cape Reinga.

Cape Reinga, the northernmost accessible tip of New Zealand, is the visual meeting point of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and anyone standing at the lighthouse overlooking the turbulent waters can see how the place is steeped in Maori significance. Even as the rain flew in sideways and sheets of cloud blew through everyone, there was a certain sense of calm as the seals darted in and out of the waves crashing into the rocks way below.

(L-R) Harry Norton (deep-water rescue), Mike Brillanti, Sam Biddington, Maxime Cerramon, Greg Murphy and Deane Manley

Unfortunately, despite a huge amount of work behind the scenes that included persuading landowners with gravel driveway upgrades and various other sweeteners, some of the more anticipated private-property sections had to be cancelled due to the weather. The funny thing was, the riding was still amazing, so I can only imagine how high the bar would’ve been lifted if the full track was accessible.

The Coromandel is a special part of the world.

Live stream

One of the early highlights was a remote section past the Maori settlement of Mitimiti. Dropping down off the dunes on to a deserted stretch of coastline, the ride traversed a long, wide expanse of hard-packed beach sand and crossed numerous freshwater streams as we headed north. The section culminated in a technical crossing over the rocks, dodging incoming waves and passing squalls.

Naturally, if you want some entertainment with the camera, you stake out a spot on a wide beach at low tide on the first day of a Rallye. There were low-sides galore with riders making the most of the speedway opportunity.

Birchy reckoned NZ builds the best gravel roads in the world.
The bivouac was generally pretty easy to find each afternoon.

Another Northland gem was the run down Ninety Mile Beach. I doubt there are too many places in the world where you could do an uninterrupted ride down a beach for 90 kilometres. Actually, I’m pretty sure it went even further, but we headed inland at that point so who knows how much further you could go (maybe even 90 miles?).

The rain did come in handy on this stretch as the northern entry via Te Paki stream was known as a notoriously tricky stretch of loose, dry creekbed sand for about three kilo-metres. In anticipation of soft-sand carnage, the organisers arranged for the local bus driver to run a side-by-side through the worst of it for the less confident riders, and one of the local sand masters was on hand to transport the bikes. On our run though, the rain tumbled down between the valley of dunes, filling the seasonal stream. So, in an experience few of us are likely to repeat in a hurry, we rode down a flowing freshwater creek for several kilometres, tracking through the packed sand all the way to the beach.

Mark Scott dodging the incoming tide on the tail end of the Mitimiti breakout section.

Lost

After two nights by the ocean at Taipa Beach, the Rallye began an arc to the south.

There was a really spectacular breakout section north of Paihia.

It flowed through lush farmland before a final descent to the ocean on the east coast. It was such an amazing panorama that I stubbornly camped on top of the hill until a small pocket of sunshine passed over and the water below turned a brilliant turquoise. It was fleeting, but worth the wait.

Tony Lingard gathering momentum for a silica sand ascent.

Somewhere in among all of this a rather unusual nautical scene unfolded.

Low cloud on the start of day three brought lots of rain. Organisers darted between breakout options, shutting the worst affected to avoid damaging trails and swamping bikes. Having written off the morning as a washout with the camera, I perched beneath some dense foliage that blocked the bulk of the downpour, trying to salvage some shots alongside a swollen creek. Truth be told, the crossing looked rather innocuous, but the gravel road had washed away on one side. French rider Maxime Cerramon rolled through and clipped a rock below the muddy surface, taking a low-speed tumble into water. Racesafe Medic Sam Biddington was on hand to check him over while the rest of us shuffled our feet and pondered the disappearance of his 1090 in the seemingly shallow crossing.

Our first concern was that it’d been washed over the edge of the track and into a watery grave downstream. KTM race team mechanic and super sweep, Harry Norton, decided to try the other side though, and accidently dropped into a hole that would have swallowed the Titanic. After some scuba diving, he reappeared, still submerged in neck-deep water. We were stunned when he informed us he was standing on the handlebars and he couldn’t even reach the creekbed below.

I guess it pays not to stray offline in a shallow crossing in NZ.

It was around this time things stopped going to plan for Maxime Cerramon.
Sweep rider Harry Norton making up some time.

Recovered

Utilising some straps and sodden man-power, the waterlogged 1090 resurfaced just in time for a passing local to witness the recovery. His offer to Maxime came in a thick NZ accent and couldn’t have been better timed.

“How about a flat trade for a KLX450, Bro!’ he Kiwied. “I picked it up for $1000 not long ago.”

And with that the small search party of New Zealand, Australian, French and American riders lost it, and the ensuing flurry of verbal banter was priceless.

It certainly wasn’t an easy moment for Max, but he dealt with it really well.

That 30 minutes in the rain was one of the most amusing of the trip.

The good-hearted repartee continued that night when it was revealed Max’s profession included dealing in underwater robotics. Thankfully, the mighty V-twin fired back into life and by the end of the rallye sported a complimentary orange snorkel, courtesy of some cheeky Rallyers.

Ultimate Race winner Kevin Archer heading into the final special. This was the dry part of the track.

Food for thought

The rain continued (and I silently thanked the inventors of Goretex) as we made our way south towards the Coromandel Peninsula. In what seemed like divine intervention, the cloudy skies finally gave way to sunshine on the penultimate day and the timing couldn’t have been better.

Coromandel enduro guns Shaun Prescott and Natasha Cairns had lined up an amazing special section at the tip of Port Jackson through thick Kikuyu grass that would only ever be passable on a big bike in sunshine. It climbed up farm tracks that rose so high, they made us wonder if we’d somehow jumped over to the South Island. Even with a howling wind trying to blow you off the trail as you crested an exposed ridge, the views were simply stunning. Green grass, sapphire blue water, craggy islands and the odd spattering of white from peace-fully grazing sheep. It was another nugget of adventure-riding gold that will stick with me for years to come.

And if that wasn’t enough, lunch was provided by Colville school at one of the most amazing farmhouses I’d ever seen.

Slow-cooked lamb rolls, home-made cakes and a cold can of Coke. The humble can of baked beans by the side of the trail may never taste the same again.

Sam Brown on a flyer in the first Ultimate Race special test.

Ultimate Race

With the impending launch of the 790 Adventure, KTM has formulated a competition for its Rallye participants where two riders from each host country (there are six events in total) win a trip to the Merzouga Rally aboard a fleet of new 790s. With Chris Birch alongside for guidance, they’ll run their own rally within a rally.

The winner of that event will take home a brand new 790 Adventure R and two VIP passes to tag along with the Dakar.

Just qualifying for the fully supported ride is a serious prize and it was no wonder 14 enthusiastic riders signed up for the program of special tests, mechanical problems and navigational challenges in the latter half of the Rallye. The final riding test was an absolute mud-fest that saw young gun Sam Brown replace a set of wheel bearings by the side of the road, only to blow the clutch in his recently acquired 990 on the final section. The mud was so bad by that stage Birchy had to tow him down the hill as gravity wasn’t enough to do the trick.

Will Furniss did an amazing job on the 1290 Super Adventure R, making it into the top five, and Matt Kneesch almost got there as one of only three finishers.In the end though, experience shone through with long-time mates Kevin Archer and Elliot Kent taking the top two places and booking their ticket to Morocco.

The Australian qualifier is scheduled to be held in early 2019 and I suspect the calibre of competitors will be just as high.

Ultimate Race qualifiers for New Zealand, Elliot Kent with Chris Birch (right) and Kevin Archer.