New Zealand Ihatove Trial News

Honda quad"great asset"

With the addition of the NonStop quad bike this year grooming the trail and sections further afield on the Hunt's property 'Highfield Farm' over the bridge has been more achieveable and has saved a lot of time and hardship getting equipment to and from the track.

Stephen has enjoyed the ride and the views and has mentioned on numerous occasions how impressed he has been with the smooth torquey engine and stability on some of the steeper terrain, although he is fully aware that complacency can end in disaster on such a machine which once started will bounce their way to the bottom!

Thanks to the recent Nelson floods one of the more remote gullies on this part of the track which was popular last year, has become even more accessible for some great riding.

Heading off

Deborah and I have had a hard day at the 'office'.

We both headed out to the trials park to put in some serious hours of work.

The first job today was to make the track up to the bridge larger to cope with our new acquisition (Honda TRX 350 4x4 farm quad); fortunately the bridge is both strong and wide enough to accommodate the quad. Now we have easy access to the second property, where we will be heading tomorrow.

Peter and I put in a full day on Wednesday and have made some real headway. Major clearing of fallen trees has been necessary and repair work due to the recent floods that Nelson has been subjected to over the last few weeks.

I am glad to say that we are on target for the up and coming NZ Ihatove event and we have some really great sections for everyone.

I am really grateful that Deborah is so keen to help, she is a fantastic asset to the cause, and this afternoon she operated the spade for several hours while I was hard at it with the pick and grubber. Deborah impressed me with her commitment and endurance.

Kenichi Kuroyama

The 2011 Idemitsu Ihatove Trial has been another successful event with two fine days of sun shine.

Yasuo has quickly skyped us tonight to let us in NZ know the outcome and was very happy with the success of the weekend and the mood of the competitors. As he was about to leave for the closing ceremony he will give us a more detailed account of the weekend over the next week.

The event has maintained its high standard of "no casualties" with the 400 plus riders completing the course incident free with big smiling faces.

Shozo with both sons Takumi and Ryo were present as was Kenichi Kuroyama, having just competed in the Japanese round of the World Series only a week ago. Yasuo told us how Kenichi is quite the entertainer, performing for the riders at the welcoming function on the eve of the first day of competing.

Thirsty work

With just a few weeks left before this year's Idemitsu Ihatove Trial in Iwate (27-28 August), the organizing team is making the final push to get everything ready.

Gaining permission from multiple land-owners is no easy task in densely-populated Japan, but thanks to the great community relations fostered by Yasuo and his team, the locals are all looking forward to welcoming riders once again.

This year the organizers have had the extra challenge of working around disaster damage, but fortunately even the spectacular final seaside section is still usable, in spite of some new hollows gouged out by the tsunami.

The team have spent every weekend clearing sections in the summer heat and were relieved to get a cool day recently when the temperature was "only" 27 degrees. No wonder they work up a mean thirst!

2012 NZ Ihatove Adventure Trial

Work has begun on the 2012 NZ Ihatove Adventure Trial, to be held in Nelson on the 18th & 19th of February.
The 2012 poster and entry form are now available on the Ihatove page
We are working on confirming several special guest riders for the event.

The NZ Ihatove Adventure Trial event will be catering for all levels of rider and promises to be a fun-filled occasion.

We look forward to greeting all the riders again in February and we will update you with more news as it comes to hand.

Please note that entries close 31st January 2012. This is to enable us to produce an accurate program with everyone's name included.

Those that are happy to pay in advance may wish to take advantage of the Early Bird Entry (10% disc on Ihatove event), which is available until 31st Dec 2011.

The Team takes a well earned rest

With just over a month to go the Japanese Ihatove team are busily finalising sections for the 2011 event in August.
Every weekend Yasuo has plenty of helpers available for the ongoing grooming and clearing of mountain trails after the heavy snows of their winter which caused quite a lot of damage to existing trails.
The weather has warmed up as their summer is in full swing. With access to a new property and help from the owner to clear sections they have made good progress.
Although they are expecting another good turn out, they have decided in light of the recent earthquakes and tsunami and subsequent radiation threat, they do not want to put overseas guest riders in a difficult position unnecessarily.
Riders are keen to gather again for a positive event, to enjoy the region and the reunion of past friends, to make new memories and boost morale.
When last speaking to Ishi and Yasuo they were all looking forward to this year's event.

It's not often you see a Government Minister for the Environment endorsing any form of motorsport and even more intriguing when that Minister is also the Minister of ACC.

Nick meet nick

The Honourable Dr Nick Smith however, has good reason to smile about the relationship with this group.

Local Nelson-based NonStop Adventure NZ trials group, amongst other things, including training Motorcyclists of all ages and abilities to be better off-road riders and therefore reducing the likelihood of injury, also run the annual NZ Ihatove (Dreamland) Adventure Trial motorcycle event, a sister event to the highly successful Japanese Ihatove Trial, the largest trial of its kind in the world, having been run annually there since 1977.

This professional friendly, fun ride, which attracts international riders to Nelson every February, is aiming to now promote the introduction of an electric motorcycle to the sport. NonStop has informed Nick Smith that the Japanese and New Zealand events hope to be two of the first events to have an electric machine included.

Whilst electric trials motorcycles are still relatively new it's an area that is expected to develop as time goes on and technology improves.
Trials Motorcycling, which is ridden at low speeds over challenging terrain, both natural and man-made, is already one of the most environmentally friendly motorsports due to the very low noise output; use of land that is not normally suitable for grazing or cropping; minimal fuel usage and therefore limited carbon emissions (a typical trials bike has a 2 litre fuel tank which on most occasions lasts the full event). Because of the tyres soft compound, low pressure and non aggressive tread pattern trials is also well known for its soft footprint on the land.
Bikes need instant torque to climb obstacles and that is one of the characteristics of electric engines. A few of these machines have already been developed and this trend is expected to grow.

A comparison often made when describing trials is, "It's the golf of motorsport" due to trials many similarities to the sport of golf ie. it caters for all ages, gender and physical abilities; has a handicapping system (grading); typically you ride in groups of 4 and record each other's scores and the competition is firstly against the course and obstacles, secondly against fellow competitors and thirdly and probably most significantly it's about challenging oneself to consistently achieve things you haven't done before.

Many top level motorsport champions use motorcycle trials to hone their technical skills, for fitness and to relax in the same way as many top sports people turn to golf.

Motorcycle Trials is also one of the least expensive motorsports to access. For the majority of riders the biggest portion of your success depends on the ability of the rider rather than the machine or the size of your wallet.

NonStop Adventure trials group very much welcomes the Minister's endorsement and support as they work hard to grow this form of motorcycle sport and the safety of motorcyclists throughout NZ, while promoting the enjoyment that it has to offer, rather than the fierce competitiveness of racing disciplines.

Team Yasuo

Preparation for this year's Japanese Ihatove event is well on the way, thanks to Yasuo Manzawa and his team of merry men & women.

The effort needed this year is great as there has been much snow damage with many fallen trees.

Hard at work

Yasuo has advised us that they are also considering changing parts of the route for the Classic class to avoid the worst affected areas.

Yasuo has said that to make up for fewer trail challenges that they have added some additional new sections which he claims will be well received.

Spring is in the air and although the work is hard it is great to be at one with nature and once again experience the lovely fine weather that it brings.

As we are all aware the Earth Quake has caused huge disruption in the life of many Japanese and their communities, this has only made the Ihatove team more determined to get things back on track.

I have included some latest photo from Yasuo's website and I am sure I speak for all of us here in NZ when I wish them all the best for the coming months and Years ahead.

Alan in full flight at this years Ihatove

Alan Honeybone

I traveled up to Nelson with Mick and Jill to meet up with Alan (future president) Duthie and stay with Tony & Joy Cameron in their fantastic big house. We discovered that Tony is a pretty good host and a real cracker on the BBQ. Unfortunately this led to a late night and a lethargic start to the next day.

We arrived at 88 Valley for a friendly "play trial" on the Saturday morning, which was organised to the standards of a NZ Champs event. We even had a machine inspection by Grant Oliver who explained the advantages of having wheel bearings in my back wheel and not in my spares box.

Thanks Grant, they do feel better now. After the "play trial" [Mick and Alan Duthie tied for first] we were given two options, stay at Nonstop Park for some training with Nick Oliver or go for a trail ride with Stephen. Being too thick to train I opted for the trail ride. What fantastic ride. A piece of advice though, if you are trail riding with Mick Andrews and he says 'Do you think it's a good idea to ride up there? Don't even think about it. The answer is NO. Else, when you ride up, Mick then points out "it doesn't look too good going down there does it? But we still had to go down.

More misfortune that evening, Tony was a good host yet again and we had another late night. Everyone was a little lethargic the next morning. Alan Duthie's bottle of turbo medicine was added to the coffee, which gave the day a boost and got everyone into a fit state to ride motorcycles.

Arriving at 88 Valley everything was well organised with Olivers everywhere. They must really have the breeding gene. We were broken up into groups of ten to head off into the wilderness to follow a well marked course. Hobbit was our mule, carrying fire extinguishers and other things required to survive for 7 hours out on the trail.

This was my second nonstop trial this year and I must say it was fantastic to be using second and third gear in sections at times. I'm now left wondering why we have moved away from nonstop trials.
I would rate the Ihatove trial the equal of any event in NZ. Mick said he would rate it with the first day of the Scottish [His favourite]. I think this event proves that Stephen is as mad as a meat axe. We have often discussed this after watching him ride but after seeing the huge amount of effort made by the whole Oliver family, I am sure that you would have to be mad to take on such a commitment.

If you only ride one trial in 2012 then make sure it is the Ihatove Adventure Trial.

NZIPS25

Day two was the Ihatove event itself.
What a day. Two main loops that were a fabulous trail ride amidst simply breathtaking scenery, each loop taking around two hours.
Along the way there were just under forty sections to ride and apart from the six by the car park, you only got one chance to ride them.

They were superb. We rode in groups of 3-4 and marked each other just like in golf. I chose the blue grade for the day and had an absolute whale of a time. I regrettably missed a peg which gave me a 5 (not good) which ruined my overall results (came 4th on 8 points)- The winner was on zero - Yasuo on a Honda Montesa 4RT.

The little Scorpa was fantastic and yes it climbed almost anything. Mind you with no seat at all my legs were screaming out on Monday after five hours of constant standing up.

NZIPS61

What I absolutely loved was the genuine camaraderie, the smiles, the willingness to do the best you could, the helping one another spot the best lines, and sections that had been excellently set out. There was no moaning at all from anyone involved, perhaps only that directed at ones self when you had mucked something up.

It seemed full of fun and what trials is all about, when sections are properly marked out
It was relaxed enough that once you had ridden your grade's section and recorded your score , you were allowed to try one at a higher grade that didn't count, which was fabulous for working out what level you were at, plus for skill development. Again In golfing terms - a little like hitting another ball.

The classic bike fraternity were out in force and I saw some fantastic riding on classic old machinery that would make many a modern rider gasp.
Also riding in the Expert class was Stef Downes a young lady who was amazingly good- way beyond where I could ever be.

All day long the Oliver family were there to help, from Stephen's mum and dad, to his brother and of course his wife Deborah, plus the skilled yet fun-loving sons. Pete is a real comedian.

NZIPS64

So do yourself a favour and add "ride a /another trial" and contact Stephen Oliver at NonStop Adventure.
Do it before it's too late and I promise you won't regret it. Next years event will almost certainly have a suitably modified trail bike class added
Life is too short to not pack it full of different experiences.
My bucket list just had added to it- "Ride another Ihatove trial!" Maybe I will see you there in 2012?
Allan Boot