Robert masters extreme sport | Taranaki Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Taranaki

BALANCE and control helped Robert McEwen (17) win the New Zealand Observed Motorcycle Trial Clubman Championships and the Lowndes Shield.

The national championships were held in Hawkes Bay from October 20-22.

Robert competed against 15 riders of various ages to take the top spot in the clubman grade.

He has followed in his fathers' footsteps when it comes to riding and won the national title on his dad's Gasgas 250cc motorbike.

Robert said he has always enjoyed riding, but only began competing about four years ago.

He incredible skill also saw him place second in the Beta Motorcycles North Island Trial Championships in the clubman grade.

The North Island title was competed for over 10 rounds in five locations - Wellington, Bay of Plenty, Manawatu, Waikato and Taranaki, with two rounds each month.

Last year, Robert won the North Island title in the junior grade.

Robert has been a member of the Taranaki Motorcycle Trials Club for the past six years and enjoys club rides every few weeks between competitions.

Next year, he heads to Massey University in Palmerston North where he will be studying towards a Bachelor of Science.

However, he said he would defiantly continue to ride as he moves up to compete in the intermediate grade

What is motorcycle trials?

Motorcycle trials is an extreme sport that pits rider and machine against seemly impossible obstacles. Riders must manoeuvre their bikes through a set piece of terrain called a section using balance, throttle control and controlled aggression.

Scoring

Each rider must complete four rounds of 10 sections in an allotted time (normally from 10am to 3pm). Each section has a marshal who scores the rider as he or she rides through the section. The riders incur penalty points for footing in or failing to complete the section. The rider with the least score at the end of the day wins.

The first lap is normally the most time consuming for the riders, as this is when he or she walks all the sections to familiarise themselves and find the best line to successfully negotiate the section.

Grades

There are coloured arrows in each section indicating the different routes for the different grades of riders. They are Expert (large red) A Grade (red), Intermediate (yellow), Junior, Presidents and Clubman (all blue) and social (white). In turn the grade of the rider is indicated by the colour of the name plate on the front of the bike.