Mad scramble hits downtown Auckland

Back in June 2009, the inaugural Red Bull City Scramble was staged in downtown Auckland and it was a roaring success. It was trees and rocks, gravel and boulders versus glass, tar seal, aluminium, concrete and steel. It was motocross versus trials, enduro versus cross-country. It was the international stars versus New Zealand's elite. The contrasts could not have been more extreme. Wellington's Rory Mead won the day, the victory propelling him into the international spotlight and starting his rapid rise up the ladder of success. With two national enduro championship wins (he was top dog in the enduro world here in 2009 and last season as well) now under his belt, not to mention other major race wins, he is among the Kiwi elite. The original Red Bull City Scramble was the dream-child of another Kiwi international, Aucklander Chris Birch, and it allowed him to bring his chosen sport - one that is more typically staged in the deep, dark bush of the countryside - to the masses in the nation's most heavily-populated and most cosmopolitan of cities. What's more, Birch emerged as the early favourite at that inaugural event, setting the fastest time in qualifying around the man-made off-road circuit, set up in the car park area of Britomart Square, near the bottom of Queen St. But it was not to be, with national enduro championship rival Mead (Yamaha) snatching the best possible start in the feature final and riding virtually unopposed to victory. Birch settled for runner-up spot at that inaugural event, with German visitor Andreas Lettinbelcher finishing third. This time around the event won't be at Britomart but in instead is being staged at T Pier, Westhaven Drive. Carrying on from the phenomenal success of the 2009 event, Red Bull City Scramble returns to the Auckland waterfront. The purpose-built 500m long course will challenge riders to the highest level of their ability with unique rock, log, water, concrete and dirt features. This is a race that will take enduro riding to the next level. Mead won't be here to defend his title because he has recently left to tackle the Grand National Cross-country Championships in the United States, but fellow Kiwi international Birch has indicated he will return from his current base in South Africa to ride the Red Bull City Scramble.