VOL. 56 ISSUE 4 JANUARY 29, 2019 P83
psi in the rear and about 18 psi
up front. What a mega difference
this made, especially coupled
with a knobby front! I could steer
again!!
This was by far the most chal-
lenging trail of the Rallye and
it lived up to its name. It was
off-the-charts spicy! I had never
been so thankful for a sharp
front tire in my life. The rear,
however, did manage to pass
me on one downhill and I made
a graceful dismount into the side
bush.
When all the ridges were
complete the riders split ways to
make their way back to the final
bivouac. KTM Ultimate Race
qualifier riders had one more
special test and the top two, who
would qualify to go to Morocco,
would be decided at night.
Rain set in and the tempera-
ture dropped 15 degrees bring-
ing a little chill into the bones
for the transfer back to Whanga-
mata.
The dinner and awards at
night were great fun filled with
stories, laughs, thanks and of
course plenty of beers shared
around. Maxine, from France,
took home the hard luck award.
Due to losing his bike in a pond,
being stung by bees, and getting
his bike stuck in a ravine! How-
ever, the most prominent awards
went to the top two Ultimate
Race qualifiers Elliot Kent and
Kevin Archer. With Kevin taking
the win, these two friends will
attack Morocco and have their
chance to win a 790 Adventure
R bike to take home!
The party went on as fellow
rider, Sweet Jesus, provided
some acoustics with a found
guitar and sang some Stevie Ray
and Dire Straits covers.
The next day Mike and I would
head back to drop off the bikes
at KTM New Zealand, and high
tail it to the airport for our 3 p.m.
flight home. Our time at the
event was unbelievable and it felt
like we were actually participat-
ing in a rally, and not just a KTM
fest. Is it too early to say we can't
wait for next year? CN
Playtime!
