Crankworx Rotorua athlete registration set to open

EWS Racer McKay Vezina during practice for the Giant TOA Enduro on Stage 1. Photo / Boris Beyer, Crankworx

Registration opens tomorrow for Crankworx Rotorua 2018.

Athletes can register for the Giant Toa Enduro presented by CamelBak, the Giant Toa Enduro Challenger, Crankworx Rotorua Air DH, Crankworx Rotorua Downhill, the all-new Redwoods Downhill and 100% Dual Slalom Rotorua.

Crankworx Rotorua event director Ariki Tibble said all downhill events in Rotorua sold out in 2017 and the Giant Toa Enduro presented by CamelBak has just been designated as an Enduro World Series (EWS) qualifier race, so spaces were expected to go quickly.

The significance of the Giant Toa Enduro being a qualifier race is that competitors will be eligible to collect EWS global ranking points, and will have an opportunity to qualify for priority registration for all rounds of the 2019 EWS. Racers must be Enduro Mountain Bike Association (EMBA) members to collect EWS Global Rankings points.

Also, new for this year, the winner of each official EWS category at an EWS qualifier (providing the racer is an EMBA member) will be automatically added to the EWS Reserve List and will then be eligible for priority registration for any of the 2019 EWS rounds.

"In addition to the six-stage non-shuttled EWS qualifier race, there will also be a four-stage Giant Toa Enduro Challenger shuttle option on offer showcasing some of Rotorua's finest flow in a more relaxed, fun-focused format," said Tibble.

The new events added to the Crankworx line up are getting riders excited, with the Redwoods Downhill kicking off the international downhill racing season in the first weekend of the event in the famed Whakarewarewa Forest on the Taniwha Trail.

The 100% Dual Slalom will be a crowd-pleaser too with a format pitting two competitors against one another in a side-by-side battle against the clock. Dual Slalom is unique in that it tends to bring out mountain bikers from all different disciplines, so expect to be racing alongside everyone from downhill all-stars to dirt-jumping ninjas. The track is being built by internationally recognised local trail builders Empire of Dirt, with the event building on the success of Crankworx Whistler's annual Dual Slalom race. With both men's and women's categories on offer, this event's sure to be a favourite amongst racers and fans at Crankworx Rotorua.

Athletes can register at Crankworx.com.

Event dates:

Sat 17 March 9am: Whakarewarewa ForestGiant Toa Enduro presented by CamelBak
Sun18 March 8am - 5pm: Whakarewarewa Forest Redwoods Downhill
Tue 20 March 5pm - 6pm: TBC 100% Dual Slalom
Wed 21 March 2pm - 5:30pm: Skyline Rotorua Crankworx Rotorua Air DH
Sun 25 March 3.30pm - 5:30pm: Skyline Rotorua Crankworx Rotorua Downhill