The precocious Iles had won the title on home turf at Whistler last year, after a successful social media campaign had convinced Crankworx organisers to let him to compete underage.
He would have been facing stiff competition here from riders including David McMillan, Brendan Kerr, and Ryan Howard, as well as Kiwi hopefuls such as Louis Hamilton and Kelly McGarry.
But a late stage injury had meant that Iles would not be able to defend his title, and he was forced to watch the event from the judges' bench.
Riders bombing down the slope for practice runs enjoyed the noisy support of an enthusiastic crowd who used bike frames, rims and air horns to make their presence felt.
And once announcers decreed the Whip-Off officially under way, things only got louder.
Twisting their bikes in mid-air on the jump before "whipping" them back straight for landing, riders strove for slick style and big air - and the crowd's approval.
MORE CRANKWORX COVERAGE HERE
After 30 minutes, judges called a time-out to confer before whittling the field down to the top riders for the final round.
Efforts from Ryan Howard and David McMillan drew huge roars; announcers were sure it was the biggest crowd seen at a Crankworx Whip-Off.
As he awaited the judges' decision, Australian McMillan hailed the course: "It's awesome, one my favourite tracks ... the dirt here is just so tacky."
There had been some excellent whips for the judges to ponder, but there had to be a winner. In in the end, crowd-favourite Howard took the crown.
After being presented with the $1000 winner's cheque - made out to "R Dog" - Howard spoke of how much he enjoyed the Whip-Off: "I'm just out here having a good time ... it's super hard not to run back to the top and go for another one."
The Rotorua crowd had impressed him - "everyone is super-pumped" - and he felt honoured to win New Zealand's first Whip-Off.
Attention now turns to today's Mons Royale Dual Speed & Style.
