A full day later, 45 laps of the 9km circuit was enough for Hamilton East-born Scott Ardern to claim victory in the 24-hour solo event. But it was a close run thing: second-placed Layton Aplin finished just two laps behind, on 43.
The Older Dudes category played host to an even tighter contest, with Team Maraetai Illuminati pipping Team Stupid Is Stupid Doe to the post by just one lap; five laps were all that separated the top five teams on the leaderboard.
And there was barely any light between the two top riders in the 12-hour solo event, with Connor McCormick and Sandra Wesley tying on 21 laps apiece. McCormick completed his laps some 16 minutes faster to take first overall.
Murray Fleming, general manager of Moonride organisers Event Promotions, said numbers had been as strong as last year, with around 160 teams and 35 solo riders taking part.
There was some drama in the 12-hour open team race for Rotorua team Team NZXC Racing: after starting the race with six riders, one more than competition rules allowed, organisers slapped the team with a 20-minute penalty.
But the team clawed back time and finished mere seconds behind first-placed Team Enduro Events, equalling their lap tally of 31.
The biggest score of the weekend came from Air Force Flyers in the 24-hour open team event, who put up a stonking 57 laps.
-Full results can be viewed at www.eventpromotions.co.nz/events/rotorua-moonride/results/
