Extreme sports: The dukes of hazard

2004 world champion Gary Young goes through his routines in Auckland's Victoria Park. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Twelve years ago a young Haimona Ngata regarded his rickety old BMX simply as a means of transport.

These days, his rock-solid titanium number is a way of life.

Ngata, 25, is New Zealand's top street BMX rider and will this weekend line up against highly regarded internationals Americans Gary Young and Josh Harrington and Britain's Alistair Whitton in the X Air Games in Wellington.

Street BMXing requires riders to show off their skills over a series of jumps and ramps. Skill means flips, twists and turns; success is judged on flow and style.

Ngata's pathway into the sport is typical of most. As a youngster, growing up in Tolaga Bay just out of Gisborne, his BMX was his means of transport. He gave BMX racing a go, although he says the term racing is best used loosely.

"I really just turned up on race day and looked at the others kids' bikes because mine was crappy," he said.

Most riders start at the BMX track racing where they learn bike control and then head to the skatepark.

His tricks came from watching skaters, videos and reading magazines.

"I guess it is learning how to be creative with your bike and how to make it look like you are not trying."

Injuries, he said, are part of the sport.

"The old shins are pretty banged up, I have plates in my ankles and have broken my arms. It is just like anything I guess ... it is just like a job, you have to do it."

Based in Auckland, Ngata competes in competitions and demonstration events mostly in Australia but has ventured to the US, and hopes to do that more frequently this year.

"There is a big circuit in America and there are a couple of really good rider-run events in Canada and England. Hopefully I'll make it over to some of those. Not so much to win, but more to ride in."

While Ngata is looking to establish himself on the world stage, American Young is already there. The 22-year-old was world champion in 2004 and won gold in Street at the Gravity Games last year.

He is back in New Zealand to defend the X Air title he claimed last year.

Based in San Diego, Young competed in his first professional event at 16 before turning fully professional at 19.

He now competes in at least 20 events around the world each year where the top riders are estimated to make around six-figure sums.

"It is more about the good times to be had than the money," he said before adding, "but the money is awesome too."

While executing stunts such as backward flips would scare the living daylights out of most, Young said he uses fear as motivation.

"You have to work with fear ... it wouldn't be fun if there was not an element of danger involved."

Young said the winner this weekend could be any one of a number of competitors.

Ngata agrees and said New Zealand is now one of the more desirable places to come for BMXing in the world.

"We have a lot of old parks in New Zealand from the 1970s and 1980s that a lot of guys in the States have never seen before.

"We have got a lot of unique street obstacles like monuments [e.g. the fountain in Aotea Square], there are a few dams [that have catchment bays that you can ride] that people come out to ride."

As for where BMXing is going, "hopefully sometime soon they are going to mix it up a bit so that the ramps look pretty weird to the people that don't know much about BMX, more obscure ramps".

Although Ngata said he gets a buzz out of lining up against talented riders such as Young - "it's like being invited to go a round with Tiger [Woods] on the PGA" - his personal goals are modest.

"I just want to ride, I want to travel a lot more, hang out with a lot more riders, sample as many beers as I can."

At which point British rider Whitton interjects: "Speak for yourself. I am a professional athlete, I don't drink, I don't do drugs ... I just inflict pain on my body."