Motorsport: Intrepid Kiwi trio against the world

Adrian Smith. File Photo / Supplied

Globetrotting Kiwi adventurers are again travelling vast distances to challenge the world's dirt-biking elite this season. The latest squad to venture offshore is the Wellard New Zealand Yamaha Club Team, which is tackling the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in Finland this week (from August 8-13).

The three-rider team is Taranaki's Adrian Smith and Auckland cousins Karl and Chris Power, with Palmerston North's Adam Reeves, the national cross-country champion, travelling with them as reserve rider.

The same men first came together to form the club team to race the ISDE when it was staged in Mexico last season.

The team excelled in Mexico, finishing a close runner-up in their class despite that event being cut short by a day because of gun fighting between warring drug cartels and police near to where the final day of racing had been scheduled.

Smith, a 25-year-old farmer from Mokau, is confident the riders won't have to duck and dodge bullets this time.

Smith won individual gold last year and also has three silver-medal performances to his credit from earlier ISDE events, with this year's campaign his fifth assault.

Both Chris and Karl Power are also vastly experienced international campaigners, Karl having performed with distinction at the recent Australian Four-Day Enduro and Chris having raced a Yamaha WR450 to a second consecutive win at the Swan Insurance 24-Hour Reliability Trial just last month.

But northern Europe is the new focus for the intrepid racers.

"Finland is my third ISDE, having ridden Taupo in 2006 and Mexico last year," said Chris.

"I have never previously been to Europe before, so this is not only an awesome riding experience but a special life experience as well.

"I'm riding a YZ450F this year, a bike I'm much more suited to than the little 250 I rode last year.

"The fuel-injection system will also play a huge part too, with the bike always running crisp and responsive."

As his cousin, Karl (Yamaha YZ450F), points out: "It's not often we get to travel to the other side of the world and do what we enjoy doing the most, racing motorbikes."

He said the 2011 ISDE had been on his mind since he got off the bike on the final day in Mexico last year.

The third team member, Smith (Yamaha YZ250F), is also thrilled to be back as part of the Wellard Yamaha NZ team.

"Wellard has decided that a once-in-a-lifetime trip can come round twice. I had been training hard in the build-up and hoping to better my results from what I achieved in Mexico."

The ISDE is regarded as the "Olympic Games of the enduro world" and attracts hundreds of riders from every corner of the planet.

New Zealand riders have more often than not been at the sharp end of the competition and this year's contingent is determined to continue that tradition.

The competition wraps up on Sunday.