Hey guys,
Over the Weekend I competed in my last major event for the season, the 3 day New Zealand Championship held up in Hamilton.
My lead up to this event had been excellent especially with a convincing win over in Aussie a few weeks ago so I guess I could say I was feeling confident in retaining my title, I just had to keep focused for three days. Saturday morning in practice the bike was running sweet and I was feeling on form which is always a good start to the day, I remained with a clean score card right up to section 10 on my last lap where I needed a dab over a slippery log, I new at the beginning of the day the weather forecast was for showers in the afternoon so we made the call to ride the first two laps in front of everyone whilst the ground was still dry and there was more grip available, on the 3rd and final lap of the 12 sections the rain started but made little difference to my riding. I finished the day off with Just that single mark with my nearest competition on double figures.
Day two was quite a bit different as in the terrain that the 12 sections were set on, With the first day being on big round rocks and now moving on to slippery creeks and banks this was going to be a completely different day and finding traction was the biggest thing, However in the weeks leading up to this event this has been something I have been working hard on in training and was feeling really at home on the slippery conditions. I lost one point on my first lap then two points on my second and four on my last. I was happy with the score as by the 3rd lap it was really bucketing down with rain and the sections were extremely muddy and slippery and with my nearest rival on 53 points for the day I had 8 points in total after two days.
Day three the venue was much the same as the previous day with some river sections on very slippery rocks and logs with some good size banks, At this stage I wasn’t feeling any pressure at all as I had a big lead going into this last day so I was able to relax a bit and just enjoy the event. My first lap I completed with 4 points lost, most of them lost on the river sections not being able to see what is under the muddy water is a bit of a hit or miss game sometimes and took a few points off me throughout the day, My second lap I lost five points followed by my last lap again with 4 points, With a total of 13 points for the day I was happy with my consistency in my riding and even more happy to claim my 5th New Zealand Championship in a row.
A massive thanks goes out to everyone for there support throughout the season and over the weekend especially, My Minder Nick Ball, My Family for being there and supporting me, Kapiti Beta Motorcycles and the Hamilton club for putting on a great 3 days.
My Sponsors,
Spectro oils, DID chains, NGK,
Rental, Michelin, TCX boots,
Hutt boyz Choppers,
The gadget guys– (blue tooth communication ) ,
Hynds pipes,
Interislander ferrys
Kapiti Beta Motorcycles,
Team Kaos Australia and
Suspensions R’ US
Many thanks,
Jake Whitaker
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05/10/2011
Hi Guys,
The past two weeks I have been over in Australia riding. On the weekend of the 23rd and 24th I competed in The South Australian Championship inAdelaide, I found the Saturday quite easy as the sections were set at a low level. However, it was a good test of concentration. I came away with a good lead on day one and went into Sunday confident and after seeing the sections that were set for day two, i was looking forward to something a wee bit more challenging. Again I rode well with one of Australians top riders Kyle Middleton pushing me slightly but over the day I managed to get a good lead to take the overall win and take the Championship.
Last weekend was the Australian Championship with the actual days of competition being on Sunday and Monday. I was feeling great on the Beta Evo 290 supplied and prepared by Team KAOS.
We didn’t get an awful amount of bike time in, due to the weather and the practice area didn’t open till the Friday before. However, day one on Sunday I was feeling good although the sections set again on the easy side, there was not much room for error and it was going to be a low scoring event, I made very few mistakes on my first lap in fact only three points in one section.
My second lap I managed to ride faultless which was enough to secure the win for day one with already a 18 point lead over second place. Day two the sections were set at a much higher standard which was much better.
I started the day off with a failure on section two which was the toughest section of the day, I lost one other point on my first lap so with a total of 6. I was still the only rider on single figures my second lap I managed to get that same section two for two points which was my only points lost for my last and final lap of the weekend.
I won my second Australian title with a 39 point lead which was an amazing feeling and something that I am very proud of. I have worked extremely hard for it this year and it’s awesome to have all the hard work pay off.
A big thanks to everyone for there support here in NZ and Aussie Team Kaos Especially, my partner Georgina, my minder Nick Ball for a fantastic effort over the past couple of weeks an especially the months leading up to it with training, Mum And Dad and my sponsors:
Kaos trials team,
Interislander,
Kapit Beta Motorcycles,
Hutt Boyz Choppers,
Hynds Pipes,
Spectro oils,
NGK,
DID chains,
Michelin tyres,
Renthal,
TCX
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13/08/2011
Hi everyone,
Well I’m back home now after a awesome three months away in Europe,although I didn’t quit achieve what I wanted to over there I learnt a lot and got heaps out of the whole experience. There is so many people I need to thank that have played a huge part in getting me over there this year you all know who you are,
I am now fully focused on my attempt to retain my australian championship in november and of course my nz title over labour weekend.
This weekend I have the last two rounds of the north island series which I have missed four rounds while away overseas however I’m looking forward to riding in my first event in nz since being back, the last two rounds next weekend are going to be held up in hawks bay, I usually really enjoy riding up there it’s always a great event so bring on next weekend.
A big thanks to the New Zealand and Australian trials fraternity for all there support and donations in helping me do what I wanted to this year riding in the World Championship.
Karl Clark for all the support and minding over the 3 months we both learnt a lot and the experience was grate.
Most of all a huge huge thanks to my family here at home along with my extremely supportive girlfriend Georgina for all her encouragement and support couldn’t have done it without you!!!
Cheers,
Jake
02/08/2011
Hi Guys,
Well I rode my last event over here for the year over the weekend In Scotland, We arrived in Fort William the famous venue of the Scottish 6 days trial on Friday evening. Saturday Morning was practice and look at the sections, In practice i found the river beds extremely slippery and difficult to ride however after a good hour or two I felt much more confident on the bike.
After looking at the sections it was clear that riding in Scotland is like no other world round I had ridden, A few of the sections really reminded me of home. The majority of the sections needed to be ridden non stop just because they were so long and with the type of terrain it was if you can get going and get into a good flow it is much better just to keep as smooth as possible and ride them nice and flowing.
I started the event off feeling good on the first few sections but started to come unstuck with a few threes on some of the more longer more difficult sections, I had some good rides on some of the tougher ones however i was just lacking in consistency. Also the lap of sections was really big way up in the mountains at one stage and I took a few time penalty points at the end for going over my allocated time.
I finished 9th for the day which I’m a bit disappointed with, Was really pushing to finish on a good result for my last event but these things happen, I managed to get a few places back in the overall championship, going into the weekend I was sitting in 13th position and now I’m 10th=. I will loose a few places in the overall as I am missing out the last two rounds in France in a couple of months due to the expense of being over here.
A massive thanks to the Top trial team for there support over the Last few months, Karl Clark for being over here minding for me its been an awesome time we have both learn t lot’s. Also a special thanks to all the Kiwi and in fact Aussie support I had in Scotland over the weekend.
cheers,
Jake
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25/07/2011
Hi Guys,
Past week I have just been training here in Italy, This weekend we are up in the North of Italy training at another riders place on some
slippery terrain getting ready for the Scotland World round this coming weekend. We flying over on Friday morning to be there for some training in the afternoon and practice day Saturday followed by the event on Sunday.
This is my last event over here and I’m looking forward to riding in Scotland I have heard so much about it over the years, I’m feeling good on the bike and will be looking to finish off over here on a good note next Sunday.
Cheers,
Jake
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19/07/2011
Hey guys,
Sunday I had my last event here in Italy an Italian Hard Trial about four hours away from where we are here in Florence in a place called Lazzatte, The sections were all set out in a type of outdoor area, purpose built for trials. The sections were reasonably big and difficult as there was some rain overnight which made a few of the sections really tough.
I finished up in 6th position which wasn’t were I wanted to be but still not completely bad and a big improvement from the first event I rode here in Italy coming up 3 months ago.
Big thanks to Karl for minding and and the team for all the support along with everyone back home.
This week we are preparing for the Scotland world round which is next weekend, it’s my last event before returning home a week after so will be doing my best to finish off on a good note over here.
Thanks,
Jake
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16/07/2011
Hi Guys,
On Thursday night I rode in another Italian Indoor Championship, we arrived at the venue a few days earlier which was cool as the venue was very close to the sea so along with Jack Challoner, Davide Zaccagnini and a few of the other riders we went for a run to cheek out the sights along the beach, then jumped in for a swim to cool off.
Thursday afternoon I had the qualifying lap to ride in which didn’t go to plan what so ever, We had a puncher on the first section landing a bit to heavily on a sharp steel edge of a skip bin, you only have 6 minutes to complete 4 sections so any any problems during that time have to be sorted fast, however we got back up and running and completed the lap loosing 6 points but 5 for time penalty’s, I was very lucky to make the top ten and get into the semi final in 9th position.
I was feeling good on the bike and lost only 4 points in the semi final leading the event for awhile and finished the semi final in 2nd place, this still didn’t secure me a spot in the final as only the top 4 riders go through and i had 4 dual lane races to get through i won two of them and lost 2 when you come second in these races you get 2 points added on to your score, with my two wins this gave me enough to make it into the final which was awesome and a big improvement from my first indoor event earlier in the season considering I didn’t even qualify.
The sections in the final are much more difficult and bigger than the qualifying and semi final lap, I started the lap off with a 5 on a big steep after not realizing the bike had clicked into 4th gear after scrapping it along the edge of a pipe before the steep which gave me a big shock when i went to set off. It was then very close between all 4 riders and at the last section I was fighting for 3rd position, The last section was probably one of the most difficult and biggest and defiantly
the most ballsy thing I have had to do especially when I arrived at the top and had to drop off front wheel first 5 meters up. I cleaned the section to finish with my best result of this year on the podium in 3rd position, i was really happy with the result along with the rest of the
team.
A big thanks to my team Top Trial everyone for there support Karl Clark for minding and again all of you back home for your words of encouragement.
This weekend on Sunday I have an Italian outdoor event which is held again on arena type sections in a place called Lazzate, I have ridden here in past years and have enjoyed it every time so I’m looking forward to getting back there and giving my best shoot for another good result.
cheers,
Jake
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11/07/2011
Hi Guys,
Last Thursday night I rode in my second Italian Indoor Championship and had a much better ride than the last, I only lost 5 points on my qualifying lap which put me straight into the semi final, I only lost 5 points again in the semi final after having a big crash over the bars after my hand slipping off the bar on a big steep.
Things were looking good to make it to the final as there is only the top 4 riders picked to enter in the final, however on the race section there was a misunderstanding on one of the rules well one that i wasn’t told about anyway, On the turn around there is a line and I thought you had to cross it before turning however I was wrong and you needed to turn before, Although I still won the race I was given 5 points which put me out of the final and put me way back in 8th position for the overall.
We then travelled straight to the venue of the Italian World Championship (Sponsored by Steve Gallichan) that was over the weekend also with a European championship on the Saturday, I rode well on Saturday however made one big mistake one of the biggest and most stupid things i have ever done i rode in the start gate and stalled the bike straight away to 5 the section, I then rode well for the rest of the day to finish with my best result of the season so far in 5th position.
I was happy with the result and really pushing hard on Sunday to do the same, I felt my ridding was really good all weekend and had some awesome rides on some of the more difficult sections however I got done for two fives for clipping markers on the way past them which really hurt and finished in 10th so was a bit disappointed in that after having high expectations after Saturday.
A big thanks to the team, everyone back at home (SEE YOU SOON) and Karl for minding.
Cheers guys,
Jake
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04/07/11
Hi Everyone,
Rode an Italian championship on Sunday and finished 8th position, It was
quit a tough event with some big sections, as we were way up high in the
mountains the majority of the 15 sections were set on steep rocky hill
sides with also quit a bit of loss rock about so sections were changing
all the time.
I wasn’t happy with my riding at all on the first lap starting the day
off with a 5 on the first section for crossing my line in an attempt to
recover a mistake in over shooting a big rock and a few other fives in
the early part of the lap really put me down the field.
However my second lap was much better and I managed to get quit a few
sections that I hadn’t been able to on the first lap and I halved my
first lap score which was good.
Now I’m back in Florence for a couple of days training until Wednesday
when I have an Italian indoor championship to ride where I will be going
to do my best to improve on my first attempt at the indoor championship
a few weeks ago, We then will head straight from there to the Italian
world championship the following weekend.
So again very busy few weeks ahead just the way I like it.
A big thanks again to Karl for minding over the weekend the rest of the
team, Everyone back home for there support along with sponsors all you
guys are awesome.
cheers,
Jake
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28/06/2011
Hi guys,
What a full on couple of weeks it has been over here, Last weekend In Spain We had a European Championship and A world championship on Sunday. I Finished 8th in the European which I was happy with as I felt like i was ridding strong all day, the sections had quit a bit of variety with some big grippy rocks along with slippery creeks with some deep water,
On Sunday I started the day off badly with a 5 on the first section on a big log steep one that i got without much trouble the day before, The sections were much the same with a couple of changes here and there to make it a bit harder. I had some good rides on some of the harder sections but then followed some really dumb unfortunate mistakes, The scores of the top ten riders were so close as the trial was set a bit more easy than others so every point made a massive difference. I finished the day in 15th position with only a handful of points in it again between the top 5, Wasn’t the result i was hoping for after Saturdays 8th place but was again a big learning curve and I enjoyed the event. On Monday morning i headed out and practiced the same sections that i was having difficulty with over the weekend which was good, some of them i cleaned first time through just without having that added pressure off a world championship behind you.
This weekend just been we have been in Andorra riding again the European Championship and World, On Friday we walked all the sections and to be honest with you I was quit amassed by the hugeness of the sections and it wasn’t just one or two of them that were big it was all 15 of the buggers. However on Saturday when I was riding although there were a few fives and it was a high scoring event, a lot of the sections rode better than they looked. I was ridding well throughout the day and i finished in 7th.
On sunday for the world round a few of the really tuff sections had been changed, I had a really good first lap of 25 points with only one 5 which was good as a few of the sections it was a awesome ride just to get through for a 3. However my second lap didn’t go as well and i fived a few that I had been able to get through on my first lap, i also took 8 points for time penalty’s as the lap was massive and took a bit just to get between the sections. I still managed 9th place at the end of the day, I was happy to finish inside the top ten but at the same time relived that what I am going to call as my ( hardest event in my trials carrier yet) was over. 
A big thanks to Karl for minding over the weekend and for making some impossible catches of the bike, also everyone back home for all there words of encouragement and support. Thank you also to the Ray Skinner (Spain) and Fine Touch Catering (Andorra) the sponsors for the World Championship rounds.
cheers,
Jake
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22/06/2011
Hi Everyone,
As Jake hasn’t been able to find any wifi anywhere to update his webpage, i thought i would give a quick update on how he did last weekend in Spain.
Last weekend Jake participated in two events, the European round and the World Champs. The first day was the European round, he rode this very well and finished the day with a great result of 8th place.
The second day was the World Champs where the sections were the same as the day before with some adjustments to make it a little harder.
Jake received some unfortunate 5s throughout the day, which resulted in finishing 15th place which he was a little disappointed about.
The competition is so close between each of the riders and the slightest slip up can change everything. However, we are all so proud of how he is doing. 
This weekend coming is the World Champs in Andorra, so he is now getting himself ready for that, i would like to thank everyone who has made this all possible for Jake, he couldn’t do it without you all.
After this weekend Jake is back in Italy so will be able to update you in more detail and may have some pictures to share.
Cheers,
Georgina
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14/06/2011
Hi guys,
Over the weekend I have been training here at the shop on the new rocks
the team had delivered and placed with a digger last week, its great to
just be able to head out on them when ever you want and to a bit of
riding, Also these last couple of days we have been to some training
areas not far from here to get ready for Spain this weekend.
We are leaving tomorrow after lunch and will arrive Thursday afternoon
for some training before the European championship on the Saturday,
Looking forward to it and feeling good on the bike despite a
disappointing result at the indoor last Friday night.
Hope to have some internet access while away but not sure whats the go
yet but will keep you updated as soon as possible,
cheers,
Jake
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13/06/2011
Hi everyone,
On Friday night I rode in a Italian Indoor championship, my first one
yet, The qualifying round started at 4 in the afternoon with around 20
riders, The sections were prity much what I expected them to be like, in
the qualifying lap there is only 4 sections and you only ride them once,
I was the 6th rider away and was lucky enough to have a couple of the
top guys ride in front of me to see the best lines.
To be honest with you all I was feeling the nerves a wee bit more than
usual and was finding it tough to feel relaxed on the bike, This mainly
being because of the atmosphere that these indoor arena events are run
under, I cleaned the first section but five’d the second on a fearely
big triple steep, I then fived secton 3 right at the start loosing my
ballance on a pipe so prity much by then that was my night over, I
cleaned the last section so I had a total of 10 for qualification which
was well off the pace off the top riders.
It was very frustrating to make such an effort to only ride four
sections and then that was the night finished, I would have loved to
been able to make it into the final rounds as the sections looked
awesome and would of liked to give them all a crack, however next time I
will be doing my best not to make the same mistakes and make it into the
last rounds. Thanks to Karl for minding and the restof the team for
there support.
Now my focus is on the Spanish world round next weekend and will be
training here in Italy up until Wednesday until leaving with the truck,
we will be away a couple of weeks as after Spain is Andorra so we will
go straight there.
update you all again soon,
cheers,
Jake
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31/05/2011
Hi Guys,
On Sunday I rode in an Italian championship in a small town called
Barzio, I rode the red line which is the top class in the Italian
championship, I finished in 8th position so not a bad effort and an
improvement so overall I am happy with the result, I lost 24 points on
my first lap and 15 on my second, The sections were set at a good level
with a few tough ones, I felt I was riding pretty well an felt an
improvement from the last event on the bike.
Training the past week with my team mate Jack Challoner has been really
good for my riding and have been learning a lot just by watching him and
having ago at the same sections while out training with the team during
the week.
Next weekend we have an Italian Indoor round so im really looking
forward to giving it a crack and getting in amongst the atmosphere of an
indoor event.
Thanks to Karl for minding on Sunday, Top Trial Team for all the
support, Friends and family back home for once again all the
inspirational and encouraging words.
Catch ya all later for now
Cheers,
Jake
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25/05/2011
Hi everyone,
Well what a full on couple of weeks I have had With my first European championship down and Three world rounds down as in France last weekend It was a two day event.
Firstly apologies for not being able to get some info out to you sooner, I got really busy as you can all imagine and I wasn’t able to find any internet connection around.
Anyway Back in Germany a week ago which by the way seems already like a season ago I placed 16th in The European on the Saturday, At first i didn’t feel myself on the bike but I soon wormed up and was able to get focused, The sections were quit big and the odd really long one that was tight on time, I had some great rides where the thousands of spectators really got in behind me which felt awesome, Back home we may just get the observer congratulate us on a good ride but here it feels like your at a bludy rugby world cup.
Sunday was The first World round of the year and the junior line stayed the same in all the sections as the day before in the European, So I was really going out to make an improvement on my two laps the day before, However it rained over night quit heavily which made some of the sections much more difficult. On some sections I improved but others I found tough and there was a few I wasn’t able to get through.I finished my first world round in 14th position all the scores are extremely close and normally one five can drop you from 5th to 15th so every point really does make a big difference .
Monday morning we left Germany and began our travels to France which took a couple of days in the truck, Wednesday I was able to get out on the bike training at the venue of the world round with all the Spanish federation riders, That was awesome and to ride with them was a big learning curve. We did the same on Thursday and Friday was the normal sign in and bike cheeks also walked the sections.my first impression of the sections were that they were extremely big but there was heaps of grip there and the actually rode much better than they looked.
Saturday morning I was feeling good and started the day off good with some awesome rides, there is a new rule over here that even if you touch the markers just the slightest you will be done a five, I would even go as far as to say if the wind blew while riding past you would be penalized for it. Very frustrating at times when you look where some of them has been placed and especially when you are having a wicked ride and then you hear the whistle blow for a five. However, its the same for everyone and something I am fare more aware of after this weekend. I finished Saturday in 7th position which I was very happy with considering I was only two points off 5th.
Sunday I was really pushing hard for that top 5 but again some issues with touching markers really put me down the ladder, I was feeling quit good on the bike all day but just some really unlucky mistakes put me down in 14th again over the two laps.
I was a wee bit disappointed to have finished outside the top ten again but looking ahead at Spain and Andora now where my goal is to get back in there and do my best to improve on my best result yet 7th. Now I’m back in Florence and will be training here this week before an Italian championship this coming Sunday.
A big thanks to you all for your words of encouragement and support especially my sponsors for the world rounds, Francis Sydnham for Germany and Max at Intercoat for France. Thanks to Karl for minding and all family and friends back home couldn’t do it without you all.
Cheers,
Jake
