Sunday saw 4x4 off-road vehicles from across the country converge on Downard Road in White Pine Bush to contest the first round of the new season.

A new location and rain during the week, and on the day, resulted in a slippery, unpredictable course that added an extra degree of risk for competitors.

Local driver, 2024 national champion, and course designer Paul Taylor mapped out and built the course, with wet conditions in mind.

“We knew there was a possibility of rain, but we had set up the course two weeks prior," Taylor said.

“It can be hard to predict how a dry course will hold up when it gets wet, but we tried to build in contingencies,” he said.

Forty-three vehicles arrived to contest round one of the series, and driver feedback was positive.

Although the weather may have kept some spectators away, competitors were undeterred.

Chris Gifford and co-driver Sam Thomson in Punisher won the event.

Local team Wayne and Taylor Weatherly placed seventh, giving them a solid start to the season with five rounds remaining.

With the first round complete, Taylor reflects on the event and what lies ahead.

“We put a lot of work into the course, which wasn’t easy. Luckily, Superior Excavation helped us a lot, but nothing could have happened without the landowner, Robert van Beek. This has set the scene for the rest of the season,” he said.

With a blown transmission, Taylor has some work to do before round two in Auckland on December 16.

Money raised from the trials will go to CCS Disability Action.