The Yamaha New Zealand Festival of Freeride will make a splash again this summer when the annual two-day event kicks off at Karioitahi Beach, Waiuku – February 12-13, 2021.
Yamaha NZ Festival of Freeride is where personal watercraft riding meets freestyle motocross with riders performing surfing manoeuvers and tricks jumping off waves. This sport is exciting for both riders and spectators.
Open to riders of all abilities, the event sees several sessions and competitions take place such as ‘The Biggest Air competition’ which sees riders try and do the highest jump off a wave, the ‘Sickest Trick’ sees riders attempting the most technical tricks and the ‘Cherry Popper’ for all those riders that are trying a backflip for the first time.
In its 9th year, the event has grown enormously with event organiser Richard Webb expecting the 2021 edition to be the biggest yet.
“The Yamaha NZ Festival of Freeride has become the biggest event of its kind in the southern hemisphere and showcases some of the best riders down-under,” says Webb.
“The event has grown and grown every year in popularity. We had close to 70 riders last year, and for 2021 we’re already looking to break event attendance records.”
“Obviously with Covid-19, it’s been a pretty challenging year, and it’s unlikely we’ll see any of the riders from Australia coming over to compete – but the enthusiasm is still there from the Kiwi contingent, so we look forward to seeing the internationals again in 2022 for the big 10-year event.”
“We can’t wait for the ninth year of this spectacular event and to partner again with Richard Webb and the Yamaha NZ Festival of Freeride team, it’s always a highlight on the Yamaha summer calendar,” says Yamaha Marine Marketing Manager, Pete Dick.
Having just launched its 2021 WaveRunner range, Yamaha will look to have several new models on display including the all-new SuperJet standup WaveRunner, now powered by the 1049cc four-stroke TR-1 marine engine.
