Raetihi rider’s race to the top

She may be pint-sized but dirt bike racer Karaitiana Horne isn’t letting it stop her from standing on the winners’ podium.

The 11-year-old Raetihi rider is a recognised name in motorcross (MX) racing and has twice represented New Zealand in international challenges.

Above: Karaitiana Horne

Image supplied by the Horne whanau.

Having made her mark over the past few years racing in the Pro65 class (a class for youngsters riding 65cc engine bikes), Karaitiana stepped it up a notch last year and began to compete on her Yamaha 85cc bike as well in the 8-11 years 85 class, termed as double-classing, as she transitioned into Junior Women’s racing. In September - with the support of the Te Āti Hau Trust - she rode her way to the podium in the Junior Women’s nationals, claiming

And - as if the complex terrain of outdoor racing wasn’t challenge enough - last year Karaitiana took on the narrower tracks, tighter turns and crowd-pleasing feature jumps of Supercross at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium, taking 4th place in her age group at the Monster Energy SX Open. This huge international event attracts riders from all over the world and more than 20,000 spectators come to watch the action.

Above: Karaitiana loves to play in the dirt, holding her own against other competitors.

Image supplied by the Horne whanau.

Karaitiana’s desire to succeed is well known among her Ruapehu and river whānau. Everything’s a race, her mum Kiriana HenareGembitsky says. “She’s crazy competitive - not just on the track, but in life. It’s all a race even if it’s not a race. She puts pressure on everybody, even me - and I’m not competitive at all!”

The pocket rocket first jumped on a motorbike when she was five, but didn’t like racing.

“Her first race - which she didn’t want to do - was when she turned eight,” Kiriana said. “She came dead last but she just loved it and ever since then it’s been non-stop improvement. Once she gets hooked, that’s her and she sticks to it. She likes to keep fit and she honestly doesn’t know how to play any video games.”

Image supplied by CD Photography.

With Dad Richard as her main training buddy - he races in the MX1 class and is ranked 9th in the country in his division - Karaitiana counts herself lucky to be able to train at a track at Rangataua, near Ohakune, owned by the Deadman family. She trains at least twice a week with friends including racers Holly and Ricky Deadman. And, of course, her hero - her Dad.

Above: Following in her Dad’s footsteps; onto the winners podium!

Image supplied by the Horne whanau.

“She can’t beat her Dad yet - but she’s going to, she reckons... although she’ll have to practise pretty hard to beat him!” laughs Kiriana.

Karaitiana is a mokopuna of the tupuna Henare Keremeneta from Te Ao Marama, the Henare whānau at Pīpīriki and the Winiata whānau at Makaranui. As a descendant of an Ātihau shareholder, she received a National Sport Grant to support her nationals campaign.

Image supplied by CD Photography.

“It allowed her to compete in double classes, upgrade her licence from club to championship, and train at the nationals track with top rider Rhys Carter before the nationals, which I think helped her so much,” Kiriana says.

Te Āti Hau Trust chair Shar Amner said the Trust is pleased to be slowly increasing the level of support to shareholders and their uri through grants for education, health and well-being, marae initiatives and sport.

“It’s good to see our high-achieving tamariki succeeding in the global sporting arena, and to support their development in both traditional and non-traditional sports,” he says. “Supporting and celebrating success is a way of helping our whānau to reach their potential.”