Registrations for riders wanting to compete at next month's Crankworx Rotorua mountain biking festival are now open.

During the nine-day festival there are three events open to amateur riders, including the Giant Toa Challenger Enduro, Crankworx Rotorua Air DH and Crankworx Rotorua Downhill presented by iXS.

General manager Darren Kinnaird says Crankworx is always a place to ride alongside the best athletes in the world.

'Athletes from around the world sign up to compete in the same races as the pros, and we are really keen to get the local mountain biking community out at every stop. The riders make the festival.”

The Crankworx Rotorua Air DH focuses on jumps and getting air and is designed to showcase Skyline Gravity Park's Mr Black trail and will be part of a tour-wide set of Air Downhill events built on the Fox Air DH at Crankworx Whistler in Canada.

While the longer Rotorua Downhill is a gut-busting race down Mount Ngongotaha finishes with a step-up, step-down crowd-pleasing monster air.

Race director Dave Hamilton says the start of the Crankworx Rotorua Downhill features high-speed grassy farmland, descending into steep technical native bush, dropping through two man-made rockgardens into the Skyline estate.

From there the track boasts the 'Woodyard' where there are two 12 metre gaps and finishes with a wide open steep off camber section, similar to many World Cup tracks.

The Crankworx Rotorua Air DH is a fast rip with lots of "air" in Skyline Gravity Park. Photo: Clint Trahan/Crankworx.

'The Rotorua Downhill is designed so any level of gravity rider can tackle it. Although there are the pro lines the quick guys can hit, there are also safety lines so everyone can still have fun without questioning safety. It is certainly the nearest thing to a World Cup we have in New Zealand.”

While registration for the Giant Toa Enduro, which is part of the Enduro World Series, opened last week and sold out immediately.

The Giant Toa was the first stop in the EWS season two years ago and returns to this spot for 2017, with 30 teams registered to race and will run the day after the new abridged version, the Giant Toa Challenger Enduro.

The full race offers six to seven stages, 2000 metres of climbing and 64 kilometres of riding.

For those keen to try this next level of racing without taking on the full deal, the Giant Toa Challenger Enduro offers four stages of Rotorua's famous flow, 1500 metres of climbing and 45 kilometres of riding, without the pressure of the EWS competitive edge.

For more information or to register for the Giant Toa Challenger Enduro, Crankworx Rotorua Air DH or Crankworx Rotorua Downhill visit: www.crankworx.com

Rotorua premiered its Air DH in 2016, pushing a new Crankworx-wide race series into the realm of possibility. Photo: Clint Trahan/Crankworx.