Some riders wear our socks for the photo. Karaitiana Horne wears them for every single lap. She rides a green Kawasaki with the number 394, she comes from Raetihi, a small town in the middle of New Zealand's North Island, and she has been collecting titles at a speed that makes the rest of the paddock look twice.
Who is Karaitiana?
In 2024 she won the New Zealand senior women's motocross title and, one week later, the junior women's title too. Two national crowns in two weeks. This year she took the women's class at the 63rd New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Himatangi. Her coach is her dad, training starts at 6am and the afternoons belong to the track. Her plan, in her own words: "go faster, get fitter and ride more tracks". And one day, race the women's world championship.
Load the van, fill the tank
The plan for the day was simple. Meet at the van, check the bike, fill the jerry can and pack way too many pairs of socks. Karaitiana went through the sock box like it was a candy shop and came out holding a pair of Pizza'n Love. Of course she did.
Her van is basically her second home: bike strapped in, gear everywhere, a mattress up top for long race weekends and stickers on every door.
We rolled the Kawasaki out, topped up the gas and headed towards the mountain.
Riding under Ruapehu
When you grow up in Raetihi, Ruapehu is always there on the horizon. It is the highest peak of the North Island, an active volcano and a sacred maunga for Māori. It sits inside Tongariro National Park, one of the few places on Earth listed by UNESCO for both its nature and its culture. So we kept the bikes on the farm tracks and green hills below it, and let the mountain do what it does best: look absolutely massive.
At sunset the snow turned pink, Karaitiana fired up the 394 and started sending jumps with the whole mountain behind her. Nobody said much for a while. Nobody needed to.
Socks first, then boots
Every ride starts with the same ritual: socks up, boots on, buckles tight, helmet last. Inside a motocross boot, a long, cushioned sock is not a style choice, it is what stops hours of riding from turning into blisters. Karaitiana rides with our socks every time, and our logo sits on the back of her helmet, right where the riders chasing her can read it.
A message for the world
Then came the cardboard. We wanted to send a message out there, from the bottom of the world to anyone willing to read it. It turned out to be a short one: YOU NEED NEW SOCKS. Held up high at sunset, it might be the most honest advert we have ever made.
The other message is louder, even if it is not written on cardboard: women belong on the start line, at the front of the pack and on the top step of the podium. Karaitiana proves it every race weekend.
Off the bike
When the riding is done, the gear comes off and the comfy kit goes on: our Punk Smasher - NFL Jersey, sunglasses, sandals and socks pulled all the way up. Socks with sandals? Fully approved.
