News Release

Lumberjack Champion Hits the Road in a Suzuki Grand Vitara

12 February 2008
New Zealand’s world champion lumberjack has just got behind the wheel of one of the nation’s best-known four-wheel-drive lifestyle vehicles.

David Bolstad recently took delivery of a $41,000 Suzuki Grand Vitara from Suzuki New Zealand, one of the awards he scooped as a result of winning the 2007 Stihl Timbersports World Championship series in Germany.

New Zealand has proved to be the nation to beat in lumberjack contests after dominating the World Championship for the past eleven years.

Bolstad, a 35-year-old from Taumarunui, beat defending champion and fellow New Zealander Jason Wynyard and 13 other international competitors at last year’s events.

Although he won the title back in October 2007, the new Grand Vitara has only just been handed over to the new champion.

Bolstad has won the series four times – in 2001, 2003, 2004 and now 2007 – while his arch rival Wynyard is a remarkable seven times winner in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2006.

The Timbersports Championship is a series of competitions where the athletes compete in the use of axes and saws in tasks that are typical of the lumberjack trade.

Points are accumulated over six mixed disciplines, using either machinery or a hand axe. One of the disciplines involves a 62 horsepower chain saw that weighs a not inconsiderable 27 kg.

Founded in 1985, the series is currently on the ESPN television channel and attracts millions of viewers worldwide.

David Bolstad says recognition of the international achievement has been hard to come by.

“It’s a low recognised sport in New Zealand. The sport takes as much skill to be good at as any sport in the world,” he said. “It’s not well recognised considering for a small country we’ve achieved better than most.”

Bolstad is a third generation New Zealand axe man and second-generation world championship. He is also a double international, representing his country in polocrosse.

Stihl New Zealand territory manager, Philip Ropiha, who attended the recent handing over of the Grand Vitara, said the championship was often won by New Zealanders against the best in the world.

Suzuki New Zealand Sales Executive James Hildreth presented the new lumberjack champion with the Grand Vitara.

David’s wife Michelle and children Brooke and Morgan were also at the presentation of the vehicle.

The four times world champion lumberjack is sure to find the convenience, versatility and go-anywhere ability of the Grand Vitara a valuable asset to his lifestyle.

Not only is the dual ratio, four-wheel-drive model available in either three or five-door body configurations but also is available with the choice of four engines, including a diesel option.

The latest generation Suzuki Grand Vitara is a successor to the original version that appeared in the late 1980s, long before most other motor manufacturers had even thought about Sport Utility Vehicles.