He began racing aged 10 and now, at 32, he has moved his way up the MX2 ranks (claiming the national title in 2013), raced MX1 internationally for several seasons and now returns for his second consecutive MX1 campaign.
Columb lost the national MX1 title by one point in 2008 and finished sixth last year but a change of bike - he now rides a Kawasaki KX450F for Whyteline Kawasaki - has left him with refreshed enthusiasm for racing.
"I've been travelling around New Zealand for the last month training and making adjustments. The bike is real good. The Kawasaki has changed my style a little bit. It is a bit more stable,'' he said.
Columb's build-up has gone well, with a fifth place at the Whakatane Summercross in December and a second behind MX1 champion Cody Cooper at the Taranaki-based King of the Mountain motocross event last month.
While it will be a tough ask to prevent the Mount Maunganui-based Cooper from claiming his fourth consecutive national MX1 title, Columb hopes to improve on last year's placing.
Brighton's Campbell King (21) steps up into the premier class for the first time this year, racing a Suzuki RMZ 450.
He will wait to see how this first round goes at the Backflips Dirt Farm, on the outskirts of Timaru, before committing to the following three North Island rounds.
Bryn Gilbert, of Alexandra, is in the same boat and will test the waters as he debuts in the MX2 class. The 17-year-old is after a top-15 finish in his first outing as a senior rider.
Other Otago riders entered for this first round are Dave Hay (Mosgiel), Madison Latta (Balclutha), Ryan Crawford and Sam Cuthbertson, both of Dunedin.
Palmerston powerhouse Courtney Duncan was undecided whether she would ride this weekend, as her focus is contesting the women's world motocross championships' opening round in Qatar on February 27-28.
Meanwhile, Dunedin youngster Grason Veitch, who is fresh off a win in the 12-14 years, 125cc class at the New Zealand Motocross GP at Woodville, last weekend, will also compete in Timaru on Saturday at the 2016 JCR Backflips Cup MX.