Cody Cooper wins Motocross second round
Riders revelled in the terracotta clay of Patetonga over the weekend during the motocross championship
Thousands gathered in the small Waikato town of Patetonga last weekend to watch a thrilling second round of the 2013 New Zealand Motocross Championships.
In the premier MX1 class Papamoa’s Cody Cooper made the most of former world champion Ben Townley’s absence through injury, collecting two wins and a third place to assume the series lead.
He was made to work for the results however, facing stern opposition from Australian Todd Waters who is using the Kiwi series as preparation for his races in Europe later this year.
“I got going real slow… my lines from practice weren’t working… once I got back in front of him (Waters) I put in some solid laps to pull away,” said Cooper.
In the second-tier MX2 class there was a heavy local presence, with Tauranga rider Peter Broxholme proving the fastest in morning qualifying where he was quick to praise the quality of the racing surface.
“It’s right up there in terms of track quality…the soil is like a terracotta clay that turns to plasticine when it’s watered properly…it’s got plenty of grip,” said Broxholme.
In the end it was Matamata resident and Patetonga club member Jacob Kneebone who stole the show, with his fourth, third and tenth place showings in the 125cc class proving admirable in a field full to the brim with New Zealand’s best up and coming motocross talent.
Club Spokesman Danny Bryan said overall the day was a huge success for the tight knit Patetonga club, who were hosting a round of the national championships for the fourth consecutive year.
“Fifty percent of the guys on the track would have been from the greater Waikato area…it was another typical ‘Pate’ extravaganza, a well-run event where everyone went away with smiles.”
The national series heads to Pukekohe on March 10 for the third round of competition.
