A major stand-alone event, a warm-up for the nationals or another massive early-season shake-down session – call it what you like, but the two-day annual Auckland Motocross Championships near Tuakau this weekend are sure to be a full-throttle blast.

Many of New Zealand elite riders, including such talented individuals as Taupo’s Brad Groombridge, Waitakere’s Ethan Martens, Onewhero’s Jayden Turnwald, Pukekohe’s Kurtis Lilly, Taupo’s Nick Saunders, Rotorua’s Scotty Canham, Rangiora’s Dylan Walsh and Hamilton’s Josiah Natzke, to name just a few, will converge on the MR Motorcycles Raceway circuit at Harrisville determined to impress.

Local hero Lilly was just named “Trainee of the Year for 2013” by the Drury Rotary Club and his work towards achieving that had kept him away from motocross training. However, the 18-year-old apprentice carpenter is now ready again to unleash on the motocross track and he is eager to perform well this weekend.

But it is the mighty Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team that is probably expected to hog the spotlight.

The Yamaha team, led by former Grand Prix motocross star Josh Coppins, of Motueka, will arrive with the intention of following on from their dominant performance at the season-opening Labour Weekend Motocross Extravaganza at Taupo, with their riders – Queenstown’s Scott Columb, Rotorua’s Cameron Vaughan and Te Puke’s Logan Blackburn – among the favourites to win their respective classes.

The third round of four in the 2013 New Zealand Motocross Championships will be held at the same venue on March 9 and so this weekend’s big event will be an ideal opportunity for riders to familiarise themselves with any track changes and to fine tune suspension settings and tweak their engines.

With its massive jumps, high-speed berms, spectacular drop-offs and punishing ruts, the switch-back course always provides exciting race action and with a who’s who of talented riders lining up, many of them with international racing experience, it is difficult to predict winners.

However, national MX2 No.1 Columb (main photo, pictured above) will be very hard to beat in the MX2 class, while a torrid battle is expected between Martens and Groombridge in the tussle for MX1 (open class) honours.

The venue this weekend is the Pukekohe Motorcycle Club’s popular MR Motorcycles Raceway on Geraghty-Maber Road, Harrisville, and it will be signposted from the main road heading into Pukekohe from the motorway.

Junior and mini riders race on Saturday, while the seniors, veterans and women hit the track on Sunday.

The Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing team is supported by Yamaha Motor New Zealand, CRC, Fox, Holland’s Collision Centre, Star Moving, GYTR, Yamalube, Pro Circuit, Alpinestars, Matrix, DID, NGK, Renthal, Pirelli, Etnies, Workshop Graphics, POD, Atlas, Motomuck, Uni, Giltrap Prestige, Hinson and Racetech Plastics.

© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com