It’s that time of year again when racers forget about the past season’s rivalries and unite instead along different battle lines, now flying the flag of their homelands at the annual Motocross of Nations.

And this will include a trio of talented riders who will represent New Zealand at this season’s 69th annual edition, set for Ernee, in north-western France, on Saturday and Sunday.

Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper, Tauranga’s Ben Townley and Mangakino’s Kayne Lamont will fly the Kiwi flag on the race track in France this coming weekend, while Pukekohe’s Howard Lilly and Palmerston North’s Neil Ritchie will take care of managing the campaign from behind the scenes.

Often referred to as the “Olympic Games of motocross”, the Kiwi trio know it won’t be easy facing the world’s elite on such a massive stage, but each of them is determined to put on a good showing.

The three-rider teams are glittering with the biggest names in the sport, including riders from both the United States national championships scene and the predominantly European-based World Motocross Championships.

From rookie first-timers in 1984 to top-10 regulars just over 10 years later, Kiwi motocross riders have often rated among some of the best in the world.

New Zealand has been on the MXoN podium on three memorable occasions in recent times – at Foxhills, in England, in 1998; at Namur, in Belgium, in 2001, and at Matterley Basin, in England, in 2006 – and so another podium finish is not out of the question.

Unfortunately, neither Cooper, Townley nor Lamont were available for the MXoN when it was staged in Latvia last year, where Team New Zealand failed to qualify among the top 20 countries and therefore slipped well down the world rankings.

But with generous support for this year’s campaign coming from Auckland companies WIL Sport Management and Workshop Graphics, and with massive fundraising undertaken by the Taupo Motorcycle Club with their Battle of the Clubs motocross event adding to the coffers, the Kiwi contingent left for France in a confident mood.

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

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