DIFFICULT TO STOP | Bikesportnz

It is going to take a lot to stop Bay of Plenty’s Cody Cooper again this summer.

The Honda Racing Team rider from Mount Maunganui was at his imperious best as he soared away with a hat-trick of wins in the MX1 class at the weekend’s annual Auckland Motocross Championships at Harrisville.

It possibly sent out a few warning signals to his rivals with the start of the four-round New Zealand Motocross Championships just a couple of months away.

Next best in this premier class at Harrisville on Sunday was 20-year-old apprentice builder Hamish Harwood (CML Racing KTM), now based in Waitakere, who finished runner-up to Cooper each time, with Motueka’s former grand prix racer and former world No.2 Josh Coppins (Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team) claiming the third step on the podium.

“I’m pretty happy with my day,” said the 32-year-old Cooper afterwards.

“Normally I’m a bit sketchy around this track, but I felt right at home today. The Honda CRF450 bike was unreal. The Ohlins suspension did a great job and it was very confidence-inspiring, even when the track got rough at the end of the day.”

National MX1 champion Cooper said he believed he was ready now to defend his New Zealand crown.

“I feel really strong. I understand there will be quite a few top Australians coming across the Tasman to challenge me this year and I say ‘bring it on’. I hope they bring their ‘A’ game with them because they’re going to need it,” he laughed.

It was a glorious weekend too for fellow Honda Racing Team rider Trent Collins.

The 16-year-old from Cambridge rode both days, winning the junior 14-16 years’ 250cc class on Saturday and then backing that up by finishing fourth overall in the senior MX2 grade the following day.

Harwood doubled up to win the MX2 class, finishing ahead of Taupo’s Cohen Chase (Yamaha), Waitakere’s Ethan Martens (Yamaha), Collins and Taupo’s Brad Groombridge (Suzuki).

“I think I’m heading in the right direction with my preparation for the upcoming senior nationals,” said Collins. “I’m still young enough to be eligible to race the junior competition and I will race the junior nationals next April, but I’m also going to race as many senior MX2 races as I can in the meantime.

“I need to be stepping up to race the seniors in MX2 to give myself stiffer competition,” said Collins, a year 10 pupil at Cambridge High School.

Class winners at the two-day Auckland Motocross Championships were Cooper (MX1, Honda); Harwood (MX2, KTM); Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis (senior 125, KTM); Inglewood’s Larry Blair (veterans, KTM); Taihape’s Sarah Elwin (women, Yamaha); Opunake’s Liam Read (MX3, Yamaha); Collins (junior 14-16 years’ 250cc, Honda); Dairy Flats’ Claude Griffith (junior 15-16 years’ 125cc, KTM); Taihape’s Hayden Smith (junior 12-14 years’ 125cc, KTM); Oparau’s James Scott (junior 13-16 years’ 85cc, Husqvarna); Matamata’s Brodie Connolly (junior 11-12 years’ 85cc, KTM); Cambridge’s Jared Hannon (junior 8-10 years’ 85cc, Kawasaki); Waitoki’s Cole Davies (Junior 8-11 years’ 65cc, KTM); Cambridge’s Amber Harris (junior women, KTM).