The New Zealand Motocross Championships series will have a little extra horsepower to boost it along this season.

Mazda New Zealand has joined the party as an “associate sponsor” of the four-round series – set to kick off near Timaru in just over a week’s time – and part of that generosity extends to the long-term loan of two BT-50 double-cab utility vehicles.

Decked out in motocross championships signage and graphics, the vehicles will be driven by a member of each of the host clubs.

The first round of the nationals at the Backflips Dirt Farm at Pleasant Point, on the outskirts of Timaru, is on February 7, with rounds to follow in the Manawatu, at the Flipp’s track at Himatangi on February 28; at the Rotorua Motorcycle Club’s track on March 13 and, finally, at the Digger McEwen Motocross Park in Taupo on March 20.

In a novel move, Motorcycling New Zealand has decided to make a competition of the process of getting the Christchurch Off-Road Motorcycle Club’s ute delivered to the South Island.

The Mazda BT-50 will be leaving Auckland International Airport tomorrow (Tuesday, January 26) and will be driven the length of the country and timed to arrive in Christchurch before the series opener.

It’s journey tomorrow is expected to pass through Hamilton, Rotorua, Taupo and Palmerston North, before heading down to and through the South Island.

The first five people to be in the Mazda dealership in a destination town when the ute arrives will win double-pass tickets to the round of the nationals round that is closest to them.

Follow the progress of the ute via the NZMX Nationals Facebook page, which will be updated during the road-trip and so you can follow the journey on-line.

In addition, there will be two prizes of $250 offered to the person who can correctly guess the mileage that a BT-50 ute achieves on a full tank of fuel. The entrant who guesses closest to the correct number of kilometres wins the prize.

Simply post your guess up on the NZMX Nationals Facebook page, share and like the photo of the ute and hashtag the following: MazdaNZ, NZMX Nationals, MNZ and ZoomZoom.

In the meantime, the host clubs will use their loan ute during the build-up to their event.

© Words by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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