Bay of Plenty’s John Phillips would love nothing better than to give himself a late Christmas present, and his winning the big annual Honda Whakatane Summercross on December 29-30 would be the perfect gift.

The event always attracts the elite of New Zealand motocross racers and Phillips certainly falls within that category, the Honda Racing Team rider from Rotorua one of the favourites to win the premier MX1 class and also perhaps the event overall.

The venue for the two-day spectacular – the popular Awakaponga circuit, near Matata, just outside Whakatane – is well liked by the 24-year-old Phillips, but, unfortunately for him, it’s also a happy hunting ground for his Honda team-mate, Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper, a three-time outright winner at Summercross.

Former Opotiki man Cooper, the reigning national MX1 champion, won Summercross in 2013 and was the main winner there in 2015 and last year as well, and Phillips has a huge task on his hands with Cooper again on the starting list this time around.

“I’ve been working a lot on my fitness lately,” said Phillips. “And I have been training a lot with Cody (Cooper) too and I’ve been learning from chasing him. Cody is definitely the man to beat at Summercross, but I’ve picked up the pace lately too. Cody is the target man for everyone and he doesn’t have a bad day very often.

“I’m not quite on the pace of Cody just yet, but racing is always different from training, so you never know do you? I feel as if I’m closing the gap on him.”

Besides favourites Cooper and Phillips, there are perhaps any number of top riders capable of winning at this post-Christmas event, a shake-down before the annual Honda New Zealand Grand Prix at Woodville on January 27-28, followed by the four-round nationals that kick off near New Plymouth on February 4.

Also riding for the Honda Racing Team are Tauranga’s former Rangiora rider Micah McGoldrick and Cambridge’s Trent Collins, while the winner of the MX1 class at October’s MX Fest event in Taupo, Mangakino’s Kayne Lamont (Altherm JCR Yamaha racing Team), and national cross-country champion Brad Groombridge (Action Moto Suzuki), of Taupo, should also pose threats.

The MX2 class will be bulging with hot talent too, Takapuna’s national MX2 champion Hamish Harwood (CML KTM Racing Team) up against other top riders such as Taupo’s Wyatt Chase (also on a KTM), who won the class at the recent Auckland Motocross Championships, along with riders such as Kotemaori’s Reece Lister (BikesportNZ.com KTM), Tauranga’s Josh Tredinnick (3Twenty3 Racing Kawasaki) and Rangiotu’s James Anderson (Kawasaki).

The cream of the sport are expected to arrive for Summercross with Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis, Te Puke’s Tyler Steiner, Oparau’s James Scott, Wairoa’s Thomas Watts, Taihape’s Hayden Smith, Karaka’s Kurtis Lilly, Ngatea’s Ben Broad, and Tauranga’s Royden White, to name just a few, among the more fancied names.

The Honda Whakatane Summercross is a two-day affair, with minis and juniors racing on Friday and the seniors, women and veterans racing on Saturday.

It’s interesting to note that Phillips’ elder brother Michael Phillips won Summercross outright in 2010, something John Phillips would love to emulate, although he says he “tries not to compare” himself to his brother.

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

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