The South Canterbury Motorcycle club will host Round one of the 2013 New Zealand Motocross Championships this Sunday, February 10.

Founded in 1909, it is the second-oldest motorcycle club in New Zealand and the club holds proud that the opening round of New Zealand’s motocross nationals will be exciting with stacked competition in all classes.

Dan Batchelor, the president of the SCMCC, said track preparation was main priority for the event, with plenty of watering and tractor ripped around the 2.6km Backflips-sponsored motocross venue.

Additional changes have been made to the track with a number of new jumps added.

Batchelor says ‘the attention this year has been on improving the quality of the track aiming to make it more flowing and safer. In addition all low lying sections of the track now feature new drainage which allows far more control over our watering ensuring water can be applied evenly and for longer’.

With the attraction of Australian riders Todd Waters (KTM), Kirk Gibbs (KTM), Jesse Dobson (Kawsasaki) racing MX2 and Scottish-born 2007 and 2008 British Champion Billy McKenzie (Yamaha) vying for the MX1 crown, NZ’s best will be performing like never before over the three motos per class.

A special link to www.racerxonline.com US for live timing and Commentary will be provided throughout the day’s racing courtesy of Davey Coombs at RacerX magazine and through Timing Tech on www.livetiming.co.nz

http://www.livetiming.co.nz/wsMXChampsR1.aspx

BikesportNZ.com contributor Sharon Cox caught up with Dan Batchelor to see how the event is shaping up, any last minute details that riders and spectators should know before heading south for NZ’s opening 2013 MX Championship Round.

Q: How is the Backflips Motocross Track shaping up for the opening Round of NZ’s 2013 MX Championships?

Dan: This year we are well ahead in terms of track prep. Chris McKnight and his team started earlier this year, so the track has been finished well ahead of the event. This has allowed more time to make sure the finishing touches are dealt with, concentrating on getting water into a very dry South Canterbury landscape.

Q: Has the club made changes to the track from 2012 NZ Motocross Round?

Dan: The fundamentals of the track are very much the same; it is still a challenging, long, fast circuit with very little time to rest. However we have taken on board the comments made by riders and the track is slightly slower, safer and the changes to corners and jump approaches will provide closer than ever racing.

Q: With this year’s competitive line-up with International rider’s mixing it up with NZ’s best racing will be exciting to say the least. Your thoughts on what to look forward to …

Dan: Obviously we are rapt to have the International riders coming to Timaru, they add another dimension to the event and we know the typical Trans-Tasman rivalry will see the Kiwi riders really step up. For me personally I am looking forward to seeing Billy McKenzie on the JCR Yamaha and of course we haven’t seen much of Courtney Duncan recently and she is always exciting to watch.

Q: Finally, the opening round of the NZ MX Series at Timaru always attracts spectators … any advice/info for fans making their way to Pleasant Point on Sunday, February 10?

Dan: The series major sponsor this year Backflips Clothing are pulling out all the stops. The vision is to see this event as a real entertainment spectacle and not just racing. To this end we have a humungous Backflips Slip’n’Slip ready to go, the giant boxing ring where we hope to see riders, teams and spectators battle it out off the track and we will have the cheapest helicopter flights anywhere going all day. As a club we want to provide a real family experience. The facility size and layout provides heaps of vantage points and lends itself to people coming with the whole family. Bring the bbq and a pop-up and make a whole day of it!

© Words by Sharon Cox, www.BikesportNZ.com

© Poster photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com