A little local knowledge could be all that’s needed to turn good season into a brilliant one … at least that’s what a contingent of Pukekohe riders will be counting on this weekend.

The third round of four in this season’s New Zealand Motocross Championships hits the popular Harrisville circuit, near Pukekohe, this weekend and local riders will be licking their collective lips in anticipation of a good day’s racing.

Pukekohe Motorcycle Club riders James Ainsworth, Shaun O’Connor, Daniel McNeil, Bryce Dragt, Joel Trappitt and Tony Cooksley are six of the best from their region and each has high hopes of moving up the series rankings when the racing wraps up at Harrisville on Sunday afternoon.

Ainsworth races in the premier MX1 class – currently led by Kiwi international Cody Cooper, of Mount Maunganui, with Scottish visitor Billy MacKenzie and Australian invaders Todd Waters and Kirk Gibbs filling out the top four – and he knows he is up against some real heavyweights in this class laden with fulltime professionals.

But that hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm for the battle this weekend and he’ll be looking to move up from his current spot at 14th in the class.

“I’d be a little disappointed if I don’t finish among the top 10 this weekend,” said the 20-year-old Ainsworth. “I know I can run the pace to be up there, especially around Harrisville.

“I’ve been racing at this track since I was about eight, so that’s a few years now.

“Getting a good start is really important at Harrisville. Fast lines form on the inside of corners and it gets quite rutted, then gets hard-packed late in the day. I will really need to be on the ball.”

O’Connor, McNeil, Dragt and Trappitt all race in the 125cc class and they are currently positioned eighth, 14th, 22nd and 24th respectively after two rounds thus far.

Trappitt did not race at round one near Timaru, so his catch-up mission is even tougher than most.

Cooksley races in the non-championship MX3 class, which he is currently leading, a massive 24 points clear of his nearest challenger, Mangakino’s Jamie Lamont.

Another Pukekohe club rider, Kurtis Lilly, will, unfortunately, not be in action on Sunday. He crashed and hurt himself at the second round of the series near Morrinsville a fortnight ago and won’t be able to compete on Sunday.

Racing at Harrisville on Sunday begins at about 10am. The series wraps up in Taupo on March 31.

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