Bay of Plenty’s Kayne Lamont shot to an impressive hat-trick of wins at Sunday’s third round of four in this season’s New Zealand Motocross Championships near Pukekohe.

In doing this, the 20-year-old from Mangakino has also enhanced his championship advantage to a massive 38 points over his nearest MX2 (250cc) class rival, Dargaville’s Hamish Dobbyn (CMR Red Bull KTM), and Lamont would now seem virtually unbeatable with just three MX2 races remaining at the final round in a fortnight.

Third in the MX2 standings after Pukekohe is Australian visitor Jay Wilson (Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team), another 14 points further back.

So dominant was Lamont at the Tuakau track on Sunday that it could even be said that his Husqvarna Red Bull WIL Sport Team simply “Kayned” their rivals.

Although the BikesportNZ.com-supported rider took his Husqvarna TC250 bike to also win the day overall at both the earlier rounds, in Timaru and Tokoroa last month, Sunday’s triple triumph came as a welcome boost for the Kiwi international.

“Getting a hat-trick of wins at one of the rounds has been my goal this season,” said Lamont.

“I didn’t have any problems today, except when I got held up a little bit by Hamish in the second race. He made a small mistake and I managed to slip past him and open up a bit of a lead,” said Lamont, his pace on the undulating course undeniable after he’d earlier qualified his Husqvarna in first position, lapping the circuit more than two seconds quicker than his nearest threat.

“I’m in a great position now to wrap up my first senior motocross title at Taupo in two weeks’ time. It will be handy to go there with such a big lead but I usually go well at Taupo anyway. I want to see if I can score another hat-trick there.

“I want to give a huge thanks to my helpers and sponsors and especially to Norm Cobb (of Auckland), who has done so much to work on my bike and set it up perfectly and also maintain it for me.”

Lamont and his crew now pack up and head closer to home to prepare for what will be an exciting fourth and final round on his “home turf”, at the popular Digger McEwen Motocross Circuit on May 22.

If Lamont wraps up the title at Taupo, as everyone expects he will, it will be a hugely significant moment.

A Husqvarna bike has not been raced to New Zealand championship-winning glory since 2000, the year that Hamilton’s Darryll King rode one to win the national 250cc class title, on that occasion with King finishing ahead of Sweden’s Espen Blikstad, with Tauranga’s Niki Urwin ending the series third on the podium.

Leading standings after three of four rounds:

MX1 class: 1. Cody Cooper (Mount Maunganui, Honda) 217 points; 2. Billy MacKenzie (Scotland, Yamaha) 180; 3. Brad Groombridge (Taupo, Suzuki)168; 4. Kirk Gibbs (Australia, KTM) 157; 5. Michael Phillips (Rotorua, Honda) 125.

MX2 class: 1. Kayne Lamont (Mangakino, Husqvarna) 216 points; 2. Hamish Dobbyn (Dargaville, KTM) 178; 3. Jay Wilson (Australia, Yamaha) 164; 4. John Phillips (Rotorua, Honda) 152; 5. Scott Columb (Queenstown, Yamaha) 151.

125cc class: 1. Josiah Natzke (Hamilton, KTM) 214 points; 2. Hadleigh Knight (Atiamuri, KTM) 179; 3. Logan Blackburn (Te Puke, Yamaha) 168; 4. Beau Yeandle (Morrinsville, Yamaha) 116; 5. Ryan Metz (Tauranga, Yamaha) 114.

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

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Full story and more photos in your next issue of KIWI RIDER magazine.

Full results HERE, thanks to Nicole Bol and the team at MX Timing.