Queenstown’s Scott Columb can’t wait to lead his team-mates into battle at this year’s Motocross of Nations in Latvia.

Dubbed the Olympic Games of Motocross”, the 68th edition of the traditional international season-ending competition is set for Kegums on September 27-28 and MXoN veteran Columb will spearhead the Kiwi assault, with Takaka’s Hamish Harwood and Dargaville’s Hamish Dobbyn riding alongside him.

Columb knows it will be a tough proposition to compete with the world’s elite riders, particularly in a sport as tough as motocross and with them competing so far from home support.

The Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team rider says his 10-year professional career, including seasons based in Europe, has been character-building and it will be with this vast experience that he hopes to help guide his young compatriots.

He’s had four surgeries, including operations on both knees, and long layoffs from the sport in between, but he is now fit again and raring to go.

“When it goes good, this sport is great, and when it goes bad, well, it goes bad but it was still great.”

Columb also rode for New Zealand at the Motocross of Nations in England 2008 and in Italy the following year (and the main photo above shows Columb, on Suzuki No.24, grabbing the holeshot in one of his races in Italy).

Team New Zealand placed eighth and 11th, respectively, in those years, and Columb’s best individual result was a 12th placing.

For Latvia this month, where the course is very tough and his two team-mates are less experienced, he says: “If we were top 10 to 15 in the world, then that would be great.

“For me personally, I’d like to be around that 15th to 20th mark in the races.”

After a month’s break in Europe, Columb will prepare for the next New Zealand season, starting at Taupo over Labour Weekend.

“I may have another five seasons in me, but I may have another one, who knows; it’s all about how I’m enjoying it and how my results are.”

But having gained so much experience in race tactics and the like, he doesn’t want to throw it away lightly.

Asked his main strength, Columb says apart from fitness and discipline, it is his determination.

“There’s so many times that I’ve hit the deck and been run over with broken hands and what not, and I still get up. I won’t give anyone satisfaction that I’m hurt or that I’m going to throw the towel in.”

It’s that sort of attitude that will give the New Zealand campaign in Latvia the momentum it needs.

There have been some great MXoN races over the years, like in 2006 when Belgium’s 10-time world champion Stefan Everts and Italy’s Antonio Cairoli dominated the racing at Matterley Basin, near Winchester, in south-west England, although Team USA did enough that day to win the main trophy anyway, finishing top of the podium with Team Belgium runners-up and the Team New Zealand squad (Josh Coppins, Cody Cooper and Ben Townley) in third.

The following year the race was held near the US capital of Washington D.C. and American Kawasaki ace Ryan Villopoto aced the day’s racing at the Budd’s Creek circuit in Maryland, winning both of his races on an MX2 bike.

It was also the farewell ride for another American legend, Suzuki’s Ricky Carmichael, who won the third race of the day.

So the Americans again won the event overall, despite glimpses of brilliance from Australian Chad Reed and French rider Sebastien Pourcel, while the much-hyped Italians crumbled.

But, perhaps most significant and also disappointing was seeing two of the three-rider Team New Zealand crew, Bay of Plenty’s Townley and Taranaki’s Daryl Hurley, crash out of the action.

New Zealand has been on the MXoN podium on three memorable occasions in recent times – at Foxhills, in England, in 1998 (with Darryll King, Shayne King, Josh Coppins), at Namur, in Belgium, in 2001 (Daryl Hurley, Josh Coppins, Shayne King) and at Matterley Basin, in England, in 2006 (Josh Coppins, Cody Cooper, Ben Townley).

The Kiwi trio of Cooper, Mount Maunganui’s Rhys Carter and Mangakino’s Kayne Lamont finished 20th when the MXoN was staged in Germany last September.

Perhaps the Kiwi trio can equal or better that in Latvia in a couple of weeks’ time.

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

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