It would be a brave man indeed who would bet against Southland’s Seth Morrow and he again showed at the weekend why he’s considered a bright and rapidly-rising young star on the New Zealand sports scene.
The 14-year-old LMC Husqvarna Racing Team rider from Invercargill made the most of his family’s long journey north at the weekend as he fought his way onto the podium in two of the premier categories at the 2022 New Zealand Junior Motocross Championships, staged at the popular Barrett Road Motorcycle Park circuit, on the outskirts of New Plymouth.
Morrow (Husqvarna TC125) easily won the 12-14 years’ 125cc class title – finishing his three-day weekend in Taranaki unbeaten in all five of his 125cc races – and he also took his 250cc four-stroke Husqvarna FC250 to finish runner-up in the 14-16 years’ 250cc class as well, behind Waitoki’s Cole Davies (Yamaha).
The year 10 Southland Boys’ High School student certainly handed out a motocross lesson in the younger of the two 125cc bike categories, his maximum score of 125 points – 25 earned for each race win – leaving Hamilton’s Carson Mackie (KTM) and Leeston’s Kase Thoms (GasGas) with only one option, to focus on battling between themselves for the overall runner-up honours.
The Morrow brothers from Invercargill, Seth (left) and Tynan, young rising stars in the sport in New Zealand. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
In the end, Mackie and Thoms finished the weekend level on 94 points, with the count-back rule eventually handing the No.2 honours to Mackie.
It’s a long way from Invercargill to New Plymouth, but it was totally worth it for the competition,” said Morrow. “We drove about 12 hours to Picton, then the three-hour ferry to Wellington, then five hours to New Plymouth.
It is fair to say that Morrow and his family, including younger brother and talented fellow racer Tynan Morrow, are quite used to travelling vast distances in their bid to seek out the best racing possible.
Seth Morrow actually raced the Australian Junior Motocross Championships in Rockhampton, in Queensland, just a week before the Taranaki event.
“I ended up sixth overall in the 13-15 years’ 128-250cc class in Australia after having a few ups and downs. I reckon I could have achieved a top five or even fourth.
“I raced a stock bike against the factory guys in Australia and it was in 28-degree temperatures, so that was pretty hard work.”
While international successes are no doubt just around the corner, the New Zealand titles are already starting to stack up for Morrow.
Just two months ago, in August, he won both the junior 14-16 years’ 250cc and junior 12-16 years’ 125cc class titles at the New Zealand Motocross TT Nationals near Timaru and, in 2018, he won the junior 8-11 years’ 85cc class crown. Prior to that, he won the 6-8 years’ 50cc class title at the mini motocross champs in 2015.
Waitoki’s Cole Davies (Yamaha), winner of both the 14-16 years’ 250cc class and the 15-16 years’ 125cc class this season. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
Meanwhile, also impressive on his Husqvarna motorcycle at the weekend was Karaka’s Hayden Draper.
The 13-year-old Draper, a Rosehill Intermediate school pupil, in Papakura, proved that consistency counts, his dependable Husqvarna TC85 helping him to a race win, two runner-up finishes and two third placings in his five outings, enough to give him the 12-13 years’ 85cc/150cc class title by nine points from Tauranga’s title favourite Levi Townley.
When Townley’s Yamaha had its engine “kill switch” damaged during a collision with another bike in race two of the five, it cost him dearly, the no-points result massively crippling his campaign.
Only racing since he was seven years old, when plenty of others had started at age four, this season has been Draper’s most successful yet and he’s well on track to be adding more to his relatively-fresh curriculum vitae.
Other class winners at the weekend were Davies (Yamaha, 15-16 years’ 125cc class); Appleby’s Will Harvey (KTM, 14-16 years’ 85cc/150cc class); Hastings’ Harry Daly (KTM, 8-11 years’ 85cc/150cc class); Tauranga’s Jaggar Townley (Yamaha, 8-11 years’ 65cc class); Tokoroa’s Breanna Rodgers (Yamaha, 12-16 years’ 125cc/250cc women); Raetihi’s Karaitiana Horne (GasGas, 12-16 years’ 85cc/150cc women) and Whangarei’s Hannah Perris (KTM, 8-11 years’ 85cc/150cc class).
© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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Karaka’s Hayden Draper (Husqvarna), winner of the 12-13 years’ 85cc/150cc class this season. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com