It would appear that the motocross gods were smiling over Pleasant Point in Timaru for the opening round of the Demon Energy NZ MX championships. With enough rainfall during the preceding week to keep the dust down, and a newly installed irrigation system in place just in case, it seemed there was going to be perfect conditions to open a championship. As the sun came up over the McKnight family track and qualifying got underway, fans that were eager to see the top riders from the South Island do battle with our visiting friends from the North, spread like wildfire around the picturesque track.

With many riders returning from recent competition overseas, ready to show their speed to the Kiwi fans, everyone was expecting to see some serious battles. They would not be disappointed.

With the new format of a single days racing including a practice/qualifying and three 25 minute motos, stamina was going to be a determining factor for our top riders. Who could keep up the pace and ride out the ever deteriorating circuit.

The Qualifying started with MX1 heading out to the track and a first look at Cody Cooper on his new RMZ 450. Cooper looked comfortable with the circuit and set himself up to be a contender from the start. The top qualifying spot however, went to Suzuki rider Daryl Hurley who finished just over half a second faster than Coops. The third spot went to Team Honda’s local rider Justin McDonald. Justin spent a few months of this year racing the AMA outdoors and had only been back in the country a number of weeks.

Next out were the mighty MX2 class for their shot at qualifying. This was the largest field of riders and required two separate races to qualify.

Stand out performers in this class were South Island favorite, Scotty Columb and Rotorua’s very own Michael Phillips. They both appeared to have adjusted back to New Zealand conditions after their performance at the recent Motocross of Nations held the previous weekend in Franciacorta, Italy. Mikey P managed to get the top spot over Columb by a very small margin. This set the scene for another classic North Vs South battle in their following three races.

The last qualifying group was the talented National 125cc class. This class has many new faces as well as some of the old, including last year’s winner Damien King. Inside this class is also the under 21’s, so many of the contenders there would prove to be a real threat. In this class the top qualifying spot went to South Islander Hayden McKay followed closely by Subway Yamaha’s Damien King and KTM’s Ethan Martens.

MX1

Right when the racing started the track was in a premier condition. With no dust around the circuit and a gate full of furious 450s the MX1 class looked ready to go. Justin Mcdonald got off to an awesome start and was chased hard by Suzuki boy’s Daryl Hurley and Cody Cooper. The three kept rolling like a freight train and looked unstoppable. Eventually Coops tired and dropped off the pace, still sitting comfortably in third.

4^th place went to Brad Groombrige who has made a change onto a RMZ 450 after piloting a KXF250 in the MX2 class last year. Justin crossed the line ahead of Daryl Hurley after the two of them lapped their way up to 7^th,

In race two the track was getting rough and the ruts were sorting the men from the boys.

Daryl Hurley took the win looking comfortable as he sailed across the line nearly 10 seconds ahead of Southerner Justin McDonald. The stand out rider in this race was Brad Groombridge who worked his way past 15 of our top riders to finish 6^th behind Cody Cooper, after having dropped the bike in the first corner.

With Justin and Daryl tied on points going into the final moto all eyes were on them as the gate dropped. Justin got an awesome start and set a fast pace early while leading Hurley. The two battled it out over 8 grueling laps before Justin’s exhaust system broke and began bouncing off his rear wheel. At this point Hurlz made the pass and in the next six laps put several seconds on Justin.

At the end of round one the MX1 points in the 2009 Demon Energy NZ Motocross championships sit with Daryl Hurley leading with 72 points after going 2-1-1.

Local rider Justin McDonald is on 69 points after going 1-2-2 and Suzuki’s Cody Cooper is in third with 54 points after posting a 3-5-4 results.

MX2

Moto one started well with the promise of another North V South battle about to unfold.

Sure enough Honda’s Michael Phillips shot to an awesome start and was chased the whole moto by Southerner Scotty Columb. When the two crossed the line you could have thrown a beach towel over them both, they were that close. Peter Broxholme rode hard to procure 3^rd for the moto after a rough start left him in 9^th on lap one.

In Moto two we had the same top performers but now in a different order. Honda’s Michael Phillips got a great start and led more than 90 percent of the race, while Scott Columb and the man from Tauranga, Peter Broxy had to work their way into the top 3 from average starts. Columb rode like a demon to catch Michael and make the pass on the final lap. Winning the race by 4 seconds and tying them on points. Broxy retained third but was a considerable way back from the front two.

The final Moto for the MX2 class was to decide the winner as again we were tied for points. Columb started well but was soon passed by a flying Michael Phillips. They carried on battling until a mistake towards the end of the moto dropped Columb into third, giving his spot to a hard charging Broxy, Phillips went on to win the race and Columb had to settle for 3^rd.

The points sit as Michael Phillips on top with 72 points after posting 1-2-1. Scotty from the south on 67 points after going 2-1-3 and Peter Broxholme nested comfortably in third after his 3-3-2 finishes.

NAT 125cc.

As the gates dropped for the first race of the National 125cc class the Mcknight track was filled with the glorious sound of two strokes, and from the smoke came anoth battle of the islands. This time fronted by Christchurch’s Hayden McKay on the KTM 125 and the young and talented Isaiah McGoldrick from Rangiora. These two were chased hard by reigning champ Damien King and the flying Ethan Martens. Isaiah was soon out of the battle leaving Hayden to fly the flag for the south. The lead swapped and changed a few times throughout the moto, ending with King on top and McKay comfortably in second.

Race two and the track was looking rough, the Sun still shining bright. Again we had a battle on our hands as McKay led the first 8 laps over KTM’s Ethan Martens. Eventually Hayden grew tired and dropped back into a smooth second place ahead of King on the Subway Yamaha 125cc. Ethan went on to win the moto by nearly 8.5 seconds.

The third and final race and the track were cutting up. With mammoth ruts, hard pack berms and decent braking bumps, it was beginning to take its toll on the riders. Again Hayden McKay got his KTM out front and led the first 6 laps. But now his fitness came into play and he soon dropped back, outside the top three, conceding his spot to Cambridge’s Mike Cotter piloting a KX 125. Meanwhile Ethan Marten has resumed his spot at the top and was happily leading King. Ethan won followed by King and then some time later Cotter and McKay crossed the line together. Cotter stole the final spot on the podium by 0.15 of a second over Hayden, who led 22 of the 33 laps he completed over the three races.

The final results for this class are, Ethan Martens on the KTM with the top step on 70 points after a 3-1-1. Damien King 3 points back on 67 after posting 1-3-2 results and Christchurch’s Hayden McKay in third on 62 points after 3-3-4 results.

Look out for more results as the motocross circus heads north to Rotorua for Round Two of the 2009 Demon Energy NZ Motocross Championship, Held on the 18^th of October.

Ryan Burrows

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