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The first round of the Manawatu MotoCross champs, held at the Taikorea MotoCross circuit on Sunday 5th August was a big day for the Castrol Honda Red Riders.
Senior 125 rider Cody Cooper was in awesome form at the head of a class field, riding away from the YZ250Fs of Leon Andrews and Cameron Laird. This was an exceptional performance considering the sandy terrain which favoured the four-strokes.
In the 250 class, new team member Cam Smith, who has joined the Red Riders to replace Paul Whibley when Paul heads to the USA in late August for their Grand National cross-country series, raced shoulder-to-shoulder with both Whibley and Ben Harding. The three Red Riders traded places on the podium in all three races.
The open 500 class was a sensation, with Whibley riding the HRC XR400, and winning the day on points ahead of Ben Harding, who was riding a CR500 for the first time. It was a strong field, which included KTM’s Mitch Rowe and Manawatu ace James Robinson (now riding the Yamaha YZ426).
Race team manager Dave Borlase said ‘the Manawatu club always puts on a great event and the innovation they have shown with the use of timing transponders and their usual good organisation made for a great first round of the series. Motorcycle legend Tim Gibbes has been instrumental in the implementation of on-bike transponders for lap scoring. Tim’s vision has made the process of running an event such as this more enjoyable for everyone.’
