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Impressive form ensured Michael Cotter successfully defended his national 250cc title at the New Zealand senior motocross championships at Mosgiel this weekend.
Cotter, of Cambridge, took top honours in all but one of the six races during round two of the championship, with Stacey Oldeman, of Te Puke, ruining a perfect record with victory in race five.
Staging a galiant comeback after a four year break from the sport, Oldeman was delighted to secure second overall, 22 points clear of Rotorua\'s Cameron Negus.
Winning more races than any other rider during the fixture, Cotter was thrilled to retain the number one plate, although admitted it came with increased pressure.
``It\'s the pressure you put on yourself and everyone looking at you on the line just because you have number one on your plate,\'\' Cotter said.
While Cotter failed to also retain his 500cc crown, the defending champion was not disappointed.
``To be perfectly honest I\'m not _ it\'s a bit of a relief really because I haven\'t got two championships to defend next year.
``It was awesome to win two championships last year but to defend them, as people say, is a lot harder.\'\'
Featherston\'s Corrie Sargent secured his first national senior title, holding off strong challenges from Australia\'s Jamie Cunningham and Negus who placed second and third respectively in the 500cc event.
The hotly contested class provided spectacular racing, with Sargent winning the opening two races on Saturday to create a worthy buffer on the points table.
``I did all the hard work on day one and I just wanted to keep the thing on two wheels today,\'\' Sargent said.
In the 125cc class, Andrew Hardisty\'s unbeaten run after round one ended on the demanding Mosgiel course, with 15-year-old Australian wonder Brett Metcalfe securing two wins, and Cameron Laird, of Stratford, and Peter Bloxholme, of Tauranga, claiming one each.
However, it was not enough to deny Hardisty a deserved overall victory, finishing 19 points clear of Metcalfe. Laird secured thrid overall.
``Once I knew I had a buffer I just cruised because there\'s no point busting a gut,\'\' Hardisty said.
Invercargill\'s Jason Feaver was in blistering form, securing a few holeshots, and earned 10th overall for his efforts in the 250cc class. Queenstown\'s Lachlan Columb also impressed to finish 13th overall.
Balclutha\'s Dean Bond earned 7th in the 500cc class, followed by Derek Henderson, also of Balclutha, in 11th and Te Anau\'s Butch Sproull and Russell Murdoch 13th and 14th respectively.
Results:
125cc:
Andrew Hardisty 209pts; Brett Metcalfe 190; Cameron Laird 170; Luke Burkhart (Masterton) 136; Ben Harding (Napier) 134; Peter Broxholme (Tauranga) 133; Jonathon Burkhart (Masterton) 112; Nigel Smith (Drury) 111; Kelvin Ferguson (Auckland) 76; Brad Thomas (Motueka) 64; Nathan McAlwee (Mosgiel) 56; Brad Norton (Christchurch) 46; Richard Anderson (New Plymouth) 42; Chris Penny (Hamilton) 39; Quinton McKay (Christchurch) 34; Dwayne Rameka (Hamilton) 12; Damian Fogarty (Gisborne) 3; Daniel Willemson (Wanganui) 2; Daniel Shallcrass (Nelson) 1; Brendon Fogarty (Gisborne) 1; Nick McKenzie (Balclutha) 1.
250cc:
Michael Cotter 231; Stacey Oldeman 192; Cameron Negus 170; Chris Maitland (Auckland) 148; Mark Penny (Hamilton) 127; Darren Capill (Taupo) 120; Paul Whilby (Pahiatua) 98; Bryan Heaphy (Nelson) 98; Henry Devereux (Dunedin) 94; Jason Feaver (Invercargill) 45; Cameron Smith (Hikurangi) 38; Ben Thomasen (Waihi) 32; Lachlan Colomb (Queenstown) 32; Aaron Fitzgerald (Nelson) 26; Tom Twist (Hawkes Bay) 26; Justin Flett (Outram) 23; Brad Norton (Christchurch) 20; Shaun Fredrickson (Raetihi) 19; Kaelib Hansen (Whangarei) 9; Ian Fishlock (Auckland) 8; Larry Blair (Taranaki) 7; Nick Prescott (Hikuai) 7; Marty Horton (Alexandra) 1; Jolian Hennessy (Mosgiel) 1.
500cc:
Corrie Sargent 200; Jamie Cunningham 193; Cameron Negus 187; Michael Cotter (Cambidge) 166; Jeff Hagensen (Waiuku) 129; Dean Baird (Christchurch) 124; Dean Bond (Balclutha) 99; Mark Meadows (Christchurch) 98; Antony Roundtree (Wanganui) 76; Mathew Squire (Timaru) 64; Derek Henderson (Balclutha) 59; Steven Turner (Timaru) 53; Butch Sproull (Te Anau) 38; Russell Murdoch (Te Anau) 25; Shaun Bourke (Cambridge) 19; Brendon Cornish (Alexandra) 14; Tim Black (Alexandra) 13; Shane Shanks (Invercargill) 6; Mark Henderson (Marton) 4; Bruce Davidson (Alexandra) 3; Andrew Scott (Timaru) 2.
