CAPTION: Christchurch’s Justin McDonald (Honda), on his way to victory at the 49th annual New Zealand Motocross GP at Woodville on Sunday. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
JANUARY 31, 2010: The weekend’s 49th annual New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville was a meeting place for champions – of the past, the present and, quite probably, the future too.
This year’s Honda-sponsored event hosted a gaggle of former and current New Zealand, Australian, American and world champion riders like never before.
But, in the end it was national MX1 motocross champion Justin McDonald (Christchurch), who stood tallest on the podium, on a muddy day cut short by persistent rain.
Organisers reduced the programme by one race per class as rising water levels in the river bisecting the venue threatened to strand riders and spectators alike.
But, even with an abbreviated schedule, the racing that did happen was worth every penny.
Honda’s McDonald was beaten to the chequered flag in both the MX1 races – those races won instead by 2004 MX2 World Motocross Champion and 2007 United States Supercross Champion Ben Townley, of Tauranga – but, significantly, it was McDonald who won the one-off feature race, the Invitation International race, therefore claiming the prized Woodville trophy.
He led Gisborne’s Shaun Fogarty (KTM) and Hamilton’s Darryll King (Yamaha) to the chequered flag in the feature race after Kawasaki’s Townley, at that stage running in second spot, succumbed to the slippery track, crashing his bike and eventually withdrawing.
“For the first three laps of the feature race I kept the throttle pinned to the stop, but when my pit signals told me Townley had crashed out, I backed it off and cruised to the win,” said McDonald.
It was certainly a consolation that Townley won both the earlier MX1 class outings earlier in the day.
The event was the Kawasaki rider’s farewell to New Zealand, the 25-year-old thrilled to be able to declare his two-year battle to recover from injury was finally over and that he was now ready to rekindle his international career.
The MX2 (250cc) class on Sunday was won by Hamilton’s Jesse Wiki (Honda), while Auckland’s James Ainsworth (KTM) won the 125cc class and also claimed the under-21 crown. King won the veteran’s class as well as finishing runner-up to Wiki in MX2 and coming home third in the feature race.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s junior racing had gone ahead in vastly contrasting conditions, dust billowing from the sun-baked Woodville terrain.
Outstanding performances on Saturday came from Rotorua’s Scott Canham (Kawasaki), Rangiora’s world junior 85cc No.8 and national 85cc motocross and supercross champion Micah McGoldrick (KTM), world junior 85cc champion Jay Wilson (Australia, KTM), Cromwell’s Sam O’Callaghan (Honda), Mangakino’s Kayne Lamont (Yamaha), national junior 125cc champion Dion Picard (Atiamuri, Suzuki), Oamaru’s Joel Miekle (Honda), Silverdale’s Claude Griffith (Yamaha) and Otago’s world junior 85cc No.6 Courtney Duncan (Yamaha).
© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com