Yamaha Motor New Zealand Motocross Championship kicks off at The Sandpit in Southland

Teams, supporters, riders and their families will be heading to the deep south this week, as they prepare for the opening round of the Yamaha Motor New Zealand Motocross Championship near Invercargill on Sunday.

Hosted by the Southland Motorcycle Club (SMCC), the Otatara-based event will be held at the track named The Sandpit – located at 29 Pit Road, Oreti Beach.

Motorcycling New Zealand Operations Manager Vicky Hicks says this will be the club’s debut hosting a senior national championship round.

“Southland Motorcycle Club are well accustomed to holding major events and we are sure they will do a great job. We are looking forward to seeing the country’s top riders battle it out in the Southland sand on Sunday!”

SMCC Club President Bill Moffatt says the club “couldn’t be more excited to welcome riders from all over the country, including some of New Zealand’s top and factory backed teams, to our very own track.”

“While this is a first for NZMX at The Sandpit, SMCC are no strangers to running national level events and we pride ourselves on doing them to the highest standard. You can count on Southland to put on a round to remember. So, gather your crew, and get ready for an epic weekend of full throttle motocross action!”

Altherm JCR Yamaha Team Manager Josh Coppins says his team have been kept busy with the 2026 Yamaha Motor New Zealand-sponsored championship starting early in the season.

“The first two November rounds fall not too long after our 2026 Yamaha bikes arrived. Although it has put us under a bit of pressure, we have had good preparation. Our Altherm JCR Yamaha riders are happy, healthy and ready to go.”

“We are excited to kick the championship off and feel like we are in a really good place,” Coppins says.

He has a full quota of riders, with defending MX1 champion Mangakino’s Maximum Purvis – fit from his recent Huka Honda MX Fest victory – and top MX2 contender James Scott (Oparau) returning from injury. Joining these two highflyers this season is Karaka-based Hayden Draper, who will be aboard a Yamaha YZ250F.

Chasing Purvis hard in the top-tier category will be Huntly’s Honda rider Josiah Natzke on a CRF450R and Jack Treloar (Balclutha), riding a KTM 350SXF. Some trans-Tasman rivalry will be created by Ryley Fitzpatrick, who hails from Brisbane, and is riding a KTM machine.

In the MX2 class there will no doubt be some fierce battles for supremacy between the two Altherm JCR Yamaha riders and the 2025 reigning champion, Tauranga’s Madoc Dixon (Kawasaki KX250F).

Like Draper, Auckland’s Jack Ellingham has also stepped up from a 125cc bike to ride a Honda CRF250R in MX2. And there’s no discounting veteran legend Cody Cooper – returning to keep the young bucks honest on his GasGas MC250.

Cutting their competitive teeth in the 125cc category, the ones to watch will be Levin’s Phoenix Van Dusschoten and Waipukurau rider Carson Carroll, who steps into the Senior Championship for the first time this year.

Also racing this weekend will be the ‘weekend warriors’ contesting the non-championship MX3 class and the youngsters racing in the MX85 Cup.

The Women’s Motocross Championship will join for the final two rounds in the North Island. However, in the interests of maintaining race-readiness, the 2025 runner-up female rider Mikayla Griffiths is bringing her Yamaha YZ250F down from Taupo to compete in the MX3 class. Local lady Bonnie Pagan will join her, riding her Husqvarna FC250 on her Invercargill home track.

Making it easier on the teams travelling from up north, the Yamaha Motor New Zealand Motocross Championship’s second round will be held just under two hours up the road in Balclutha, the following Saturday, November 22.

Gates open from 9am this Sunday. Entry is $20 per person, with under 15-year-olds free.

CAPTION: Mangakino-based defending MX1 champion, Altherm JCR Yamaha rider Maximus Purvis will be charging hard in the top-level category when the Yamaha Motor New Zealand Motocross Championship roars into life at The Sandpit, near Invercargill, on Sunday. PHOTO CREDIT: DEREK MORRISON PHOTOGRAPHY

2025/2026 Yamaha Motor New Zealand Motocross Championship calendar:

Round 1 16 November 2025 – Invercargill

Round 2 22 November 2025 – Balclutha

Round 3 21 February 2026 – Tauranga

Round 4 28 February 2026 – Rotorua