2026 Honda New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville
CAPTION: Dedicated mums and dads do their best to help out the young ones as the mini motocross brigade, perhaps to become senior and international champions of the future, struggled with slushy conditions at Woodville on Saturday. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
JANUARY 26, 2026: It doesnât happen too often, but when it does the motorcycling community sits up and takes notice.
The 63rd annual Honda New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville fell victim to the torrential onslaught of rain at the weekend, with organisers forced to cancel the main drawcard of the two-day programme, the senior racing classes, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Sadly, this wasnât the first time that this legendary event at Woodville, the largest and most prestigious motocross in the Southern Hemisphere, has been brought down by Mother Nature, with the event also cancelled in 2023 due to heavy flooding and cancelled too when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2022.
It was not quite as tragic this time around, however, as the youngest phalanx of racers, the mini motocross brigade â with riders aged between four and 11 years â did manage to complete two races on Saturday, albeit in extremely trying conditions.
Meanwhile, on the nearby junior circuit, where riders aged between eight and 16 were lining up to race following their practice and qualifying sessions on Saturday, host Manawatu Orion Motorcycle Club (MOMCC) officials decided that, âin the interests of safetyâ, junior racing would not go ahead.
It was a nervous wait for many as dark clouds continued to roll in and, after further downpours on Saturday night, the club had no option but to cancel Sundayâs senior programme.
As MOMCC president Brad Ritchie explained: âRider safety comes first and, unfortunately, the track conditions did not allow racing for the juniors and the veterans on Saturday or the senior men, the senior women or the river race exponents on Sunday.
âWe know how disappointing this is for everyone involved, but the weather did not play ball.
âWe are grateful for everyoneâs response to it all. We thank them immensely for their patience and understanding through a very difficult week. Thanks also to our sponsors and partners who have stood by us through these challenging times.âÂ
From a purely academic point of the view, the 2026 edition of the Honda New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville did go ahead, albeit for the mini racers only, so it will go into the record books as the 63rd running.
Since the stand-alone event was first staged in 1961, the Woodville event has grown to become the jewel in the crown for New Zealand motocross and an attempt may be made to run the GP title races in conjunction with another event at a later date.
Credit: Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
A high-resolution copy of the attached image is available for publication, for editorial use only, simply by contacting phone 027-324-0892. As regards web site use, credit for words & photo must be given to Andy McGechan and BikesportNZ.com
Code No. MNZ-AM1118
