As the dust settled on the Yamaha Motor New Zealand Motocross Championship’s third round at the challenging Tect Park track at Tauranga on Saturday, the three main class leaders had held onto their top spots.
Across the MX1, MX2 and 125cc categories fierce battles were fought in each moto but the frontrunners from Round 2 three months ago demonstrated the summer break had not dampened their racing fire.
Altherm JCR Yamaha MX1 rider Maximus Purvis, of Mangakino, was not bested in any of the three motos on the bumpy, rutted track, maintaining his unbeaten streak across the three rounds.
Purvis’ main rival was international visitor Kyle Webster, the current Australian MX1 450 champion, who has come across from Australia to contest the final two rounds of the New Zealand Championship. He finished runner-up in all three motos.
Purvis described his trio of wins as a “real good day for me.”
“I was really happy with how I rode and my fitness was sweet as too,” he says.
He now has a commanding points lead of 35 points going into this weekend’s final round in Rotorua.
Honda rider Huntly’s Josiah Natzke was third for the weekend but holds second in the MX1 championship.
The MX2 category was more of a mixed bag with different winners in each of the three motos. Australian KTM rider Caleb Ward took the first moto victory, with Flynn Watts winning the second and eventual round winner, Yamaha rider Hayden Draper, from Karaka, claiming the third race’s chequered flag.
Draper, who crashed in the first moto, says his Tauranga-based round was “up and down for me with third in qualifying then 5-2-1 moto scores for the overall.”
Draper has a slender 2-point lead in the championship over Ward, with Oparau’s James Scott still holding third but he has slipped back 9 points behind Ward. However, with only 11 points separating the top three, and riders like Watts and Madoc Dixon in the podium-scoring mix, this Saturday’s final round is set to be a scorcher.
GasGas rider Phoenix Van Dusschoten, of Levin, went 1-2-1 in the 125cc lass to extend his championship lead to 23 points over Waipukurau Yamaha rider Carson Carroll. The round podium was wrapped up by local lad Arama TeWhetu, of Tauranga, who holds the same spot in the championship, 25 points adrift of second.
The Women’s Championship raced for the first time this season – after the opening round at the Woodville GP was cancelled due to weather – and defending champion Karaitina Horne was on fire. She won all three motos comprehensively, with her rivals finishing at least 20 seconds behind her each time.
Yamaha rider Amie Roberts was runner-up and sits 16 points behind Horne, and Hannah Perris is a further three points back in third. The women’s racing will wrap up this weekend along with the rest of the Yamaha Motor New Zealand Motocross Championship.
Motorcycling New Zealand Operations Manager Vicky Hicks says: “Round 3 has set the stage perfectly for an exciting finale, with the points incredibly tight across all classes. It really is anyone’s championship heading into the final round.”
“It was great to see international riders lining up against New Zealand’s best, raising the level of competition and delivering some outstanding racing. A huge thank you to the Tauranga Motorcycle Club, the many volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes and our valued sponsors for making the event possible. And of course, to the riders and teams – without your commitment and passion, there simply is no championship.”
The country’s riders, teams and mechanics will have a busy week preparing their motocross bikes to take on the season’s last three title-deciding motos at Rotorua’s Motorcycle Club’s Motocross Track on Saturday.
The final round of the Yamaha Motor New Zealand Motocross Championship will be held at the Rotorua Motocross Track at SH30 Horohoro on Saturday February 28.
Gates open
CAPTION: Altherm JCR Yamaha’s star rider Maximus Purvis dominated the MX1 category at the third round of the Yamaha Motor New Zealand Motocross Championship and extended his unbeaten streak to nine motos this season. PHOTO CREDIT: DEREK MORRISON
NZMX CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS – ROUND THREE:
MX1
1st Maximus Purvis – 75
2nd Kyle Webster – 66
3rd Josiah Natzke – 60
MX2
1st Hayden Draper – 63
2nd Caleb Ward – 61
3rd Flynn Watts – 58
MX125
1st Phoenix van Dusschoten – 72
2nd Carson Carroll – 69
3rd Arama TeWhetu – 58
MX3 Cup
1st Mischa Wenk (YZ250F) – 75
2nd Morgan Berry – 57
3rd Alex Bennett – 56
MXW
1st Karaitiana Horne – 75
2nd Amie Roberts – 59
3rd Hannah Perris – 56
NZMX CHAMPIONSHIP OVERALL RESULTS (R1, R2 & R3):
MX1
1st Maximus Purvis – 225
2nd Josiah Natzke – 190
3rd Jack Symon – 162
MX2
1st Hayden Draper – 184
2nd Caled Ward – 182
3rd James Scott – 173
MX125
1st Phoenix van Dusschoten – 219
2nd Carson Carroll – 196
3rd Arama TeWhetu – 161
WMX
1st Karaitiana Horne – 75
2nd Amie Roberts – 59
3rd Hannah Perris – 56
Catherine Pattison
Yamaha Motor New Zealand Motorsport Media
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