NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Motorsport

Motocross: Hat trick of wins marks season start

By Andy McGechan
NZ Herald·
12 Nov, 2013 04:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Cody Cooper says he was taking things easy at Te Kuiti, but he still won three races. Photo / Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Cody Cooper says he was taking things easy at Te Kuiti, but he still won three races. Photo / Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Cody Cooper dominated at Waikato champs, writes Andy McGechan

Six wins from six starts: the Honda Shop Racing Team's debut outing at the Waikato Motocross Championships could not have been more impressive.

National MX1 champion Cody Cooper, of Mt Maunganui, surprised nobody with his dominant performance on the Honda CRF450 at Te Kuiti, scoring a hat-trick of wins and ominously looking increasingly comfortable as the day wore on.

Even so, the event was really only a warm-up ride for Cooper.

"I've had a month off racing [since representing New Zealand at the Motocross of Nations in Germany in September] and so I didn't really want to push things today," said Cooper afterwards.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It was really just my first day of proper training for the season ahead. I just wanted to get used to the bike and get suspension and other settings sorted."

If Cooper was "taking things easy" at the Waikato champs, then his rivals must now realise they have some work to do and they'll need to be much sharper if they are going to challenge Cooper when the New Zealand Motocross Championships kick off in Timaru in February.

Runner-up to Cooper in the MX1 class was Waikato's Jesse Wiki (Waikato Scaffolders KTM 450), with Atiamuri's Dion Picard (JT Racing Kawasaki KX450F) taking the third step of the podium.

With no rider yet selected to ride the MX2 (250cc) class for the Honda Shop Racing Team, team manager Ben Townley spontaneously decided that "the track looked too good today not to go riding" himself and so he kitted up and proceeded to win all three MX2 races at the Te Kuiti circuit.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I only decided to ride this morning," said the former world champion, making just a rare appearance, since he had actually announced his retirement from fulltime racing back in March.

Runner-up to Townley in the MX2 class was Taupo's Nick Saunders (Team Green Kawasaki KX250F), with Rotorua's Scotty Canham (BikesportNZ.com Kawasaki KX250F) the No3 man on the podium.

"The main thing for the team today was to get Cody out on the bike, to see what needs still to be done before the nationals and to start chipping away at our preparation for that series," said Townley.

"Of course to get a few race wins along the way today is great too."

Discover more

Sport|motorsport

Motorsport: Special anniversary for race-car king

08 Nov 04:30 PM

Canham was equally thrilled with his showing.

The 28-year-old Saunders has opted this season to give the MX2 class a crack and his first couple of outings on the smaller bike have been very encouraging.

"The result at Te Kuiti was certainly a step in the right direction for me," said Saunders.

There is no rest for the nation's top riders, with a full calendar of events leading up to Christmas, followed by the New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville in January and then the four-round nationals starting in February.

Neither Cooper nor Townley is expected to tackle the Auckland Motocross Championships this weekend, although both the Kawasaki riders will be there, hoping to continue the momentum and again battle for outright honours.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Motorsport

Formula 1

‘It’s a new weekend’: The factor in Lawson's favour for British Grand Prix

03 Jul 09:00 PM
Formula 1

'There are always rumours': Verstappen refuses to be drawn on future

03 Jul 08:09 PM
Motorsport

'Got to dream': Paddon hopeful of launching WRC team

03 Jul 03:00 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Motorsport

‘It’s a new weekend’: The factor in Lawson's favour for British Grand Prix

‘It’s a new weekend’: The factor in Lawson's favour for British Grand Prix

03 Jul 09:00 PM

The Kiwi boasts a strong record at Silverstone before this weekend’s race.

'There are always rumours': Verstappen refuses to be drawn on future

'There are always rumours': Verstappen refuses to be drawn on future

03 Jul 08:09 PM
'Got to dream': Paddon hopeful of launching WRC team

'Got to dream': Paddon hopeful of launching WRC team

03 Jul 03:00 AM
Formula One could relocate Qatar, Abu Dhabi races if Middle East tensions rise

Formula One could relocate Qatar, Abu Dhabi races if Middle East tensions rise

02 Jul 08:05 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP