Mount Maunganui's Cody Cooper has again won the New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix title, although he had to work hard to repeat the feat this time around.
Cooper rode a Honda to collect his first big win at the annual New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville in 2007, and rode a Suzuki to come close to winning it a second time last season, before being forced to settle for second place, behind Tauranga international Ben Townley (Honda).
But then 2012 and 2013 Woodville GP winner Townley retired from full-time racing last year and immediately took on the job as manager of The Honda Shop Racing Team, his first order of business being to recruit former rival Cooper to join him under the red Honda awning.
The changed dynamics this season certainly made national MX1 champion Cooper favourite to step up and reclaim the top step of the podium at this 53rd annual running of the iconic Honda-sponsored Woodville event.
With the four-round nationals set to kick off near Timaru in just under two weeks, 30-year-old Cooper's mission at the weekend was to send a signal to his rivals by winning the top two titles at Woodville, the MX1 class title and the Invitation MX GP Feature Race.