Motorsport: Cody Cooper extends championship lead

Honda's Cody Cooper (1) gets the break on the MX1 field chased by Hamilton's Jesse Wiki (623). Photo/Greg Henderson

Defending champion Cody Cooper (Papamoa) extended his lead as the 2014 New Zealand Motocross Championship raced to its halfway point at Tokoroa on Sunday.

The MX1 (450cc) champ rode with a little in reserve on a revamped Amisfield track he described as "demanding and technical" with the conditions denting the title hopes of several challengers in the smaller capacity classes.

Cooper was unbeaten in the three races and now holds a 21-point lead over Scotland's Billy MacKenzie (Yamaha) with two of four rounds completed.

His unbeaten effort at Tokoroa gives him five wins and a third from the six national races. He has no intention of changing his approach in the two weeks before round three at Pukekohe.

Taupo's Brad Groombridge riding for the Mt Maunganui-based Suzuki team was the MX1 runner-up at Tokoroa while MacKenzie was third.

Contenders fell by the wayside in the 125cc class as Hamilton's Josiah Natzke (KTM) raced to the round win and grabbed the series lead.

It was tough day for Te Puke's Logan Blackburn (Yamaha) and Omokoroa's Aaron Wiltshier (KTM) who had been first and third respectively after the Timaru series opener.

Across the first jump of the second moto Blackburn and Wiltshier touched in mid-air and both crashed. Wiltshier dislocated a shoulder and was out for the day. Blackburn remounted and was third.

Blackburn crashed while leading in moto three and is third in series but trails Natzke by 35. Wiltshier is fourth.

Atiamuri's Hadleigh Knight (KTM) finished second and Tauranga's Ryan Metz (Yamaha) was third.

The MX2 class produced three different race winners but it was Mangakino's Kayne Lamont (Husqvarna) who extended his lead in the series.

Aucklander Hamish Dobbyn (KTM) won the third moto and was second overall ahead of Australian Jay Wilson (Yamaha).

Mount Maunganui's Rhys Carter (Suzuki) was third fastest in qualifying and was looking to move up the MX2 leaderboard after a big crash at Timarubut is now 10th in the standings.

Round three of the Nationals is at the Harrisville track near Pukekohe on March 9.

NZ Motocross Nationals

(After round 2 of 4):

MX1 (450cc): 1 Cody Cooper (Papamoa) Honda, 145pts; 2 Billy MacKenzie (Scotland) Yamaha, 124pts; 3= Ford Dale (Australia) KTM, Brad Groombridge (Taupo) Suzuki and Kirk Gibbs (Australia) KTM, 110pts.

MX2 (250cc): 1 Kayne Lamont (Mangakino) Husqvarna, 141pts; 2 Hamish Dobbyn (Auckland) KTM, 114pts; 3 Scott Columb (Queenstown) Yamaha 112pts; 4 Jay Wilson (Australia) Yamaha, 111pts; 5 Hamish Harwood (Takaka) KTM, 97pts.

125cc: 1 Josiah Natzke (Hamilton) KTM, 139pts; 2 Hadleigh Knight (Mangakino) KTM, 119pts; 3 Logan Blackburn (Te Puke) Yamaha, 104pts; 4 Aaron Wiltshier (Tauranga) KTM, 82pts; 5 Beau Yandle (Morrinsville) 81pts.