Anendra Singh
Five-year-old Cole Blake, of Napier, is "over the moon" after becoming the New Zealand motocross champion in his age-group yesterday.
The 117cm-tall rider scorched the "big and fast" dirt track in Wanganui on his KMT50 Senior machine in the four-to-five-year 50cc category event.
He was among eight Hawke's Bay Motorcycle Club riders competing in the Suzuki New Zealand Mini Motocross Championships.
"He raised his hands over his head like the champion riders do," a delighted dad, Scott Cole, said this morning from Wanganui.
"Cole won all his four races, coming first in all but it was tight competition with Gisborne's Travis Brown sitting on his tail the whole time.
"We're still in Wanganui but Cole will be going to school first thing tomorrow morning. He celebrated with his other Hawke's Bay club mates last night, sipping juice and listening to rapper Eminem's music," Scott said with a laugh.
Cole received his prize from top Kiwi motocross rider and his idol, Daryl Hurley, who competes on the American circuit.
"He got up on stage and thanked his sponsors and his mum (Tracey) and dad," Scott said.
In November last year, six-year-old Trent Palamountain beat Blake, an Arthur Miller Primary year one pupil, by half a metre to the chequered flag. But this time the 23kg Blake revved up in a field of 30 riders and did not let go until he got to the finish line.
His first brush with a quad bike was as a 14-month-old and he graduated to a Peewee (PW50) when he turned three. Riders at Wanganui were graded to the first 10 positions, with two other Bay club youngsters securing top-10 places.
Connor Fitzgerald came sixth in the 7-10 years old 60cc category while Zach Lawrence came seventh in the 7-10 years old 65cc category, in what Bay club spokeswoman Tamzin Coull described as a big field of 38 riders.
"Although some of the other kids didn't win a top-10 place they performed really well in a pretty big and fast track for little kids," Coull said.
Other Bay club riders were Jonty Birrell, Jacob Whitfield, Jesse Christison, and Matthew Henry.
Bay's small wonder hits motocross paydirt
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