Storming into Summercross

TOP CONTENDER: Honda racer Cody Cooper from Papamoa in action at Summercross 2014.PHOTO/GREG HENDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY

THE MOTOCROSS season is about to step up a gear with strong fields assembled for the 44th edition of Honda Summercross.

The BOP Motorcycle Club's annual summer holiday dirt bike spectacular is being raced December 27-28 at the Awakaponga track near Matata. About 250 junior and mini racers are in action tomorrow and a senior rider line-up that has topped the 200 mark will provide the Monday racing spectacle.

Summercross traditionally marks the point where a new motocross season begins to ramp up in intensity.

There have been Waikato and Auckland Champs raced in recent weeks but Summercross means bigger fields and a bit more at stake as riders prepare for the four round New Zealand championship starting in February.

"The first few races of the season are a bit of a warm-up," says reigning New Zealand MX1 class champ Cody Cooper from Papamoa.

"Being a Honda rider, Summercross is one of the main races for me and then it's a month till the New Zealand GP at Woodville and then we are straight into the nationals."

It's a refreshed Cooper who has started the new season strongly with Waikato and Auckland title wins with the objective of defending his national title.

"I was feeling burned out at the end of the Australian Champs so I took October off and then got back into it in November with some new motivation. And I've also started doing some rider coaching which is really enjoyable."

The MX1 grid looks like topping 30 riders with Cooper's main opposition likely to come from Motueka's Josh Coppins (Yamaha), Auckland-based Hamish Harwood (KTM) and Taupo's Brad Groombridge (Suzuki).

Mt Maunganui's Rhys Carter (Suzuki) won the Summercross MX1 contest last year and returns to defend his title.

Summercross will see the New Zealand race debut of Argentina's Joaquin Fernandez.

Fernandez and Groombridge comprise the two-rider effort from Tauranga's MC2 Racing Suzuki squad but the Argentine rider broke his collarbone in September which has delayed his Kiwi racing debut.

Fernandez, 28, is from Cordoba and has been in New Zealand for six months basing himself in Rotorua.

A former professional racer in South America, he has raced throughout Argentina and Chile and was one of the local wildcard riders at Argentina's MXGP world championship event earlier this year. There's impressive depth in the both the MX2 (250cc) and Youth MX classes with entry numbers climbing above 40 riders in both classes while Womens MX racing is continuing to gain momentum with an impressive entry of 37 riders. Leading the MX2 entry is Hamilton teenager Josiah Natzke (KTM) who returns from a successful European 125cc campaign in 2015.

His opposition will include Mangakino's Kayne Lamont (Yamaha) along with Honda riders Aaron Wiltshier (Tauranga) and Logan Blackburn (Te Puke).

The Awakaponga track challenges riders with a mix of technical and fast sections. The MX1 and MX2 titles are decided by a five race format - two pairs of 10 minute races split by a five minute interval and then a 15-minute plus two laps final.