Motorsport: Pukekohe clubs the opposition

They didn't win a single race out of 12 attempts but consistency paid huge dividends for the Pukekohe Motorcycle Club riders, allowing them to take the main prize at the inaugural Battle of the Clubs Motocross in Taupo on Saturday.

Host club Taupo finished runners-up and the Bay of Plenty Motorcycle Club took third spot on the podium.

The six-rider Pukekohe team - Evan Hood (85cc), Brandon Tipene (junior 125), Liam Underwood (junior MX2), Josh Jack (MX2), Blake Gillard (MX1) and Tony Cooksley (veterans' class) - produced solid results right across the board with its riders finishing among the top 10 in all but two races.

Each contestant rode twice and, with only 10 of the 12 results to be counted, Pukekohe was able to discard Hood's 10th placing in the 85cc/junior MX2 race and to throw out Cooksley's 15th placing in the MX1/vets battle.

In the final analysis, Pukekohe beat Taupo by just nine points.

Four standouts on Saturday were Taupo's Brad Groombridge, who won both the MX1/vets race and the MX1/MX2 race; Cambridge's Damien King, who twice finished runner-up to Groombridge; Hamilton's Jesse Wiki, who won the MX2/Vets race and placed sixth in the MX1/MX2 race; and the Patetonga Motorcycle Club's Broc Martens, who won both the junior MX2/junior 125 and junior 125/85cc races.

"I grew up racing on this track so I know it like the back of my hand," said Groombridge, who now lives in Hawera.

"We (the Taupo club) had a very strong team today, with quality in all the classes and that put us on the podium. My teammates - Nick Saunders (MX2), Bevan Weal (veterans), Hadleigh Knight (85cc), Dion Picard (junior 125) and Ryan Knight (junior MX2) - were fantastic."

The event - a fundraiser to help send New Zealand's three-rider team to the annual Motocross of Nations, the "Olympic Games of motocross", in Colorado this September - was a huge success, raising about $10,000 through team entry fees, spectator admission and by selling raffle tickets.

Motorcycling New Zealand motocross commissioner Bryan Davidson, of Marton, was all smiles at the end of the day.

"This has been a fantastic day and I know we can build it and grow the event from here.

"It was a great initiative from the Taupo club and I know everybody was impressed."

Just as in the Motocross of Nations event, from which Saturday's event was modelled, riders were allocated one point for a win, two for finishing runner-up and three for third, and so forth, with the winning team outright determined by the lowest score. A non finish cost the rider's team 40 points.

Standings
(lowest score the best):

1. Pukekohe Motorcycle Club 62 points;

2. Taupo MCC 71;

3. Bay of Plenty MCC 104;

4. Manawatu Orion MCC 116;

5. Christchurch Offroad MCC 118;

6. South Waikato MCC 132;

7. Cambridge MCC 141;

8. Rotorua MCC 142;

9. Patetonga MCC 156;

10. Gold Coast MCC 189.