BikeSport: Cody Cooper chasing third grand prix win

Mount Maunganui's Cody Cooper has set his sights on another victory at the Woodville GP this weekend.Pictures / Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Rider out to join the elite, writes Andy McGechan

Cody Cooper will come up against some top riders.

It's tough when you have a big No1 plastered over the front and sides of your motorcycle - everyone has you in their gun sights and wants to take that title away from you.

Bay of Plenty's national MX1 motocross champion Cody Cooper can feel the pressure, although it's something he's become accustomed to over the past few years.

The man from Mount Maunganui won the New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville last year and then went on to successfully defend his national MX1 crown during the four-round New Zealand Motocross Championships that followed soon after and he sees no reason why he can't repeat that string of successes this season too, starting with the 54th annual Honda-sponsored Woodville GP this weekend.

However, the chances of him doing just that are perhaps a little bit slimmer this time around - he is still on the comeback from injury and the men lining up against him are going faster than ever before, not to mention that a number of hot international stars are also entered for the popular Woodville event.

Cooper won at Woodville for the first time in 2007 and he would like nothing better than to become a rare three-time winner at the iconic event.

Only five riders have won at Woodville three times or more in the past - Taranaki brothers Shayne King (an incredible nine-time Woodville winner) and Darryll King (five-time winner) Motueka's Josh Coppins (five-time winner), Tauranga's Peter Ploen (three) and Pahiatua's Ken Cleghorn (three) - and that's certainly elite company that Cooper would like to join.

Among the riders likely to challenge him the most this year will perhaps be his own Honda teammate, Rotorua's John Phillips, while there is also no doubting the threats posed by Yamaha trio Scott Columb, of Queenstown, Waitakere's Ethan Martens and Ohaupo's Campbell Bailey.

The man who finished runner-up to Cooper in the MX1 class at Woodville last season was Taupo international Brad Groombridge and, judging by this Suzuki rider's recent string of successes, he could again be Cooper's nemesis.

Groombridge's Suzuki teammate Rhys Carter won the MX1 class at the big annual Whakatane Summercross just after Christmas and so he too will be a contender.

The 31-year-old Cooper will also have to face the power-packed potency of international riders such as Japanese Yamaha ace Yu Hirata, American Kawasaki rider Eric Senk and Australians Kirk Gibbs (KTM), Luke Styke (KTM), Jacob Wright (Yamana) and Jayden Conforto (Suzuki).

Instead of the under-21, 125cc and MX2 (250cc) class riders being incorporated into the all-capacities Invitation Feature Race, where they were very likely to be swallowed up by riders on the vastly more powerful 300cc and 450cc bikes, the younger 125cc and MX2 riders will again battle exclusively among themselves in their own race.

The Roddy Shirriffs Memorial Trophy is the prize that awaits the winner here and plenty of very talented individuals are capable of surprising.

Australian visitors Jay Wilson, Caleb Ward, Tomas Ravenhost and Hunter Lawrence, along with Britain's Rob Holyoak, are among the favourites.

Rotorua's Mike Phillips won the MX2 class at Whakatane and this puts him firmly into contention, with other riders such as Hamilton's Josiah Natzke, Taupo's Cam Dillon, Rotorua's Scott Canham, Ngatea's Ben Broad, Te Puke's Logan Blackburn, Hamilton's Jesse Wiki, Dunedin's Campbell King, Oamaru's Joel Meikle, Otorohanga's Hayden Kanters and Taupo's Cohen Chase also sure to be in the running.

Racing over the two days caters for minis, juniors, women and veterans, with the novelty river race on Sunday always a crowd-pleaser.