He backed that up by easily winning his men’s 35 - 39 age group class at the 2022 New Zealand Veterans’ and Women’s Motocross Championships near Cambridge just a week later.
Cooper then dominated the Waikato Motocross Championships series in December, this time opting to also race a 250cc version of his four-stroke Kawasaki, and he comfortably won both the MX1 and MX2 categories.
That’s a mighty impressive build-up to the 2023 senior New Zealand Motocross Championships, and he completed his mission over the weekend, winning the national MX2 class title with a race to spare at the final round in Taupō on Sunday.
He actually tackled the MX1 class as well, but Cooper was forced here to settle for the third step on the podium, beaten to the chequered flag in that class by Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis and Auckland’s Hamish Harwood.
The vastly experienced Cooper was one of only three riders brave enough to enter more than one class this season — with Harwood and Auckland-based former Taihape man Hayden Smith the others — and he was a strong contender in the MX1 class throughout the series.
“It was definitely satisfying to wrap up the MX2 title with a race to spare, because this meant I could rest, not have to line up for the final MX2 race, and save a bit of energy for the final MX1 race,” said Cooper.
He had played it smart in that penultimate race of the series.
“I had a reasonable start until everyone crashed in front of me and I got bottled up in the mess. I settled down to battle back through the field.
“I was keeping an eye on where [main MX2 class rival] Hayden Smith was, and knew that in the position he was in on the track ahead of me, in third or fourth I think, I could afford to finish seventh or eighth and still seal the title.”
Cooper finished fifth and the title was his.
“I was feeling quite fatigued this weekend, especially with doing two classes and it being back-to-back racing on Saturday and Sunday. But both bikes handle like a dream, and that helps immensely.”
If Cooper returns for another crack at winning the MX1 and MX titles next season, or perhaps if rising young Kawasaki stars such as Pukehina’s Flynn Watts, Pukekawa’s Tyler Brown, Palmerston North’s Luka Freemantle or Ōpunake woman Taylar Rampton also join him as national champions, Kawasaki could come close to reliving the famous “green sweep” the brand celebrated in 1984 when it scooped up the titles in every senior championship category available.
Meanwhile, Harwood wrapped up the 125cc class title on Sunday, and Mount Maunganui’s Roma Edwards won the women’s championship class.
