A come-from-behind ride by Mount Maunganui Honda hero Cody Cooper was the talk of the day at Taupo on Saturday.
Cooper came on strong at the fourth and final round of the Mazda and DRD magazine-sponsored 2017 New Zealand Motocross Championships, overturning a one-point deficit and eventually winning the premier MX1 title by a convincing, if somewhat flattering, 32 points.
The defending national MX1 champion lost his series lead for the first time in round three of the series near Palmerston North a fortnight ago - slipping from 13 points in front to one point behind Australian rival Dean Ferris (Yamaha).
However, he was back to his best on Saturday, winning the day and retaking the lead and the championship title with it.
It was his fifth consecutive national MX1 title win and his sixth in total, adding to the two MX2 (250cc) titles he won in previous seasons and reinforced the 33-year-old's status as the best motocross racer in New Zealand.