Downpours sink Woodville MX Grand Prix

Floodwaters reached their peak at about 2pm on Saturday.

Organisers of the 61st New Zealand MX Grand Prix at Woodville on January 28-29 were devastated by the weather bomb which hit early Saturday morning, forcing them to cancel that day’s racing and then Sunday’s as the track became submerged.

Brad Ritchie, president of the Manawatu Orion Motorcycle Club and the event organiser, said they became concerned with the weather late Friday night.

After seeing the rain on the radar and hearing from landowner Tony Kuriger about the likely behaviour of the stream, they decided to evacuate the low-lying pit area at 2am Saturday, moving 200 tents and bases to higher land and cancelling the day’s racing.

As the rain deluged the site, it gradually became flooded to a point where the track was buried in water, surrounding pastures - even on the higher slopes – turned to mud and even if racing had been possible, no spectators could have made it in. As it was, numerous vehicles had to be towed.

Much of the track was still under water on Sunday.

Brad said they are particularly shattered for the riders, as 580 had pre-registered including some from Australia, Austria and the best Kiwis such as Cody Cooper, Hamish Harwood and Maximus Purvis, with the potential for more to roll up on the day.

He said the sponsors have also missed out in a big way, particularly Blue Wing Honda celebrating 50 years in New Zealand and Sky Sport Next was planning to cover the event.

Particularly gutting, Brad said, is that last year the event was cancelled due to Covid-19. This means it is the second year that the southern hemisphere’s largest motocross event has been cancelled, on this occasion due to weather for the first time in its history.

Nevertheless, as his team worked hard to clear the site on Sunday the club was planning next year’s event. “Planning usually starts from the dropping of the chequered flag on the previous event,” he said

Ironically, Sunday at 2pm was perfect atmospherically for racing – sunny, not too hot, dry – but with the water on the track still three-four metres, competitors would have been better off with jet skis or at least a snorkel.