Motorsport: Hat-tricks galore at motocross champs

Bay of Plenty's Cody Cooper is on top of the MX1 class after racing near Timaru. Photo / Andy McGechan

Timaru hosted round two of the New Zealand Motocross Championships and hat-tricks were the order of the day.

With the four-round JT Racing-sponsored series now at the halfway stage, it is Mount Maunganui's Cody Cooper (Honda, MX1), Australian Jay Wilson (Yamaha, MX2) and Hamilton's Josiah Natzke (KTM, 125) who lead the respective championship classes, following the racing at Pleasant Point, near Timaru.

The third round of the national series will be held in Rotorua on Sunday, March 8.

Defending MX1 champion Cooper had failed to fire at the opening round in Taranaki a fortnight ago, but he was back to his sublime best at Timaru on Sunday, finishing the day unbeaten, with his Honda teammate John Phillips finishing runner-up each time.

Rotorua's Phillips had been third overall at the start of the day but, apart from being unable to beat the enigmatic Cooper, he was more than a match for his MX1 rivals on Sunday.

Cooper has elevated himself from fourth after round one to now lead the standings, three points better off than Phillips, with Australian KTM rider Kirk Gibbs in third.

The round-one winner in the class, Queenstown Yamaha rider Scott Columb, crashed during practice early in the day and this may explain why he did not dominate as he had in Taranaki. It was a similar story for Wilson in the MX2 (250cc) class and for Natzke in the 125cc class, both riders also scoring hat-tricks on Sunday.

The MX2 class leader after round one, Wilson now leads new No2 rider Hamish Harwood (KTM), of Takaka, by 20 points.

Defending 125cc champion Natzke moved up one position to claim the No1 spot in the class and is 11 points ahead of round-one winner Cohen Chase (Yamaha), of Taupo.

Round three is set for Rotorua with the fourth and final round at Pukekohe on March 15.

-Standings

(After Round 2)

MX1 class: 1. Cody Cooper (Mount Maunganui, Honda) 124 points; 2. John Phillips (Rotorua, Honda) 121; 3. Kirk Gibbs (Australia, KTM) 114; 4. Kade Mosig (Australia, Yamaha) 101.

MX2 class: 1. Jay Wilson (Australia, Yamaha) 140; 2. Hamish Harwood (Takaka, KTM) 120; 3. Micah McGoldrick (Amberley, Honda) 105; 4. Scotty Canham (Rotorua, Kawasaki) 85.

125cc class: 1. Josiah Natzke (Hamilton, KTM) 138; 2. Cohen Chase (Taupo, Yamaha) 127; 3. Ben Broad (Ngatea, KTM) 118; 4. Kurtis Lilly (Karaka, Husqvarna) 104.