KIWI RIDER 01 2019 VOL.2 | Page 31

COOPER MX1 Be afraid, very afraid, Bay of Plenty’s Cody Cooper is on form and he means business. The Honda star was in scintillating form at the annual King of the Mountain Motocross, the event one of the last major outings before the four-round 2019 New Zealand Motocross Championships season gets underway. Cooper (Alpinestars Motul Honda CRF450R) showed up at the Barrett Road Motocross Park facility, on the outskirts of New Plymouth, for the senior racing – the steep and tricky track already well battered from having the juniors race there the previous RIDE - UPLOAD - REVIEW day – and he wasted no time in pushing for glory in the premier MX1 category It was important that he did too, because this track is the host venue for round one of the nationals on February 3 and he knew a good performance here would set him up nicely for his New Zealand title bid. The six-time former national MX1 champion finished a close runner-up in the opening MX1 clash of the day in Taranaki, crossing the finish line just 1-6 seconds behind fellow Mount Maunganui man Rhys Carter (Yamalube Yamaha YZ450F), but he cleared away in the next two races to register a 2-1-1 scorecard for the weekend and claim the outright class win for the King of the Mountain (KoM).