KIWI RIDER 02 2019 VOL.1 | Page 85

RICHARD SUTTON, A TOP NATIONAL XC RACER MAKING HIS MX NATIONALS DEBUT IN THE 125CC CLASS 125 In the 125cc class battles, it was another three-rider tussle, with Harwood this time dominating completely, scoring a hat-trick of wins, while Tauranga’s Brodie Connolly and Ngatea’s Ben Broad fought over the No.2 posi- tion. Connolly eventually took the overall runner-up spot, nine points behind Harwood, with KTM’s Broad settling for third on the day. “It was a great day. I still need to sort out my starts, because I am not happy with them ... which is kind of funny to say that because I grabbed a couple of holeshots today. “I have the strength and the fitness to come through the pack when I start poorly and I made a lot of good passes early in the races, but I just really need to ensure I’m up front from the start. “By the time I came through the field in the first two races, either Purvis or Todd were too far gone for me to both catch and overtake. I had a couple of nibbles at them, but not enough and it was pretty sketchy on this track, slippery and rough. “I feel I’m stronger than I was last year. Me and Brodie had a couple of good battles, and passed each other a few times, but it was safe.” Round two of the 2019 Fox New Zealand Mo- tocross Championships is set for Rotorua on February 17. Round three follows at Pukekohe on February 24 and, finally, the nationals wrap up at Taupo on March 10. KIWI RIDER 85