He sustained deep bruising to his backside after
a horrifying crash at the Honda New Zealand
Motocross Grand Prix in late January, just one
week before the nationals kicked off at Balclutha.
He stunned everyone when he showed up at
Balclutha regardless, rode bravely and produced
a 5-4-16 score-card that day.
He continued on through the series, scoring
a runner-up result in one race at Rotorua,
and consistently finished fourth in the other
races, good enough for fourth overall for
the championship.
Martens crashed during qualifying at round
three at Fernhill and injured his shoulder, the
28-year-old truck driver commenting that he
was “lucky to be able to carry on riding”.
He battled throughout the series with a
tenacious Brad Groombridge (Kea Trailers
Suzuki RM-Z450) and managed to chip away at
earning solid points with fifth and sixth placings,
28 KIWI RIDER
thoroughly deserving his eventual No.5 ranking.
Martens had raced his way to seventh overall in
the MX2 (250cc) class last year.
Gibbs was naturally thrilled to be able to repeat
his MX1 title win of 2018.
“I really enjoy racing in New Zealand,” he said.
“It wasn’t just me and Cody this year either,
it was Hamish too. I’m just happy to sort out
my weaknesses and get stronger. This was
good preparation for me for the nationals in
Australia, although the Coronavirus may upset
that competition.
“I might go home and have to put my feet up or
be in quarantine.” he laughed.
Cooper was magnanimous and gracious
in defeat, paying tribute to his rival from
overseas, but the Kiwi hero also vowed to win
back the title next season. “My grandfather
died this week and so I didn’t do much riding
leading up to Taupo. I had other things on my