Purvis described his winning the title as “unreal”.
“I’ve been working so hard and fighting all season
and it feels so good to take the win. It definitely
came down to the wire in the last race, but I
wanted that win badly. I fought through a couple
riders, then just put my foot down, went for it,
and pulled the win off.”
The only pressure on Bay of Plenty’s Brodie
Connolly at the final round was that which he had
applied to himself. The LMC Husqvarna Racing
Team rider from Tauranga showed up with one
hand already on the 125cc class crown.
With points worth two entire races up his sleeve
and just three more 125cc class races at Taupo
to wrap up the title, the mature teenager knew
that a safe and steady approach was the order
of the day.
He was entered also for the first time at this
event in the MX2 class, with an LMC Racing
Team Husqvarna FC250 four-stroke bike also
standing ready for him in pit lane, but Connolly
ME
INF
opted not to line up for the opening MX2
class race at Taupo, wanting to ensure he had
MOTOC
first completed his main order of business...
MODEL
grabbing the 125cc trophy.
He led from start to finish in the first of three
125cc class races, finishing that outing ahead
of Tauranga’s Madoc Dixon (KTM), and so it was
“job done”, the 2020 125cc national title his for
the keeping. With nine wins and three runner-
up finishes from 12 starts (three races at each
of the four rounds), there was no denying the
dominance of Connolly in the 125cc class.
“I knew I only had to finish about top 10 in my
first 125cc race to get the title,” said Connolly
afterwards. “I didn’t want anything silly to happen,
so I didn’t risk racing the MX2 class races until,
after I’d wrapped up the 125 title.”
Connolly made his senior 125cc debut in the
nationals last season, but a huge crash at the
2019 series opener saw him sidelined with a
broken leg for most of that year.
“It’s good to get the job done this year,” he said.
results
Final leading standings in the 2020 New Zealand Motocross Championships:
MX1
1. Australia’s Kirk Gibbs, 280 points
2. Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper, 276
3. Auckland’s Hamish Harwood, 244
4. Hamilton’s Kayne Lamont, 203
5. Waitakere’s Ethan Martens, 176 Under-19
1. Oparau’s James Scott, 300 points
2. Australia’s Riley Ward, 242
3. Auckland’s Cobie Bourke, 226
MX2
1. Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis, 252 points
Mount Maunganui’s Josiah Natzke, 246
3. Oparau’s James Scott, 228
4. Christchurch’s Dylan Walsh 224
5. Australia’s Caleb Ward, 188 125cc
1. Tauranga’s Brodie Connolly, 291 points
2. Tauranga’s Madoc Dixon, 229
3. Auckland’s Cobie Bourke, 213
32 KIWI RIDER