KIWI RIDER 07 2018 VOL.1 | Page 77

WORDS & PHOTOS Andy McGechan/bikesportnz.com MOTOCROSS BATTLE OF THE CLUBS Winning the “ultimate club day” means the Cambridge Motorcycle Club must be the ultimate club. he Cambridge Motorcycle Club created history in Taupo on Saturday, June 23, becoming the first three-time winner of the annual Battle of the Clubs motocross event. Not only was it trophy win number thr ee for the Cambridge riders but it also marked the third time in a row that they have won the popular fundraising spectacle, the event this year its ninth running since the inaugural Battle of the Clubs (BOTC) in 2010, which was won by the Pukekohe Motorcycle Club. The winning Cambridge Motorcycle Club team riders this year were Dylan Westgate (junior 85cc class, who finished 9th and 14th in his two races), Brodie Connolly (junior 125cc, 1+2), Daniel White (junior 250cc, 13+4), Jacob Steel (MX2 class, 4+18), Cohen Chase (MX1 class, 16+4) and Damien King (veterans’ class, 7+12). Runners-up at this year’s BOTC were the six-rider squad representing the Mosgiel District Motorcycle Club, with the Tauranga Motorcycle Club team claiming the third podium spot. Representing the Mosgiel club were Jack Symons (junior 85cc class, 12+15), Ben Wall (junior 125cc, 6+6), Grason Veitch (junior 250cc, 1+1), Sam Cuthbertson (MX2 class, 6+8), Dave Hay (MX1 class, 23+34) and Caleb Holmes (veterans’ class, 31+29). Representing the Tauranga club were Connor Hart (junior 85cc class, 19+37), Sam Meredith (junior 125cc, 3+8), Adam Molloy (junior 250cc, 25+17), Josh Tredinnick (MX2 class, 2+15), Ben Townley (MX1 class, 2+2) and Michael Fleming (veterans’ class, 37+35). The manager of the BOTC winning club team, Cambridge’s Loren Stockley, was naturally thrilled to see her team succeed again. “It was quite unexpected,” she said, “We knew we’d be among the frontrunners but we certainly didn’t think that we could make it a three-peat like this. We produced consistent performances across all of the squad and that was the secret to our success.” Two individuals were stand-out riders for this year’s BOTC event: North King Country Motorcycle Club MX1 rider Rhys Carter, who finished with a 1-1 score-card and Mosgiel’s junior 250cc rider Veitch, who also posted a 1-1 score-card. >