WORDS:
Andy McGechan/bikesportnz.com
CHAMPIONS GALORE AT VETS’
AND WOMEN’S NATIONALS
t was champions galore at the 2018 edition
of the annual New Zealand Veterans'
and Women's Motocross Championships
near Timaru on the weekend of September
3. Former national motocross champions,
a former rugby champion and a visiting
international FMX star all locked handlebars at
the two-day event at Southburn, near Timaru,
on Saturday and Sunday and put on a stunning
show for the large crowd in attendance.
Sponsored by Timaru Yamaha, the popular
annual event featured many riders who,
despite their veteran status, still rate among
the sport's elite, while the female side of the
sport sharing the race programme was just as
intense.
Christchurch's 2009 national MX1 champion
Justin McDonald was the stand-out individual
of the weekend, unbeaten in six race starts.
The 33-year-old builder won all five race in his
veterans' 30-34 years' class and then also won
the Champion of Champions feature race that
wound up the weekend, his win in that feature
race despite his handicapping himself by facing
backwards on the start gate.
"I'm semi-retired now, wrapped up with
building my family home. My wife (Nikki) and
I have two children, three-year-old Skye and
13-week-old Blue, so I've been too busy to race
much," said McDonald.
"It was great to be out on the track again
though, racing against some of the guys I used
to battle with back in the day.
"I faced myself backwards on the start gate for
the feature race, but I still got there in the end,"
he laughed.
Former Otago rugby captain David Latta
from Balclutha, was another former national
sporting hero in action at the weekend, albeit
from a very different code, and he won the
veterans’ 55-59 years’ class title.
An added attraction at the weekend was
the surprise, last-minute appearance
of international Freestyle Motocross
groundbreaker Carey Hart, husband of rock
star P!nk, who was on a concert tour of the
country.
For the record, the American rider managed
two fifth-place results and a 10th in the
veterans’ 40-44 years’ class on Saturday and
was unavailable to race on Sunday.
Hart’s celebrity status resulted in the kind
of publicity money could not buy. Media
attention spiked and as many as 1000 extra
fans came through the gates to the race at
the Southburn farm, an event that organisers
had only been expecting a “couple of
hundred” to attend.
The event organiser, MNZ board member
Noel May, said the weekend was “perfect in
so many ways. We were a wee bit worried
about the weather, because rain had been
forecast, but nothing came until after all the
racing was completed on Sunday afternoon.
We were a bit lucky.
“I was really proud of the track we were able
to provide and the racing was exceptional.
The riders all loved it... it was natural, old-
school style.
“It was great to have Carey Hart show up. He
was a really chilled-out guy and signed heaps
of autographs. It was great for the sport to
have him come here and he remarked that
the track was ‘just heaven’ and better than
anything he rides on back home.”
Meanwhile, other class winners from the
weekend were: Timaru’s Michael Dunn (Vets
35-39 years class); Tai Patu’s Brendan Wilson
(Vets 40-44 years); Christchurch’s Brad
Norton (Vets 45-49 years); New Plymouth’s
Mitch Rowe (Vets 50-54 years); Balclutha’s
Brian Jacobs (Vets 60-69 years); Ongarue’s
Reg Davey (Vets over-70 years); Australian
Jessica Moore (Senior women); Motueka’s
Roma Edwards (Junior women, 12-16 years,
125cc/250cc); Invercargill’s Charlotte Clark
(Junior women, 13-16 years, 85cc); Ngatea’s
Brooke Dalley (Junior women, 8-12 years, 85cc).
KIWI RIDER 17