WORDS & PHOTOS:
Andy McGechan, bikesportnz.com
2018 NZ MINI MOTOCROSS NATIONALS
SUPERSTARS OF THE
FUTURE REVEAL THEMSELVES
ew Zealand motocross is in a healthy
state and can probably only get better
after a cluster of future superstars
revealed themselves at the 2018 New
Zealand Mini Motocross Championships near
Porirua in the first weekend of October.
The more than 160 riders who had entered
this year’s TSS Red Baron Motorcycles and
Friday Homes-sponsored mini nationals were
greeted by an immaculately-prepared track at
Moonshine, about halfway between Lower Hutt
and Porirua, and the weather played its part too,
with forecast Sunday afternoon showers staying
away.
This helped to produce some of the closest
and most exciting mini racing in years, with new
champions being crowned in seven of the eight
separate categories.
The only repeat title winner was Cambridge’s
William Pluck, who successfully defended his
7-11 years’ small trail bike class.
Top rider for the weekend was Featherston’s
Teddy Shaw, who won the premier 9-11 years’
65cc class after a weekend-long battle with
Richmond’s Wills Harvey, although several
other riders also featured with race wins to their
credit, including Waipukurau’s Jordan Coles,
Taradale’s Boston Scott and Pahiatua’s Maz
Parkes.
Harvey was just five points adrift of Shaw at
the start of the weekend’s final 9-11 years’ race,
but Shaw managed to stay ahead of Harvey
throughout the seven-lap affair and the title was
therefore settled in Shaw’s favour.
Third overall in this class was Coles, who
finished 24 points behind Harvey.
“I just knew I needed to win or at least finish
ahead of Wills Harvey in that last race,” said
Shaw, a year seven pupil at Martinborough
School.
“I was just trying to not make any mistakes.”
“It was frustrating for me when I lost so many
points in the first race today (Sunday). I had a
terrible start and managed to get back up to
11th at the end of the race,” he said, that 11th
placing the only time he didn’t finish either first
or second all weekend.”
Shaw beat Harvey by seven points in the final
analysis and, if the talented South Island rider
had not crashed twice, both times while leading
the way, in the first two 9-11 years’ 65cc class
races on Saturday, their respective final rankings
could so easily have been reversed.
It’s still a remarkable improvement for Harvey,
who last season raced a 2009-model Kawasaki
KX65 to finish ninth overall in the same class.
Parkes, who won the 6-8 years’ 50cc class title
last season, stepped up to the bigger class this
year and certainly showed he had successfully
made the transition by winning the final 9-11
years’ 65cc class race of the weekend, crossing
the line just ahead of Shaw and Harvey.
However, bad luck earlier in the weekend
meant Parkes eventually had to settle only for
10th overall, certainly no reflection on his ability.
“This is my first ever New Zealand title and
actually the first time I’ve raced the nationals
too,” said Shaw.
“I’ve been racing since I was aged four but I’d
been going a lot faster lately and just thought it
was about time I did the nationals.”