U
nlike the rain-drenched inaugural Monster
Energy S-X Open Auckland event held
there last season, this year’s edition was
blessed with overcast but warm conditions,
ideal for the high-risk, high-octane action that
then unfolded in front of an appreciative crowd.
The New Zealand Supercross Championships
had kicked off in Winton, just north of
Invercargill, the week before and, with the
domestic event struggling to fill the start gates
– just four riders on the grid in the SX1 class at
Winton and seven riders in SX2 – it was a real
blessing to see a full field of true international
stars line up at Mt Smart on November 16.
United States superstar Jason Anderson,
the 2018 AMA supercross champion, flew in
to Auckland to join fellow American Justin
Brayton, the AMA supercross No.10 for 2019,
with the Kiwi event double-billed as the fourth
round of five in the Australian Supercross
Championships, as well as registering as
the first of two rounds in the S-X Open FIM
Oceania Supercross Championships.
100 KIWI RIDER
The majority of the starting list for
Auckland was, not surprisingly, dominated
by Australian names, although Mount
Maunganui’s Cody Cooper did also slot
himself into the mix, just for the fun of it.
There was to be a solitary race too at Mt
Smart for the New Zealand SX2 class riders,
an add-on to their separate competition.
Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna)
qualified fastest in SX1 and then finished
with a 1-2-1 score-card in the three
points races that followed, giving him
the overall win for the night and the early
advantage in the Oceania title chase.
For defending Australian supercross champion
and 2019 series leader Brayton (Penrite Honda),
the night didn’t quite go to plan – he finished
third in the opening SX1 race and then fourth
in the next outing, but then crashed while
leading the final race of the evening. Brayton
clawed back to finish that race in fifth, but that
crash had cost him his championship lead.