former Rangiora racer McGoldrick usually races
in the MX2 (250cc) class, but, as he awaited
the arrival of his new Honda CRF250F, he was
offered the chance to take one of the team’s
450cc bikes and instead enter the MX1 class.
He was impressive – the 22-year-old twice finishing
runner-up to “the master”, Mount Maunganui’s
Cooper, and crossing the finish line in sixth and
third positions in the remaining races, good enough
for him to claim the No.2 spot for the day.
Third overall in the class was Rotorua’s Phillips
(Honda Racing Team CRF450), who edged out
Chase to claim the third step on the podium.
“I was a little bit surprised at how well I rode
on the 450, but not really, if you know what I
mean,” said McGoldrick. “I’ve been putting in a
lot of work lately, so I knew it was possible.
“I crashed at the start of the second
race and had to regroup a bit. That little
hiccup cost me a few points.”
SUNDAY
MX1
1. Cody Cooper (Mount Maunganui) 200 points (max)
2. Micah McGoldrick (Tauranga) 174
3. John Phillips (Rotorua) 168
MX2
1. Wyatt Chase (T