Cooper ’ s results proved he will be the man to beat again this summer , with the annual Honda Summercross at Whakatane coming up just after Christmas , then the annual Honda New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville in the New Year , an event that will , for the first time , also double up as the first of four rounds for the 2021 New Zealand Motocross Championships . “ I got caught up at the start in race one . Not a good start on my behalf but then I got jammed in the corner and I was blocked . There were riders going everywhere . There was a massive gap ahead of me to fourth place after that and I just cruised around to the finish ,” said the 37-year-old Cooper , a multi-time national MX1 champion . He more than made amends for that disaster in the races that followed and once again stamped his authority on the class . “ We changed a few suspension settings , but even as a stock standard bike it was good to get the job done . I wasn ’ t thinking too much about the points ( deficit ). I was just doing what I could do and if you do the best you can and execute it , you ’ re going to win aren ’ t you ? “ I don ’ t have anything to prove any more . I would obviously like to win championships , but as long as I ’ m having fun . My rivals have more to prove than me .
KIWI RIDER 29