The 2022-23 New Zealand motocross season could not have kicked off much better for Bay of Plenty racer Cody Cooper . The just-turned 39-year-old showed that age is no barrier to performing at the top level if you ’ ve got the right attitude , a winning machine underneath you and a superb crew to back you up . The Papamoa rider , a multi-time New Zealand motocross champion , took his Bridgestone Kawasaki Racing Team KX450F to win the premier MX1 class at the big annual Huka Honda MX Fest event at the Digger McEwen Motorcycle Park , on the outskirts of Taupo , over Labour Weekend ( October 22-23 ). It wasn ’ t easy , but Cooper dug deep to win the races that mattered , snatching the class overall from arch rival Maximus Purvis ( Altherm JCR Yamaha ) beating the Mangakino rider with a stylish win in what became the deciding seventh and final race for them on the Sunday . Cooper ’ s eventual two-point winning margin over Purvis gives the Kawasaki rider a massive