On Sunday , Draper lodged 2-1-2 results in the senior 125cc class to also win that trophy , again finishing ahead of fellow dual-class competitor Ellingham , with local Mangakino rider Maz Parkes , also riding a Husqvarna TC125 , clinching the third podium spot . “ It was my first time back on a 125cc bike in about 12 months , because I ’ ve been concentrating on the 250cc class lately ,” said Draper afterwards . “ In the first race on the junior day , both me and Jack ( Ellingham ) crashed in the first corner and we re-joined the race in last position . We both charged through traffic and he got the race win in the end , with me settling for second . That set the tone for the weekend really . With me winning the next two races , it gave me the overall win for the day . “ I only managed to qualify third fastest in the 125cc class on Sunday ’ s senior day , with Jack fourth , and I was sort of surprised with that .” Otorohanga ’ s Cooper Phillips was quickest in qualifying , with Parkes second , but , as quickly became obvious , any qualifying spot within the top five or six could easily be a position to win from and that ’ s just what Draper did .
Hayden Draper , from Karaka , near Pukekohe , won two separate classes at MXFEST .
Draper ’ s day didn ’ t finish there either because he ’ d qualified for the all-capacities shootout feature race , a knock-out format where the slowest riders are culled after each of the progressively shorter races . Draper dropped out after race two of five in that novel contest , just failing to make the cut for the fastest 10 out of 40 qualifiers , Draper and fellow Husqvarna rider Parkes were actually the only two 125cc riders to survive that long up against all the individuals who were on 250cc and 450cc bikes . As it turned out , visiting Australian Kirk Gibbs , on a 450cc GASGAS , won this “ champion of champions ” shootout and the Nicky Smith Memorial trophy that went with it . The weekend offered an ideal chance for new 2025-model bikes to be tuned and set-up for the New Zealand Motocross Championship season in the New Year , for muscles to be flexed , fresh team line-ups and allegiances to be shaped and it was of course a long weekend in which to do it , so the MX Fest again heralded the start of what could be another cracking New Zealand motocross season . World , national and provincial titles counted for nothing , international credentials came under threat and past loyalties went out the window as the new season began at the MX Fest and promised fresh challenges for the coming months .
80 KIWI RIDER