Talent and bravery in equal measures were on show at the 2023 New Zealand Mini Motocross Nationals at Leeston , south of Christchurch , on the weekend of September 30-October 1 .
WORDS and PHOTOS : Andy McGechan , bikesportnz . com
MINI MOTOCROSS NATIONALS
HAD IT ALL
Talent and bravery in equal measures were on show at the 2023 New Zealand Mini Motocross Nationals at Leeston , south of Christchurch , on the weekend of September 30-October 1 .
The two-day Mini Motocross Nationals was hosted by the Christchurch Off- Road Motorcycle Club and sponsored this season by BCC ( Baird ’ s Collision Centre ), Un4Seen Decals and The Honda Hub and it catered for a multitude of talented riders aged between four and 11 years and riding bikes with engine capacities ranging between 50cc and 140cc . With an impressively-large entry list that featured nearly 200 young riders , the racing was certainly intense at the Brookhaven Training Facility , showing the sport in a positive light and again demonstrating that it was extremely healthy at this grassroots level . The mini nationals event is widely considered a nursery ground for those starting out in motocross and who knows to what levels that might lead . Several of the classes went right down to the wire with the final rankings only confirmed after the last on-track action on the Sunday . Motorcycling New Zealand motocross commissioner Lindsey Heileson said the
conditions brought out the best in the riders , “ It allowed for a true representation of who are the best of the best among our mini motocross riders . “ Saturday was wet , but the host club did a marvellous job to restore the track for top-class racing to develop . The track formed deep ruts , as expected , but the riders did exceptionally well to adapt to the conditions .” Plenty of current top senior racers have kicked off their stellar careers at the New Zealand Mini Motocross Nationals in the past , individuals such as Tauranga ’ s Josiah Natzke , Mangakino ’ s Maximus Purvis , Ohoka ’ s Levi McMaster and Waitoki ’ s Cole Davies , among others . Racing at Leeston shone the spotlight on the next Kiwi international superstars , young riders who may go on to follow in the wheel tracks of world class New Zealand riders such as Otago ’ s Courtney Duncan , New Plymouth brothers Darryll , Shayne and Damien King , Motueka ’ s Josh Coppins , Tauranga ’ s Brodie Connolly , Oparau ’ s James Scott , Opotiki ’ s Cody Cooper or West Auckland ’ s Hamish Harwood , for example .
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