His MX1 class and GP
trophy wins at Woodville
have only further
emphasised his readiness
for the four-round New
Zealand Motocross
Championships
“That’s why I pushed pretty hard at the start
of race two, to open up a gap over Gibbs and
the others. I felt quite comfortable. It seemed
we were actually going at quite a slow pace
until about halfway through the race, when
Gibbs tried to come at me. So I put some
heaters (fast laps) down and pulled away
again and I think he gave up after that.
“I just need to keep doing what I’m doing for
the nationals now.”
Cooper is in the midst of a golden run
at the moment. Since returning from the
United States at the end of August, where he
managed 11th overall in their 2018 national
motocross championships series, Cooper has
won the MX1 class at the Waikato Motocross
Championships, then dominated the MX1
class also at the annual Honda Whakatane
96 KIWI RIDER
Summercross just after Christmas.
Just a week before the Woodville GP, Cooper
had ruled the MX1 roost at the annual King
of the Mountain Motocross in Taranaki, the
same venue that was to host the opening
round of the nationals.
His MX1 class and GP trophy wins at
Woodville have only further emphasised his
readiness for the four-round New Zealand
Motocross Championships.
The six-time former New Zealand MX1
champion had to give up his national title
to Aussie invader Gibbs last season, Cooper
settling instead for second overall in the 2018
nationals, but his dominance over Gibbs at
Woodville, and the rest of New Zealand’s elite
450cc riders too, must surely make him firm
favourite to win back the No.1 plate this year.