Purvis. Rotorua’ s Joshua Bourke-Palmer( Yamaha YZ125) improved from fourth to third overall in the 125cc class standings after another solid performance at Rotorua, although he is a massive 38 points adrift of Semmens. Bourke-Palmer posted a 5-4-6 score-card at Rotorua. Wairoa’ s Tommy Watts( HLR Husqvarna Racing Team TC125) finished the day third overall at Rotorua, claiming third place in each of the three races, and this moved him up from an undeserved 10th overall after round one to now be ranked fourth overall in the standings.
WOMEN’ S CUP
It became a special season indeed for Opunake’ s Taylar Rampton when she won the inaugural Women’ s Cup motocross trophy at Rotorua. The two-round women’ s competition was being
Watts held in conjunction with the first two rounds of this year’ s New Zealand Motocross Championships, the six-race Women’ s Cup wrapping up at Rotorua. Rampton’ s trophy win at Rotorua added to the 2017 New Zealand senior women’ s motocross championship title she won in Eltham for the first time in November. Rampton( Suzuki) finished 3-2-1 in her three Women’ s Cup outings at Rotorua and that, coupled with her 1-1-3 results from round one of the Women’ s Cup in Taranaki three weeks earlier, was enough for her to take the trophy by nine points from an unlucky Letitia Alabaster( KTM). Rotorua’ s Alabaster had led the deciding final race of the series before succumbing to pressure from Rampton, losing her position at the front and then crashing soon afterwards, taking the pressure off Rampton, who simply cruised to the chequered flag and the top trophy. Alabaster held on to the No. 2 spot overall for the series, while Motueka’ s Roma Edwards( Yamaha) finished third overall, ahead of Te Kuiti’ s Sam Kelly( Yamaha) and Rotorua’ s Mel Patterson( KTM). Patterson was unlucky to crash and suffer serious burns to her arm( from her bike’ s exhaust) in the final race of the Rotorua weekend.“ It feels great to win this. I was crying inside my helmet on that last lap,” said Rampton afterwards.“ I didn’ t know if I would even make it here to race today because of a few difficult personal circumstances. I’ m sad my dad couldn’ t be here today.” The men’ s competition will continue with racing in Hawke’ s Bay on Sunday, March 11, and then it all wraps up at Taupo on Saturday, March 24.
RESULTS Leading standings after round two of the 2018 New Zealand Motocross Championships |
MX1 1 Kayne Lamont( Yamaha) 139 Points 2 Kirk Gibbs( KTM) 130 3 Cody Cooper( Honda) 125 4 Rhys Carter( Kawasaki) 105 5 John Phillips( Honda) 99 6 Hamish Harwood( KTM) 85 7 Brad Groombridge( Suzuki) 80 8 Jared Guthrie( Yamaha) 75 9 Cohen Chase( KTM) 74 10 Hadleigh Knight( KTM) 64 |
MX2 1 Hamish Harwood( KTM) 150 Points 2 Brad Groombridge( Suzuki) 122 3 Jay Wilson( Yamaha) 117 4 Hayden Smith( KTM) 95 5 Micah McGoldrick( Honda) 93 6 Daryl Hurley( Suzuki) 87 7 Logan Blackburn( Kawasaki) 81 8 Trent Collins( Honda) 81 Points 9 Mason Wilkie( Yamaha) 65 10 Kieran Scheele( Husqvarna) 64 |
125 1 Maximus Purvis( Yamaha) 147 Pts 2 Mason Semmens( KTM) 135 3 Joshua Bourke-Palmer( Yamaha) 97 4 Tommy Watts( Husqvarna) 88 5 Grason Veitch( KTM) 88 6 Jacob Beal( Yamaha) 86 7 Seton Head( KTM) 85 8 Carlin Hedley( Yamaha) 61 9 Liam Kerr( Yamaha) 56 10 James Rountree( Yamaha) 52 |
FINAL WOMEN’ S CUP STANDINGS 1 Taylar Rampton( Suzuki) 137 Pts 2 Letitia Alabaster( KTM) 128 3 Roma Edwards( Yamaha) 123 4 Samantha Kelly( Yamaha) 95 5 Mel Patterson( KTM) 90 6 Chloe Steel( Honda) 84 7 Robyn Turnbull( Yamaha) 80 8 Nicolette Epps( KTM) 76 9 Christina Cameron( KTM) 71 10 Rachael Archer( Husqvarna) 62
80KIWI RIDER