Charli Cannon
Steve Sergeant in the river race
motocross world champion Courtney Duncan – you could be forgiven for thinking New Zealand ’ s hopes of winning were forlorn at best . But a battling Kiwi spirit endured and they produced a performance that had many of the crowd standing , cheering and urging them on . Team New Zealand comprised Opunake ’ s Taylar Rampton , Palmerston North ’ s Hannah Powell , Morrinsville ’ s Breanna Rodgers , Raetihi ’ s Karaitiana Horne and Rotorua duo Melissa Patterson and Letitia Alabaster , with the most junior rider , Kawasaki-mounted Horne , the stand-out among them . Horne finished third , sixth and eighth in the three FIM Oceania Women ’ s MX Cup races , good enough for sixth overall among the 12 international competitors . Australian heroine Charli Cannon led her sixrider contingent from the front , her 1-1-2 results on Sunday a massive boost for her team , which ended up occupying the top five positions overall . Reigning Australian national women ’ s champion Cannon , who also raced the Women ’ s Motocross World Championships in 2023 , won
Karaitiana Horne
KIWI RIDER 49