YAMAHA’S BROWN TOO SLICK FOR THE KIWIS
I
t was her first visit to New
Zealand, but that did not
deter Australian women’s
motocross champion Maddy
Brown one little bit. Riding
with support from the
Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing
Team, the 23-year-old Brown
romped to three wins from three
starts in the women’s class at the
57th annual Honda New Zealand
Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville.
She finished the day comfortably
ahead of New Zealand
women’s motocross champion
Taylar Rampton (Suzuki), of
Opunake, and Te Awamutu’s
Rachael Archer (Husqvarna).
“I’d love to come back and race here
again,” enthused Brown. “I have had such
a good time. The people in New Zealand
are so friendly and the tracks are great.
“My plans for 2018 are to defend my Australian
women’s title and then, hopefully, I can also
race the women’s world championships again.
“I finished 13th in the world overall last year,
after suffering a couple of non-finishes.”
Brown’s mechanic for the Woodville
weekend was Kiwi Graeme Deans, the
spannerman for Otago’s world women’s
championship contender Courtney
Duncan when she is racing at home.
“I think if Courtney [Duncan] was here it’d
have been much for difficult for me to win at
Woodville, that’s for sure,” Brown laughed.
Kiwi international Duncan came frustratingly
close to capturing the women’s world crown
in 2016 and last year as well – forced to settle
instead for third overall – and she is again rated
one of the favourites to win the title in 2018,
as long as she can avoid the bad luck that’s
dogged her these past two seasons. Duncan
has recently undergone remedial surgery and
will be based in Europe for the entire year,
meaning her many Kiwi fans will have to travel
abroad or resort to following her progress
on the internet or via live timing screens.
92 KIWI RIDER
Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team-supported rider Maddy
Brown (Yamaha YZ250F), with her Kiwi mechanic Graeme
Deans. She was untouchable in the women’s class at Woodville