What you missed out on !
NZ Supercross Open Results
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This is for all those people who did NOT attend the fantastic Supercross event held at the Mason Phillip’s track in Papamoa on Thursday evening. The track was top notch, the organization right on target, the jumping awesome, the battles gigantic, the event an event the Bay can be proud of, an event never to be missed again. If you were NOT one of the many sitting on the embankments that gave great views of all the top class action, then read on.
You missed out on the Junior Action:
Jack McClymont, Brad Cameron and Josh McClymont did Tauranga proud in the 65cc class which was won by a supercharged Maximus Purvis from Mangakino. Jack McClymont came second in each of the 5 races but was proud to have “been in the lead for a while in the last race”. “The trickiest part”, he says, “was getting up onto the podium to collect our huge trophies. We had to ride up onto the podium and both Brad and I got stuck”. “I got the holeshot in the last race”, says an over-the-moon Brad Cameron, and especially wants to thanks his dad for taking him along and his mates for cheering him on. Brad was a last minute entry – he gave up a fishing trip to compete – and was absolutely fizzing to be riding in front of a big crowd. For Josh McClymont, who came 5th, it was his first day on the supercross track and he was riding a bike lent to him by second place getter Josh Burke-Palmer from Rotorua.
Josiah Naztke competes frequently in the USA and totally dominated the 85cc class with Ben Dawson from Matamata a consistent second and Rotorua riders Nathan Sharland and Jack Loughnane taking the 3rd and 4th places. In the 125cc junior class, the racing was a lot closer. Brandon Tipene (Auckland) won the trophy but didn’t have it all his own way. Race 3 was won by Campbell King (Dunedin) who finished 2nd overall with another South Islander, Micah McGoldrick (Rangiora) in 3rd position. Dion Picard (Atiamuri) had moments of brilliance especially towards the end but finished 4th ahead of Kent Morley (Paeroa). There were no local riders in these junior classes. Next year maybe.
You missed out on the whips and the “Man to Man Challenge”:
A taste of the action to come was provided by the “Man to Man” Challenge where two riders faced off over 2 laps. The loser was eliminated; the winner faced a new challenge until there was just one left. The man unbeatable on Thursday was Cody Cooper. FMX and supercross riders including Nick Franklin, Broxy & Brad Groombridge further whet the spectators’ appetites with an exhibition of whips , whip trains, heel clicks and jumps before the senior races began.
You missed out on fiercely competitive Senior Lites racing and seeing a future champion:
The action was full on right from the beginning. The first race saw Brad Groombridge take the win ahead of just turned 16 year old Jackson Richardson from Queensland who hadn’t ridden the Kawasaki 250 lent him by Mason Phillips until that afternoon. There was barely time to catch a breath before the reverse grid start of the second race. This time Jackson Richardson “pulled a pretty sick hole-shot on the kwakker”, Groombridge crashed out and withdrew with an injured shoulder and Richardson took 1st place ahead of Ethan Martens (Waitakere) and Isaiah McGoldrick (Rangiora). The final set of 2 races showed up which riders had nerves of steel. In race 3, Jackson went down, McGoldrick went down and left Ethan Martens battling to protect his lead from Peter Broxholme (Tauranga) and the pink helmeted Nick Saunders (Taupo) in full attack. However, Jackson Richardson, who had fought his way back to 4th, with one corner to go, and in a move that confirms his potential as an international rider, leapt into 2nd place and only just missed out on pinching the win from Martens. It was perfectly brilliant. Keep a watch out for that green "J" number plate. There was no answer to Jackson in race 4; he was way out in front with Saunders, Broxy and Martens fighting for podium places. The overall results ended with Jackson Richardson 1st (94pts), Ethan Martens 2nd (85pts), and Nick Saunders 3rd (75pts) just pipping Peter Broxholme 4th (74 pts). Isaiah McGoldrick and Tom Managh (Wanganui ) shared 5th place on 63 points.
You missed out on the Phillips-Cooper -Coppins clash:
The crowd had been awaiting the Senior Open races with great anticipation. The riders listed included Josh Coppins (Motueka), back in NZ after long years as an International rider, Michael Phillips (Rotorua), winner of the 2010 Summercross and local Papamoa pro-rider Cody Cooper, all battling for supremacy. The spectators were not disappointed. In race 1, Josh Coppins was spectacular but not always for the right reason. He fell in the first corner, pulled himself back to 4th then proceeded to go down 3 more times! “For a guy with as much experience as me, the first race was disgusting”, he said. It was without doubt this race that lost him the trophy. Michael Phillips stalled his bike, Hayden Clarke led more laps than anyone in the race but not the one that counted. He finished 2nd behind Cody Cooper and ahead of Jesse Wiki (Hamilton). In the reverse grid race 2, Hayden Clarke crashed out, leaving Coppins in front chased by Cooper and Phillips. This time there were no mistakes and Coppins took the checkered flag. Race 3 was a classic full of good, hard, action-packed, overtaking manoeuvres. Cooper took the lead from the beginning and despite his efforts, Coppins was unable to pass. Coppins admitted to Bay of Plenty Times journalist, Colin Smith, “I was faster than him (Cooper) but I knew the only way I could pass him would be to knock him off the track and I didn’t want to do that.” The suspense went right down to the line as a flying leap from Coppins on the uphill to the finish line left Cody Cooper, who was just rolling over the hill, only half a wheel ahead. Michael Phillips got the hole-shot in race 4 but was reeled in by Coppins and then Cooper. Coppins held on to win but Cody Cooper had done enough and his 2nd place in this race confirmed him as the overall winner of the Open Class. It was a popular win. Second place went to Josh Coppins, 3rd to Michael Phillips, 4th to Jesse Wiki and 5th to Jesse Donnelly (Wellington).
You missed out on lots of little things:
The bike wheel-out by the dads plus one mum for the junior races, the 30 sec board girl with short shorts, long legs and high heeled boots (where did she come from asked one junior whose 30 sec board person had been a male in shorts – obviously not quite the same thing), the warm friendly atmosphere, the nice pizzas, the great commentary and in between race interviews - you missed out on a great evening’s entertainment.
All you potential spectators, who, for whatever reason, did NOT make it this year, be there next year. This type of event is important for the sport of motorcycling and for our wider Tauranga region. We need these events to keep happening, we need to see top class riders more frequently in the Bay and we need to give our local riders the opportunity to be part of such events. For all this to happen, your support is needed. (So a gentle reminder is slotted in here that Round 2 of the NZ FMX Champs is being held on January 3rd at the Wharepai Domain in Tauranga.)
Thanks and congratulations to all the team who put the 2010 Supercross Open event together. Thanks also to the Tauranga Motorcycle Club members who were on flag duty. It was a long hot day for some.
There will be a couple of pics from the wrong side of the fence on our gallery shortly. Andy McGechan has Supercross reports on www.bikesportnz.com . Colin Smith has his report on www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/sport/news/storming-aussie-halts-kiwi-charge/3935699/ .
