Tough Challenge for NZ
MX of Nations 2013
Rhys Carter summed up Sunday at the MX des Nation's as the "toughest day on the bike" in his life.
Team New Zealand's trio -- Mount Maunganui riders Cody Cooper and Rhys Carter and Mangakino's Kayne Lamont -- struck problems halfway through the day and had to settle for a disappointing 20th overall of the 40 nations entered.
It is never easy to travel to the opposite side of the world and race against the sport's elite, but it became mission impossible for the Kiwis when Cooper, the squad's most experienced rider and the current national MX1 champion, was struck down with mechanical problems and forced to withdraw from the second of three championship races.
Just four laps into the day's second 30-minute race, a rock flew up and jammed the rear suspension on Cooper's bike.
He had no option but to withdraw from the race, leaving the three-rider Kiwi squad in a perilous position.
With five of six races to count towards the total (teams to discard their worst result) New Zealand had to count on outstanding results for the other races and that just wasn't possible for the rookie riders, with the odds so heavily stacked against them.
Cooper (Open Class) finished 32nd in his other outing, as Carter (MX1) managed 33rd and 34th, while Lamont (MX2) twice finished 34th.
"I think the best we could have hoped for was to finish 10th, if everything fell into place," said Team New Zealand manager Josh Coppins, of Motueka.
"Unfortunately everything didn't fall into place. I think the challenge of the track and the toughness of this event caught the guys out a little bit.
"They will be the first to admit that they were out of their depth on this type of surface and this type of track. That's part of the reason why we are here. This is a young team and we'll come back stronger next year."
Credit: Words by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
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