New Zealand MX

Cooper Wants to Win the Greatest Show on Turf

Tuesday, 10 January 2017, 9:22 am
Press Release: Bikesport NZ

Cooper Wants to Win the Greatest Show on Turf

JANUARY 10, 2017: The past couple of years have been classic Aussie versus Kiwi battles, but Bay of Plenty's Cody Cooper is determined to reclaim the top spot and win his third NZ Grand Prix motocross title this season.

The man from Mount Maunganui is the current national MX1 motocross champion and he arrives in the Manawatu on the weekend of January 28-29 as the firm favourite to win what is regarded as the biggest stand-alone event on the Kiwi racing calendar – the Honda-sponsored New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville.

He has won there twice before – the first time in 2007 and then seven years later in 2014 – and he would like nothing better than to win once more and become a rare three-time winner of the iconic Woodville event when he lines up at this season's 56th annual running.

But that is easier said than done and Cooper was denied that honour last year for a second consecutive season, deprived both times by Australian visitors.

Cooper was stopped in 2015 by Australian Kirk Gibbs and in 2016 it was another Australian, New South Welshman Dean Ferris, who rose up to claim the main trophy on debut at Woodville.

Cooper had lived up to his star billing when he again won the MX1 class at Woodville last year, but it was a case of Cooper winning the battles but losing the war, with Ferris leading from start to finish in the gruelling Invitation Feature Race and becoming the 28th different main event winner at Woodville since the inaugural running in 1961.

Cooper won the MX1 class last year with a 1-2-2 score-card, finishing the day four points ahead of Ferris, and Otago's just-turned 20-year-old Courtney Duncan stunned the testosterone-fuelled MX2 (250cc) class to snatch that class win with an outstanding 1-3-2 score-line, while Feilding's Tony Cvitanovich did enough in finishing 4-4-3 to be crowned 125cc class champion at Woodville last year.

Not only did 15-year-old Cvitanovich win the 125cc class, but he was also rewarded with the Roddy Shirriffs Memorial Trophy as the highest-placed senior 125cc class rider under the age of 22.

The winner of the spectacular river race class was Palmerston North's James Galpin.

The founder of the iconic event 56 years ago, Palmerston North's Tim Gibbes, has expressed enthusiasm that the Woodville motocross would live on forever.

"I'm not surprised that it's still a major event. I remember back in the beginnings when we had 5000 tickets printed but the call came back from the entrance gate at one o'clock in the afternoon that they'd sold out. The crowds just kept coming," said the now 83-year-old former world championship rider.

"I'm very proud of this event but it's not all about me ... there has been a lot of work done by a lot of people over the years to make this a continuing success," said Gibbes, who had also twice won his own Woodville event in the past (in 1962 and 1964).

"When this first became an international event, nobody in New Zealand knew what motocross was."

They certainly know all about it now and Cooper will again have some huge heavy-hitters lining up against him this year.

Kirk Gibbs will not be back this year, but Ferris will again be crossing the Tasman and, with his recent Australian MX1 championship win, he should be expected to feature.

Kiwi internationals such as Waitakere's Hamish Harwood, Mangakino's Kayne Lamont, Taupo's Brad Groombridge, Rotorua's John Phillips, Rangiora's Micah McGoldrick, Waitakere's Ethan Martens, Hamilton's Josiah Natzke, Mount Maunganui's Rhys Carter and Queenstown's Scott Columb, to name just a few, also have good reason to fancy their chances.

Racing over the two days at Woodville caters for minis, juniors, women, veterans and seniors, with the novelty river race on Sunday always a crowd-pleaser.

HRC, Roczen, Seely...New Year

Team Honda HRC is excited to drop episode one of its new REDefined video series, featuring Ken Roczen and Cole Seely. In this episode, we follow the progress of the Honda Red Riders and their crew as they prepare for the highly anticipated 2017 AMA Supercross series.

Debut Stage Win For USA’s Ricky Brabec

Becoming the first American to win a stage of the Dakar Rally since Kurt Caselli, Honda’s Ricky Brabec won the opening leg go the marathon stage.

• Ricky Brabec won his debut Dakar stage
• He’s the first American rider since Kurt Caselli to win
• Stage 7 marked the opening leg of the marathon stage
• Sam Sunderland still holds the overall lead

Back to business after rest day, the stage 7 saw a revised route due to weather conditions. 

Leaving Bolivia’s La Paz, the highest capital city in the world, and the warm welcome given by its inhabitants to head towards another world renowned venue, the Salar d'Uyuni salt flats. 

The stage was shortened due to the poor weather conditions, but once again boasted sandy tracks that were liable to create big gaps. The seventh day especially rhymed with the marathon stage, which could leave its mark on competitors who have to work alone on their machines at arrival to the bivouac.

Ricky Brabec had been there or thereabouts for a while. On stage 7 the official Honda rider was finally rewarded for his efforts and paid back the trust shown to him by HRC with triumph on stage seven, ahead of his experienced team-mate Paulo Gonçalves. 

“It was the first day of the marathon after the rest day,” told Brabec. “The track was good and the navigating went well. There was more off-road than on-road, which is more my style. 

“I’m happy to be here at the finish-line in spite of my slide out in the grass where I went swimming. These bikes are pretty slippery in the mud. I’m happy to come away in one piece, healthy and ready to go tomorrow.

In third, Sam Sunderland (KTM) did all that was necessary to limit the damage and even increased his lead in the general standings over Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna). 

“It was a lot harder a stage than we were expecting – there was a lot of navigation,” explained Sunderland. “I lost some time today because it was a sandy stage and the guys from the back can see the tracks cleanly. 

“I'm really happy with everything on the bike. It's the first stage of the marathon day and the tyres are good so we'll just keep ticking along.”

Joan Barreda came home in fourth with Xavier De Soultrait fifth. Third overall in the rally Adrien Van Beveren was 11th.

Placing 20th on the stage, Joakim Rodrigues is still the top rookie in 11th. But with Franco Caimi (Honda) in 12th it’s still all to play for that honour.

Laia Sanz is still 25th overall and two places behind Ivan Cervantes in 23rd.

Ever changing the Malle Moto category is now led by Toomas Triisa. Fifth during rest day, Lyndon Poskitt is up to second position with Julian Kozac third. All three are inside the top 46 overall.

There was only one retirement from the stage, with 110 bikes still in the rally.

With the 2017 Dakar Rally starting its descent from the Bolivian uplands to the Argentinean plains, tomorrow's stage eight includes a 492km-long timed special before its finish in Salta. Reaching the end of the two-day-long marathon stage, competitors will have the chance to meet up with their mechanics and support crews tomorrow afternoon in the Argentinean city.

Dakar Stage 5

Sunderland takes control

Dakar Rally organizers promised competitors an edition difficult in navigation and altitude and at the end of the first this two-week, almost 9,000 km offroad trek through Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia, that is exactly how it has been.Red Bull KTM Factory Racing go into the second week with Sam Sunderland as the overall leader but the first week has brought the team challenges and the exit through injury of reigning champion, Australia’s Toby Price.

British rider Sam Sunderland won a shortened Stage 5 on his KTM 450 RALLY to be the fifth stage winner since the rally kicked off in Asuncion, Paraguay. The Dubai-based rider has never been out of the top four overall so far in this edition. This solid and consistent result is a confidence booster for Sunderland. He has already much improved on his two previous starts in the Dakar and after various injuries is mentally and physically very strong.

Sunderland: “It’s been a hard time with a lot of crazy things – temperatures of 45 degrees to 5 degrees here in Bolivia and altitude of 4,500 meters. The navigation has been heavy and very physical riding as well. It’s good to arrive here in the lead but at the same time I know it doesn’t mean much because we still have a long way to go. I need to stay focused until the end.” Asked how he has spent the rest day, he commented: “We’ve been busy organizing things for next week and I went to see my friend Toby Price and it was nice to see him in good spirits and on the road to recovery. For next week I am expecting a lot more rough times to come. We’re heading back into Argentina but first we have the marathon stage, which is always interesting. We’ll be on our own in the desert, so that will be a bit rough. I think the organizers have in for some rough times with the navigation, the riding, and lots of riverbeds, dunes and camel grass. I’ll just be trying to focus each day because this year I really want to see the finish line.”

Red Bull KTM factory rider Matthias Walkner is overall fifth at the half way mark after a stage win in the fourth stage, when he moved up to overall second. Like most riders he experienced some difficulty with the navigation in the following day’s Stage 5, the first full day in Bolivia. He was ranked 21st in the stage, which was shortened because of weather conditions. It is Walkner’s third Dakar start. His pre-race goal was to see the finish line in Buenos Aires and hopefully achieve a top five in the general rankings.

At the half way mark Walkner said he was quite satisfied although he had been ‘up and down’ in the first week. “I won one stage and I was second in one other so that was pretty good. I try to ride on the limit but when it comes to the navigation it’s extremely difficult. I just hope I can find my rhythm and ride fast.” Asked about the level of difficulty of this year’s rally he commented: “The extreme altitude, combined with very long days. We start each day at around 4.00 a.m. so we get up about 2.00 a.m. But it’s the same for everyone.”

KTM factory rider Laia Sanz of Spain remains resilient and determined to improve on her present 26th overall. As the most outstanding woman in the field of the remaining 111 riders, Sanz still plans to aim for a top 15 finish.

Riders were spared Saturday’s sixth stage, which was to be the longest and probably the most difficult was completely washed out. After the official cancelation, riders and teams traveled to La Paz for the rest day along the liaison route, only to receive a brilliant welcome from the fans on their arrival in the capital.

Sanz said however that despite difficult conditions, she would have preferred to contest stage six. “It wouldn’t have been possible to contest the stage but I would have preferred to do it. It was long and hard and many things could have happened. The more stages there are, the more chance I have of improving my position.”

While his teammates prepare for the second half of the rally, Australian Toby Price is in La Paz, recovering from a compound fracture of his left leg after hitting a stone and crashing hard in stage four. Price was desperately disappointed to have been denied the chance to defend his title but is a resilient athlete who has the ability and mental strength to bounce back from the injury setback.

On Monday riders turn south to travel from La Paz to Uyuni, the marathon stage of the rally where they bivouac overnight and are denied any access or assistance to and from their teams on the way to Salta (in Argentina) on Tuesday. They have three long and difficult rides on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as they head east to Buenos Aires. Saturday is the final day with a short 64 km timed special, but a total distance of 786 km to reach the finish line.

Standings Dakar 2017 after 6 of 12 stages
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, +15:22.05 h
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, +12:00 min
3. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, +16:07
4. Gerard Farres Guell (ESP), KTM, +20:57
5. Matthias Walkner (AUT, KTM, +29:01 (5 min penalty)

SuperEnduro GP 2017 Riesa Highlights

German SuperEnduro GP

Haaker Dominates SuperEnduro GP of Germany

Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker put on a show inside Riesa’s SachsenArena for round two of the Maxxis SuperEnduro World Championship claiming three wins from three starts.

• 3 wins from 3 starts for Haaker
• He also won SuperPole
• KTM’s Gomez & Walker went 2-3
• Blake Gutzeit secured debut overall win in Juniors
• For the second round running SuperEnduro was sold out

There was no stopping the defending world champion as he got down to business for the second stop of the series in Germany. Having lost out to Taddy Blazusiak in Poland, Haaker led home a KTM 2-3 of Alfredo Gomez and Jonny Walker.

In the Junior class there was delight for South Africa’s Blake Gutzeit as he put his Yamaha on the top step of the podium for the very first time. 

“I’m more than happy to come away with maximum points tonight in Germany,” told Haaker. “I felt good all night. I don’t think I crashed once in the races, which was probably key to getting the overall victory.”

For the third year in succession the Sachsenarena was sold out as the action hungry German supporters came to watch the SuperEnduro riders do battle. Kicking things off with the Akrapovic SuperPole, Haaker wasted no time in getting down to business. A near-flawless lap from the American saw him top the classification and collect those three important points over Walker and Gomez.

With the elevated starting gate dropping on heat 1 for the Prestige class, Haaker, Gomez, Walker, Mario Roman (Sherco) and Pascal Rauchenecker (Husqvarna) all dived for position. With the battle raging, Haaker got his nose in front and laid down some solid laps to eventually come away with the win.

From there on momentum was in his favour as he worked his way to the front of the pack in heats two and three to remain unbeaten all night.

“After making some silly mistakes at round one in Poland I didn’t want to let that happen in Germany,” continued Haaker. “I tried to ride as smart as possible and make sure I didn’t crash. All-in-all it’s been a perfect night. I couldn’t want for better. I’m happy to come away with the points lead and looking forward to round three in Spain.”

Behind Haaker — albeit only slightly - the KTM duo of Gomez and Walker fought it out for the overall runner-up result. Continuing to impress despite only deciding to contest the series just days before Poland, Gomez improved one position to second overall.

Fast but more importantly consistent, the Spaniard is proving the match of Haaker and Walker ending the night with a 2-3 scorecard.

“I think I’m surprising myself with these results,” said Gomez. “I’m enjoying the racing and feel relaxed about it and it’s showing in my results. My speed could be a little better — Haaker is really flying now — but my riding is consistent. I’m not making mistakes and that’s key. I hope to keep this speed going at my home race in Spain.”

Although feeling more at home with the track than last month’s race in Poland, it was a couple of unfortunate mistakes that ultimately held Walker back from claiming second overall. Taking his best result of second in race two, Walker ended Germany on the podium in third overall.

“It’s good to be back on the podium but I know I’ve more to give,” confirmed Walker. “My speed was good, I was fastest in timed practice but I made some mistakes in the races. Some were my fault but others weren’t. I need to work on my starts so I can be better in Spain.”

Behind the leading trio the battle for fourth and fifth was electric between Sherco’s Mario Roman and Husqvarna’s Pascal Rauchenecker. Racing bar-to-bar all night, the duo had the crowd on their feet as the action unfolded. 

Roman had the edge in the technical sections while Rauchenecker’s bravery by jumping the water pit kept things tight. With the fight going down to the final corner of the final lap in heat 3, Roman came away with fourth pushing Rauchenecker back to fifth.

Spain’s Eloi Salsench (Beta) was sixth with USA’s Mike Brown (Husqvarna) not having the best of nights in seventh. Estonia’s Rannar Ussna (KTM) was eighth, while Pittens Wesley (Yamaha) and David Leonov (Husqvarna) completed the top 10.

In the Junior ranks the night belonged to South Africa’s Blake Gutzeit. Having claimed a race win in Poland, the Yamaha rider arrived in Germany eager for more. Kicking things off with a strong victory in race one, he then worked his way from a long way back in heat two for second. Capping things off with a win in heat three ensured him the top step of the podium.

“This win feels like a long time coming but I’m so happy to get it now,” told Gutzeit. “It’s been a great night, I rode my own race and it all came together. Hopefully there is more to come.”

The fight for the runner-up result came down to the wire between Spain’s Ignacio Fernandez (KTM) and Czech’s David Cyprian (KTM). In the end the result went to Fernandez with a career best second.

Britain’s Gethin Humphreys (Husqvarna) was fourth. Collecting a win in heat two, Britain’s Lee Sealey (Yamaha) completed the top five.

The FIM Maxxis SuperEnduro World Championship continues with round three in Bilbao, Spain on March 18.

Road 2 Recovery Foundation

Road 2 Recovery Foundation

Christophe Pourcel and Jason Anderson Pledge Their Atlas Race-Worn Braces to R2R

Encinitas, CA – With the announcement of Christophe Pourcel joining Atlas Brace Technologies growing list of athletes comes groundbreaking news on the philanthropic side of the industry. Atlas and Christophe are proud to announce that they will be donating every race-worn Atlas Air, their flagship product, to The Road 2 Recovery Foundation. Each brace will go up for auction to benefit Road 2 Recovery’s mission and the athletes they help. After this announcement, Jason Anderson of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna and also part of the Atlas family, has pledged all of his race-worn braces to R2R as well. 

Each autographed race-worn Atlas brace from Christophe Pourcel and Jason Anderson will be auctioned off separately on eBay. The details of the race they were ridden in will be in the description box along with images of the autograph and brace. The first auction date will be announced after Anaheim 1 and will be live for bidding for 7 days. More details and the direct link on how to bid will be announced soon.

Road 2 Recovery cannot thank Christophe, Jason, and Atlas enough. Christophe has always been a loyal supporter; he and Jason both have donated gear and other items in the past to help with fundraising efforts. This contribution will continue to help support the 16 current open causes R2R is funding for.

About Atlas Brace Technologies: 

Atlas Brace Technologies is based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, and Valencia, California. Founded in 2011, Atlas is the home of the first racer designed and racer tested next generation neck braces and body protection. The entire product line is uniquely designed and of the highest level of safety, comfort, and mobility. For more information on Atlas Brace Technologies, please visit www.atlasbrace.com.

About Road 2 Recovery:

The Road 2 Recovery Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that was founded in 2000, and is dedicated to helping AMA licensed Professional Motocross/Supercross riders and Action Sports Athletes with financial assistance if they sustain career-ending injuries as well as providing motivational, emotional, and spiritual support to these individuals and their families. To make a donation click here.  For more information on Road 2 Recovery and upcoming events visit  www.road2recovery.com or contact Lori Amstutz at 619-339-5671.

#22 Back For Another Rodeo!

Chad Reed interview

In a sport dominated by youth, the former two-time 450SX Supercross Champion Chad Reed arrives at his fifteenth Anaheim 1 Supercross opener still believing he can pad his Hall of Fame stats with more podiums, wins and even possibly one more championship. At 34 years-young—he will be 35 in March—Chad has accomplished more than most could ever hold a candle to, but talking to the Australian, it becomes obvious that, in his mind, he’s far from satisfied with resting on his past accomplishments.

The Yamaha rider has built a legendary resume since landing in America from Australia and some sixteen years later he is still battling with the best riders in the world while keeping Father Time at bay. Still, though, the #22 wants more and he wouldn’t mind starting 2017 off with a record fourth Anaheim 1 win, a record ninth all-time win inside Anaheim Stadium and, with that, the title of the oldest man to ever win an SX. All three of those records could be rewritten on Saturday night with a Reed win. It may seem unlikely, but we learned long ago that doubting Chad Reed is never a good play.

After the press conference today in Anaheim, Dan Lamb caught up with Chad for a quick interview. Hear what Chad has to say about getting older, leaving records behind when he leaves and the prospect of winning one more championship before he checks out.

Chad, another Anaheim 1 for you. How are you feeling?

I feel good!

Feeling old at all? (laughs)

No, I don’t feel old to be honest. I think that’s a good thing. (laughs) I’m excited, actually. I’m happy to be here, I don’t feel old (laughs) and I’m ready to try to get the job done. I feel like I’m in a better place than previous years, but it’s the same old saying—only time will tell whether that’s true or not.

You have three Anaheim 1 wins—tied atop the record books with James Stewart—and eight overall Anaheim wins, tied with Ricky Carmichael and Stewart. How important are getting records like those to you as you wind down your career?

You know, early on in my career, the record books honestly didn’t mean anything. I don’t know if I can honestly say they mean a lot now, but for sure as I get older and we start talking about the numbers in the all time lists, it means something. To be on the list of the people that get talked about and on the list that is so high up, it means something in my honest opinion. Early on it didn’t. You just wanted to win. Nowadays you’re appreciative of the eras, the time and the competitors you raced. To be within the top three or four in most every supercross record, it’s pretty nice.

It has to feel good to leave your mark.

Yeah, the excitement of that and the feelings of wanting to add to that. Being just four short of Ricky [Carmichael], who’s third on the all time list, six short of James [Stewart]—you want to beat those guys. It’s right there. If you were to ask any individual that was on the stage today and say, “hey, I guarantee you six wins this season.” Anyone of them would take that. That’s a lot of wins in a season, especially in this era. It’s not going to be easy to achieve, but I’m going to try.

This is your fifteenth Anaheim 1. You have prepared for this race many times and you know better than anyone how to equate how you feel on the test track to how you will do at A1. So if anyone knows where they’re at today, you do. How do you feel going into Saturday?

I honestly feel good, I really do standing here today, but I need to go racing to get any better or to work on any area that I may need to work on. I feel like I can tick the box on everything I wanted to be better at. There are some things you can over achieve and some things you may fall short on, but for the most part every individual does that. You have a feeling with the bike. Sometimes you achieve it, sometimes you don’t and sometimes you get close. I think we’re close. We needed to go racing to see where that next step will come from.

There are very few in this sport that can transcend the sport, but you’ve always been one of those guys. Times like your comeback win in 2011 was a tear jerk moment for fans that have followed your career. A comeback championship this late in your career could really push this sport to another level. What are your thoughts on that?

I think if I won a championship, I could move the needle outside of our sport, more than anybody in here. I’m not trying to be cocky, but I think it’s something I could do because of my age, my experience and I think I have a little different reach at this point of my career. Selfishly, I would love that. More importantly, I think as a champion in 2017, I would be more proud than when I won my last championship in ’08. I think in ’08 I wasn’t a great human being and I don’t think I did things right. I think I’ve come a long way and I would like that opportunity to be a champion again, to be a better champion.

In your mind, what would be a good start to the season for you on Saturday night and what kind of result would have you leaving bummed on yourself?

I think you always want to be on the podium. A win at the opener always seems to end well for me towards the championship. I know the stats, so that would be nice. A podium or a top five would be good. A top five is not a disaster. I would be disappointed, but it’s not a disaster. It’s something we can work with, but I want to win. I want to be on the podium at the very least.

Well, thanks for talking with me, Chad, and good luck on the season.

Thank you.

Price's retirement means we're guaranteed a new Dakar champion in the Bikes.

The Dakar Rally has no respect for status – a point underlined today when two former champions ended their campaigns.

First to go was Nasser Al-Attiyah who withdrew overnight after a serious mechanical failure on Stage 3 put him more than two hours off the pace.

The second to fall was Toby Price. The KTM rider, who last year became the first Australian to win the Dakar Rally, was leading Stage 4 and closing on the finish line when he crashed heavily, fracturing the femur on his left leg.

His KTM team-mate Matthias Walkner, himself the victim of a gut-wrenching fall in 2016, stopped to ensure Price was safe. He was soon on a helicopter to hospital and Walkner continued his ride, claiming a deserved stage win.

"I stopped with him until the medical team told me that he wasn't going to be able to continue. Health is the most important thing and I hope that he's OK," said Walkner, adding, modestly. "I started 11th so I had it easier because I could see more tracks. I felt pretty good on the bike, but I didn't think it was enough for victory."

Watch how Price previously came back from a broken neck to win Dakar below.

New Bike, New Team, New Season!