The day dawned cold and windy but as the morning rolled on the sun came out and the large crowd (large but not as big as the 2006 event) was treated to some fantastic racing.

The day concluded with the International Invitation where Honda Racing NZ riders Phillips took the highest home place, battling to keep pace with Swanepoel to come home 4th as the highest place NZ local rider. The International guests Kiwi Coppins (Yamaha), UK’s McKenzie (Honda) with South Africa’s Swanepoel (Kawasaki) took 1,2, 3.

For half of the race Honda Racing junior-come-senior Cam Dillon, 16 years old on Tuesday, wowed his local crowd by chasing team mate Phillips in 5th, but eventually finishing 6th, ahead of a field of MX1 and adult MX2 on his CRF250R.

In MX1 class: Tauranga’s Peter Broxholme charging hard for Team Honda Racing, led the first three laps of the MX1 first race on his ’09 CRF450R, before a heavy fall in in the ‘Sawdust sand pit’ left him disorientated with a dislocated shoulder. After leading from the Holeshot it meant he bowed out to try to repair for next weeks nationals round 2.

The other NZ Honda Racing team MX1 rider Barry Morris achieved a respectable 8th on a near standard ’09 CFRF450R.

UK International Billy McKenzie, was left to fly the Honda banner in the MX1 Class on a stocker bike, sporting only the new NZ team graphics and not much else. McKenzie pipped Yamaha’s Darryll King on the line for third, behind New Zealand International Josh Coppins (Yamaha) and Queenstown’s Scott Columb (Suzuki). In the second MX1 race, he again did battle with Coppins, with the lead changing several times but eventually McKenzie had to settle for second.

The MX2 class started as a battle between three Champions, current World Junior Champion Suzuki mounted Matiss Karro (Latvia), 2007 New Zealand MX1 Champion Hawera’s Daryl Hurley (Suzuki) and 2007 New Zealand MX2 Champion Rotorua’s Michael Phillips (Honda).

Karro crashed out of race one, leaving the battle between Hurley and Team Honda Racing’s Phillips, with Phillips teammate Christchurch’s Justin McDonald third.

Youngest Honda Team Racing member Taupo’s Cameron Dillon was again prominent in his class, this weekend it was the Junior 15-18 years-old 125/250cc class. Dillon continued his form from last weekend’s Nationals, dominating race one, taking a clear win from Waitakere’s Ethan Martens (KTM) and Warkworth’s Hamish Dobbyn (Yamaha).

Dobbyn finished ahead of Dillon in race two after a hard fought battle, with Waitakere’s Ethan Martens (KTM) third. However there was a protest laid over a racing incident between Dillon and Dobbyn, so the results were reversed and confirmed Dillon as winner of both races of the day as well as finishing 6th in the combined Invitational field – definitely voted ‘rider of the day’ for most spectators and riders.

Provisional Results

Swann Insurance International Motocross

Digger McEwen Park, Taupo, 02/11/08

MX 1:

1, Josh Coppins (Motueka) Yamaha; 2, Scott Columb (Queenstown) Suzuki; 3, Billy McKenzie (UK) Honda; 4, Darryll King (Hamilton) Yamaha.

Race Two:

1, Coppins; 2, McKenzie; 3, Gareth Swanepoel (South Africa) Kawasaki; 4, Darryl King.

1, Daryl Hurley (Hawera) Suzuki; 2, Michael Phillips (Rotorua) Honda; 3, Justin McDonald (Christchurch) Honda; 4, Damien King (Cambridge) Yamaha.

Race Two:

1, Hurley; 2, Phillips Honda; 3, Brad Groombridge (Taupo) Kawasaki; 4, Damien King; 5, Justin McDonald Honda.

1, Cameron Dillon (Taupo) Honda; 2, Ethan Martens (Waitakere) KTM; 3, Hamish Dobbyn (Warkworth) Yamaha; 4, Jared Guthrie (Nelson) Suzuki.

1, Dillon; 2, Martens; 3, Guthrie;

1, Coppins; 2, McKenzie Honda; 3, Swanepoel; 4 Phillips Honda. (6. Dillon Honda)