 |
| Justin Mcdonald |
The club celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and will kick off 12 months of celebration by again staging New Zealand’s largest stand-alone motocross event, the iconic Woodville Motocross Grand Prix, this weekend (January 28-30).
It’s a party-within-a-party too because the Honda-sponsored Woodville event this year marks it 50th running, using exactly the same piece of turf at the eastern end of the Manawatu Gorge that first hosted the event in 1961.
It’s a festival affair this year with three days of activities, the racing itself again offering championship titles in many classes, including mini, junior, senior, women, vintage and veterans’ categories.
The entire weekend will be a two-wheeled festival for the Manawatu region, including a freestyle motocross display planned for The Square, Palmerston North, on Saturday evening, featuring Manawatu’s world-renowned Levi Sherwood.
Sunday is the main race day at Woodville and a record turnout of riders is expected, including current, former and perhaps future New Zealand, Australasian and even world champions.
Track action on the Sunday includes races for seniors and veterans, as well as the fabled river race for the die-hard enduro exponents, likely to feature former world MX1 No.2 Josh Coppins, of Motueka, national MX1 champion and defending Woodville champion Justin McDonald, of Christchurch, former New Zealand and Australian motocross champion Cody Cooper, of Mount Maunganui, and 2009 United States cross-country champion Paul Whibley, of Pahiatua, to name just a few among the 700-plus entries.
Overseas interest is again high for the event with leading riders from Australia, the United Kingdom and Belgium also entered.
This year the Woodville motocross has, not unexpectedly, also attracted a bumper crop of talented “old timers”, riders who raced there in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and their “parade of former stars” episode should cap off a memorable weekend for motocross enthusiasts.
Sponsored again by Blue Wing Honda, the 50th annual Woodville motocross also has support from Kiwi Rider magazine, Castrol and from the Tararua District Council (“Explore the Elements”).