After recently re-signing with Motul Pirelli Suzuki for 2013, Cody Cooper has stuck his hand up to be counted as a genuine title contender after winning the opening round of the New Zealand Motocross Nationals in the South Island over the weekend.

MotoOnline.com.au caught up with him to find out what went down, what happened to Ben Townley, and to get the skinny on his re-signing with the Australian factory Suzuki team.

Congrats on winning the opening round of the NZ Nationals, Coop. How are you feeling?

A bit sore at the moment [laughs]. I was expecting to come away with either first or second at Timaru, so I was pumped to drive out the gates with a win and carry a nine-point advantage into the next round.

I was really happy with my pace and my starts were good. I holeshot the first moto and pulled a lead on Ben [Townley] and Todd [Waters], but I jumped off the track in a corner. In New Zealand you’ve got to enter the track at the same point you left it, but as I rounded the tyre marker my footpeg caught and I went over the bars. Ben and Waters passed me, but I managed to get back past Todd for second.

Townley crashed in the second race and I was able to capitalise and go 2-1-1 for the day’s overall. Overall though, I’m really happy with my bike and fitness. There are a couple of areas I have to work on with my fitness, but they’re easy to fix. The next few rounds of the series are at tracks I love.

Cody Cooper on his way to victory in the NZ outdoor opener. Image: Chris Ritchie.

What did you think of the Timaru track? The footage I’ve seen makes it look ridiculously fast.

It was still pretty fast in places, but it’s a lot better than last year, where you’d have dangerously fast sections through ruts into slow, tight sections. They’ve changed the layout and added more jumps that you could set up off, which made it a lot more fun for sure. It was really hot too – it was about 36 degrees, which is pretty strange for the South Island.

Wow, that is unusual for down there. You’ve now had the opportunity to race Todd Waters, Kirk Gibbs and Billy MacKenzie on their new machines. What do you think of their pace and form early in 2013?

Billy hasn’t been on his Yamaha for that long and he definitely improved in the racing environment. His pace increased a lot from the beginning to the end of the day and he seems really comfortable on the bike. Todd and Kirk are definitely going fast, but it doesn’t matter what bike you give Todd – he’s always going to be fast and has great bike fitness. Ben [Townley] is also in really good form at the moment.

One of the big talking points from Timaru was Townley crashing out in moto two. Did you see it or do you know what happened?

Nah, I didn’t see it. I had a bad start and was quite far back when it happened. Apparently he cross-rutted on the up-ramp of a fast jump and he landed on his side and back. He’s okay though. He went to hospital to get checked out, but he’s just sore and over it at the moment.

He might be a bit sore still if he returns for the Patetonga round next weekend, but he’ll definitely be back firing for round three at Pukekohe at the beginning of March.

Okay cool, that’s great to hear. So you’ve re-signed a deal with Motul Pirelli Suzuki for 2013, but it’s only just all been ironed out. What was the hold-up?

It all got locked in just after New Years, but I was getting worried as everyone had their MX1 teams filled and I was stuck in a hole. The team was waiting on a few things from Japan, which caused the hold-up. But I’m really happy to be back with Suzuki.

I’ve been with the team since I left the US and came to Australia in 2010 and everyone there knows how everyone works. That makes the testing process so much easier, as all we have to do is work on the main points of difference, such as the new fork.

Cooper will return with Motul Pirelli Suzuki in Australia again for 2013. Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.

Speaking of which, what do you think of the new fork?

I love the adjustments and how responsive it is. I flew to Australia to test with the team and we made some good progress. We just need to fine-tune some settings for hard-pack conditions and we’ll be good to go. I raced the Woodville GP with the fork in its stock state and finished second behind Townley, so it’s obviously pretty mint.

Obviously we can expect to see you back for the 2013 MX Nationals. What are your thoughts on the new formats this year?

I was talking with Ben about it yesterday and I think the new Super Pole is going to be good as! It’ll be shit if you’re not in the top five and miss out on the Super Pole points, especially as the MX1 field is so deep this year. Every point is going to be important.

The two 30-minute moto format is going to suit me better too. I really want to win this year and I’m approaching the season differently. I’m aiming for more consistency and have been doing a lot of 40-minute motos and working on my endurance. I’m already feeling the improvements and I’m excited for the season to start.

So are we, bud! Thanks for the chat and good luck with the rest of the NZ Nationals.

Thanks boi!