Cody Cooper maintains a strong MX1 points lead heading into the final round. Image: Jeff Crow/The Sport Library.

Cody Cooper rode his MotoCity Belray Suzuki to another MX1 overall victory at Pukekoh’s penultimate round of the 2013 New Zealand Motocross Championships over the weekend.

The New Zealand native has been in form throughout the series, and carried that form through round three with an impressive 1-1-1 moto sweep on the day ahead of very stiff competition.

With talented riders such as CDR Yamaha’s Billy Mackenzie and the Motorex KTM duo of Todd Waters and Kirk Gibbs on hand, Cooper’s sweep of the day was no walk in the park.

Mackenzie was next in line behind Cooper in the runner-up spot overall after putting together a consistent moto scorecard of 2-2-3 – the Scotsman continuing his solid pre-season form.

Finishing up in third place overall on the day was Waters. The current Australian number two MX1 motocross rider used his 3-4-2 moto score to land himself on the final step of the podium.

Rounding out the MX1 top five was Waters’ teammate Kirk Gibbs who finished up in fourth, with Kiwi veteran Daryl Hurley finishing up with an impressive fifth.

Cooper maintains his MX1 series lead over Mackenzie, with a 31-point buffer between the two riders. Waters holds down the third place position, with a slimmer 20-point gap between himself and Mackenzie in second.

The MX2 class saw a new face within the field, with Ryan Marmont making a very impressive debut for the Raceline Pirelli Suzuki team at Pukekoh.

On a lightly modified 2013 Suzuki RM-Z250, the MX2 veteran took himself to the top step of the podium, using 8-2-1 moto scores to do so.

Behind Marmont it was the seasoned veteran and New Zealand native Darryll King who took out the runner-up spot. King rode strong at round three, taking home a 3-5-2 moto scorecard.

Squeezing onto the final spot on the podium was round one winner Ethan Martens. Martens was consistent all day, putting together a 2-3-6 score for the event.

Slotting in behind Marmont, King and Martens was Rhys Carter in fourth with Brock Winston rounding out the top five MX2 positions from round three.

JCR Yamaha’s Scott Columb maintains his series lead after taking a sixth place finish at round three, the Kiwi sits 14 points ahead of Winston in second while Carter sits another 13 points back in third.

The 2013 New Zealand Motocross Championships will now head to the Taupo Motorcycle Club on 31 March for the season finale.

Click here for detailed results