Cody Cooper is on track to take home the MX1 title this weekend. Image: Chris Ritchie.

Words: Sharon Cox.

Taupo Motorcycle club will host the final round of the New Zealand Backflips Motocross Championship culminating a sensational four round Series.

Home track of Carlton Dry Honda Racing’s Ben Townley competition stakes will be raised to all time high not seen since the club hosted FIM Junior World Motocross Championship in 2009.

The depth of MX1 talent remains high profile with Townley’s Carlton Dry Honda Racing teammate Ford Dale, the 2012 Australian MX2 champion, crossing the Tasman for valuable race time in the final round.

MX1 series leader Cody Cooper remains dialled for the red plate pushing the international rider’s Billy Mackenzie, Todd Waters and Kirk Gibbs to close the points margin of the top four positions.

Cooper is on top of his game, “priority is to win the championship and I want the round win too.”

Focusing on winning races for the team and brand, JCR Yamaha’s Josh Coppins highlights the importance of having International rider’s mixing it up with NZ’s best. With Mackenzie achieving podiums at every race and moto win Coppins confirms “It makes sense to work with Australian CDR Yamaha team, after all we are both trying to win races for Yamaha.”

For the final round Mackenzie says “I just want to be prepared and focused throughout the day, to improve my line choices and gate positions. I want to secure my position overall in the championship.”

Equally, incentives abound for Australia’s Waters and Gibbs to achieve pointy end results MX1 prior to Australia’s MX Championship in less than four weeks.

Motorex KTM Team Manager Rob Twyerould makes it clear, “Todd and Kirk are using race time in NZ MX championship rounds as the perfect build-up for our home series.”

The opening round at Raymond Terrace April 14th will surely put pre-season racing to the test.

MX2 round three winner Ryan Marmont along with fellow Australian Brock Winston challenged NZ’s Series leader Scott Columb who holds a 14 point lead. While Marmont made most of race time, Winston has sights set on top podium heading into the Final Round.

“In between rounds three and four I came home to keep race intensity up,” said Winston. “I love Taupo track having ridden there a couple of times, so am really looking forward to the final round.”

2013 NZ Backflips Motocross Championship has achieved a new beginning for the sport. The traditional cross Tasman rivalry has entered a new era with international rider’s gaining valuable pre-season race time competing in NZ’s four round motocross championship Series.

As Motorex KTM Team Manager Rob Twyerould says, “there is no substitute for training as actual racing.”

The final round will cap NZ’s motocross championship series podiums confirming a shift in goals no more so than stated by Cooper “To win the championship against competition I’ll be racing against in Australia’s Motocross Championship in April is as much a personal goal as professional.”