Image: Andy McGechan (BikesportNZ.com).

It was the Australian combination of Todd Waters and Dean Ferris who duked it out for top honours at the 2017 Honda Woodville Grand Prix in New Zealand.

Coming out on top in the MX1 category was Waters aboard the new 2017 Honda CRF450R. The Queensland native used a consistent 3-2-1 moto scorecard to edge out the current Motul MX Nationals MX1 champion, Ferris.

Aboard his Altherm JCR Yamaha entry, Ferris finished just two points behind Waters with a 4-1-2 moto scorecard, in the process both Waters and Ferris finished ahead of local favourite and number one plate holder, Cody Cooper, in third spot.

Rounding out the top five in the premier class was a pair of New Zealand natives with former MX Nationals contender Rhys Carter claiming fourth place ahead of Davey Motorsports KTM rider Hamish Harwood in fifth.

Current Australian MX2 title holder, Jed Beaton, also claimed a strong sixth place finish ahead of Ben Townley who took the moto one victory before finishing seventh overall for the day. Luke Styke was 10th overall on return to racing with the KTM Motocross Racing team.

In the invitational feature race, combining both MX1 and MX2 contenders, it was Ferris who had the edge over Waters this time around as he rode to a comfortable victory, crossing the line almost five seconds ahead of the factory Honda rider.

Behind Waters in second it was Cooper who claimed yet another third place finish for the weekend followed by Beaton in fourth and Carter rounding out the top five.

Australian Cody Dyce of the Yamalube Yamaha Racing outfit finished a strong sixth in the feature race ahead of more experienced Aussies Wilson Todd and Styke who brought home eighth and ninth place finishes, respectively.

In the MX2 category it was an all-Kiwi affair on the podium headed up by Dylan Walsh who used a 2-2-2 moto scorecard to claim victory ahead of Josiah Natzke.

Behind Natzke it was Harwood, who contested both the MX1 and MX2 categories, claiming the final podium position with his 3-1-4 scorecard to cap off an ironman effort.

Rounding out the top five behind Walsh, Natzke and Harwood, it was the Australian duo of Todd and Dyce who captured fourth and fifth positions to round out their Woodville Grand Prix performances.