Image: Andy McGechan (BikesportNZ.com).

Honda’s defending New Zealand Motocross Champion Cody Cooper will carry the points lead into next weekend’s final round after winning round three at Rotorua on Sunday.

Cooper was the class of the penultimate round on his CRF450R, winning two of the three races, and finishing second to Australian Dean Ferris (Altherm JCR Yamaha) in the final moto.

“I really would have liked to win that last race, but I mucked it up on the downhill section on the last lap and Dean snatched it away,” Cooper said. “It sucks when you lose a race on the last lap, but I have to be thankful too. I was a long way behind at the start of the day and now I’m leading.”

The result saw Cooper turn a 19-point deficit around, taking over the points lead. Second at Rotorua was Queenslander Todd Waters (Suzuki), whose 2-2-3 scorecard saw him remain second in the standings.

Previous points leader Ferris managed to win the final race of the round, however after finishing third in moto one and 18th in the second, he dropped to third in the standings. Just five points separate Cooper, Waters and Ferris with a round to go.

It was a similar case of upsets in the MX2 and 125cc classes with the respective championship leaders not winning the day on Sunday.

In the MX2 class it’s still Hamish Harwood at the top of the championship standings, but it was Kayne Lamont who scored an impressive hat-trick of wins at Rotorua to shoot up to fourth in the rankings. Aussie Jed Beaton was second overall and in that same spot in the series.

The fourth and final round of the series is set for the Digger McEwen Motocross Park facility, on the outskirts of Taupo, on Sunday, 20 March.