Image: Ethan Martin.

Australia’s Kirk Gibbs has won the 2018 New Zealand Motocross Championship after storming to the MX1 title in Taupo’s final round today.

The 2015 MX Nationals champion returned racing across the Tasman this year in the lead-up to the Australian championship, delivering CML KTM the crown.

Gibbs has been a picture of consistency across the four-round series, finishing third at Taranaki’s opening round and then winning round two in Rotorua, as well as round three at Hawke’s Bay. Second at Taupo was enough to clinch the championship on Saturday.

“I knew coming in how brutal this championship is and how gnarly Coops and that are over here,” Gibbs commented. “I’d loved to have won a championship in the past, but we were a little bit underdone coming in. Anyway, I felt comfortable in that last race, riding within myself and I’m really happy.”

The final round of the championship was won by six-time MX1 champion Cody Cooper (Honda Racing), topping Australian duo Gibbs and Todd Waters (Honda Racing) – a guest in the final two rounds of the season – in round four.

It was a KTM double in NZ for the 2018 season, with CML KTM’s Hamish Harwood dominating on course to a second-straight MX2 championship, winning all but one moto in his title defence. Australian Jay Wilson (Altherm JCR Yamaha) was third in the final round of the season.