Hannon revvs up for his next motocross race
Simply the best and unstoppable were phrases used by a commentator to describe Cambridge motocross rider Jared Hannon on his way to winning the 8-12 years 85cc class recently.
Hannon was competing at the Kawasaki-sponsored annual New Zealand Mini TT Championships near Taupiri.
One of only a few riders to dominate so comprehensively, the 12-year-old Te Miro Primary School pupil took his Kawasaki KX85 to show he truly was ready to make the next step up the age rankings.
He will continue his rivalry with Oparau’s Hunter Scott, the winner of the elder age-group 13-16 years 85cc class.
Runner-up to Scott in the 13-16 years class was Paeroa’s Ashton Whyte, also riding a Kawasaki KX85.
The two 85cc classes were raced on the track together at Taupiri, but scored separately, and on each occasion it was Hannon and Scott out front and trading blows.
Hannon had finished third overall in the 11-12 years 85cc class at the New Zealand Junior Motocross Championships near Mosgiel in April.
He was due to celebrate his 13th birthday before the 2019 junior nationals, next April, which means Scott and Hannon were set on a collision course for future junior titles.
Meanwhile, another Kawasaki rider from Cambridge, former world championship racer Damien King, was similarly dominant in winning his veterans 35-44 years class at the weekend.
The 42-year-old father-of-two, raced in Europe between 1996 and 2000 with a career-best Grand Prix finish of fifth overall in Germany in 2000.
He then raced for a factory support team and was almost unbeatable.
He won all but one of his five veterans class races and was runner-up in the other one, earning the veterans title by a massive 26 points over Taupiri rider Andrew Hansen.
Impressive too was multitime former national motocross champion and Cambridge resident Mike Cotter.
Despite having raced only once since December, the 43-year-old managed to finish an impressive fourth overall in the MX2 (250cc) class.
Cambridge’s Rachael Archer won the women’s class.