Cooper aims for greatest show on turf
The annual New Zealand Grand Prix at Woodville is regarded by the Kiwi motorbike community as the ‘‘greatest show on turf’’ and Bay of Plenty’s Cody Cooper wants to reclaim it for himself.
The past few years have been classic Aussie versus Kiwi battles, but Mt Maunganui’s Cooper is determined to reclaim the top spot and win his third title at Woodville next weekend.
Cooper, 35, has won the main Woodville trophy twice before – in 2007 and in 2014 – and he would like nothing better than to win again to become a rare three-time winner.
Cooper is a six-time national MX1 champion and is the current national MX1 No 2, but the Woodville GP title has eluded him over the past four years, the Kiwi hero frustrated by a couple of Australian invaders, Kirk Gibbs in 2015 and then Dean Ferris in both 2016 and 2017. Last season, it was fellow New Zealand rider Kayne Lamont who raced off with the GP win.
But Cooper will arrive as one of the favourites to win this year’s 58th annual Woodville event. He won the annual Whakatane Summercross just after Christmas – a similar stand-alone event that’s an ideal form guide.
Cooper has been a frustrated soul at Woodville over the past few years, the Honda star typically winning the 450cc battles, but losing the war.
Cooper dominated the MX1 class races last season – finishing with a 1-1-2 scorecard – but then the event’s namesake feature race was won instead by Hamilton rider Lamont.
In clinching the invitation feature race, Lamont became the 29th different main-event winner at Woodville since the inaugural running in 1961.
Lamont will be back to torment Cooper at Woodville this time around too, as will Gibbs, winner of the New Zealand MX1 crown at the nationals last season.
Taupo¯’s Wyatt Chase won the MX2 (250cc) class at Woodville last year, while Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis was crowned the 125cc class champion at Woodville in 2018 and these two will this year go head-tohead in the MX2 class.
The Woodville GP will once again be recognised as an FIM Oceania event.
The two-day meeting welcomes the enhancement as a true international competition, with the FIM Oceania status attracting huge interest from overseas.
Kiwi internationals, including Mt Maunganui’s Rhys Carter, Waitakere’s Hamish Harwood, Taupo¯ ’s Brad Groombridge, Rangiora’s Micah Mcgoldrick, Waitakere’s Ethan Martens, Tauranga’s Brodie Connolly and Wairoa’s Tommy Watts also have good reason to fancy their chances.
Racing over the two days at Woodville caters for minis, juniors, women, veterans and seniors, with the novelty river race on Sunday always a crowd-pleaser.