Cody Cooper wins 2013 NZ MX championship

Mackenzie, riding for the Josh Coppins Racing (JCR) squad (which has an association with CDR), battled for the runner-up slot with Motorex KTM's new signing, Josh Waters, but Cooper was the class of the series this season.

At the final of the four round NZ series, Cooper scored a clean sweep of wins in the day's three motos, making his record an impressive nine wins from twelve starts for 289 points total. Mackenzie (3-4-3) finished the final round at Taupo in third place behind Cooper and Waters (2-2-2), but the result was still good enough for CDR's new signing to beat Waters by six points in the overall standings (241 to 235).

Waters' new team mate at KTM, Kirk Gibbs, suffered a string of crashes in the opening moto that saw him fail to start the other two races at Taupo. A shoulder injury will be assessed back in Australia to determine if Gibbs can line up for the opening round of the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals on April 14 at Raymond Terrace.

Behind Cooper's success, the talk of the meet was Ben Townley (Carlton Dry Honda Racing), who announced his retirement from professional racing at the NZ MX1 finale. Townley's team mate, Ford Dale, struggled in the conditions at Taupo, but 10-3-6 results were good enough for fifth overall for the round.

Daryl Hurley, a familiar name to a lot of older MX fans, was competing in MX1 and proved he's still "got it," finishing fourth overall for the series. The Kiwi native enjoyed a lot of success in Australia, with highlights being two championships in the 4-stroke Thumper Nats era and the 2005 Pro Open MX title, as well as multiple New Zealand MX and SX championships. Hurley was also part of NZ's fighting third overall at the 2001 MX des Nations.

Josh Coppins, new to his role in team management after his retirement from racing in Australia last year, was pleased to have Mackenzie represent Yamaha and his team for the championships. While Mackenzie failed in MX1, JCR had better luck in MX2, with Scott Columb winning the championship by 16 points from Australia's Brock Winston (CMR Red Bull KTM), 233 to 217.

At Taupo, Columb had to settle for third for the round behind Australia's Ryan Marmont (Raceline Pirelli Suzuki), and Rhys Carter (Bel-Ray Moto-City Suzuki). Carter pushed all the way, and only missed the second step on the overall podium by two points.

In the Under 21 class, it was a Yamaha 1-2 with Cameron Vaughn taking the championship by one point of fellow Yamaha racer, Logan Blackburn.

Images: Suzuki/Yamaha