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JANUARY 30, 2006: Taupo teenager Brad Groombridge was in a class all his own at the 45th annual New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville at the weekend.
Despite temperatures that soared to a Manawatu record 37 degrees Celcius on Saturday, the 15-year-old and his 2006 model Kawasaki KX250F set alight the track at the northern end of the Manawatu Gorge.
He not only scored an impressive hat-trick of wins in the junior 125cc 15-16 years’ class but also ran away with the one-off junior 125cc Champion of Champions feature race as well. !
Groombridge had previously won the junior Champion of Champions race at Woodville three years ago, on that occasion taking his Kawasaki bike to the top of the equivalent race for 85cc bikes.
He put the winner’s sash that day into the coffin of close friend Jesse Neilson-Phillips, a fellow motocross racer who had died that February, and was thrilled to earn a replacement sash this year, particularly with the Champion of Champions race being dedicated to the motocross-loving Neilson-Phillips.
“If he were alive, Jesse would have been out there racing with me today,” said Groombridge. “I guess he was there in spirit anyway.”
The finish line jump at Woodville is known as the JNP Super Jump in memory of the fallen youngster and Groombridge was only too happy to style it up in mid-air over the jump as he celebrated his big win.
Comparisons are already being made between Groombridge an! d fellow Taupo and Kawasaki motocross legend Ben Townley. It may be, if the evidence of his Woodville performance is any guide, that Groombridge may be the next young Kiwi to take on Europe and the world’s elite in the Grand Prix series.
Meanwhile, Rotorua’s John Phillips backed up his inaugural supercross title win of a week earlier by finishing a solid runner-up to Honda’s Cameron Dillon in the 11-12 years’ 85cc class.
In the senior racing on Sunday, Cambridge rider Mike Cotte! r enjoyed a rare outing in the 500cc class. The former national 500cc champion finished third overall to all-conquering Shayne King (Honda) and Yamaha’s former GP star Damien King and then turned out for the invitation-only International Feature Race, bringing the Kawasaki KXF450 home in sixth spot.
Norsewood’s Kevin Hermansen (Kawasaki KX250F) was not quite able to repeat his river race win of 2005, this year finishing runner-up to Taranaki’s Greg Ngeru (Honda).
