Wealth Of Racing Talent Flocks To Woodville GP

There will be huge numbers on hand to witness as the heat goes on for defending champion Hamish Harwood in the first major event of the 2025 motocross season this weekend.

With entries in excess of 600 riders, the obvious popularity and continued growth of the Honda New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville should ensure another bumper weekend of race action on show this coming Saturday and Sunday (January 25-26).

Racing over the two days will attract thousands of spectators to the Tararua region, filling motel rooms and camping grounds to the point of overflowing, the Honda-sponsored event at Woodville proving to be a must-see spectacle for many motorsports enthusiasts.

West Auckland’s Harwood is the current national MX1 motocross champion and the defending Woodville champion as well, and that means perhaps that he arrives in the Manawatu this weekend as favourite to win once again what is regarded as the biggest stand-alone event on the Kiwi motocross calendar.

The national MX1 No.1 won the main Woodville trophy last year and in 2020 too, and he would like nothing better than to repeat the feat this coming Sunday.

But, even with his pedigree, the multi-time national champion and Kiwi international knows it won't be easy and the pressure will be on him to perform at the highest level once again.

Fellow Kiwi internationals Josiah Natzke, from Mount Maunganui, and Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis will likely be Harwood’s main challengers in the battle for MX1 class dominance and that coveted Tim Gibbes Memorial Woodville GP trophy that goes with that.

There is no shortage of depth in this class, with Hamilton’s Josh Jack, Tauranga’s Seth Thompson, Invercargill’s Jack Symon and New Plymouth’s Curtis King, along with Australian visitor Caleb Ward, who might also fancy their chances of taking a share of the glory.

Motorcycling New Zealand (MNZ) motocross co-commissioner Stu McCulloch, from Auckland, who shares responsibilities with Taranaki’s Sonia Cloke, said he was delighted to see again the high level of support for this event.

“The host Manawatu-Orion Motorcycle Club has put in a lot of work to make this another well-supported event and we are sure it will be another extremely successful New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix.

“This is the start of the Motorcycling New Zealand racing calendar for the 2025 season, so we offer a big thanks to all the people working behind the scenes to make these events possible.

“Also, to all the teams and competitors who have entered and put in the hard yards training for this event, we take this time to wish them all the best.”

Leading Kiwi riders such as Opotiki’s Cody Cooper – the Kiwi international who has won the coveted Woodville trophy three times previously, when racing in the premier MX1 class, in 2007, 2014 and 2019 – Oparau’s current national MX2 (250cc) champion James Scott, Auckland’s Cobie Bourke, Taihape’s Hayden Smith, Tauranga’s Madoc Dixon, Cambridge’s Jared Hannon, Te Puke’s Flynn Watts, Taupo’s Brad Groombridge, Tauranga’s Jack Coleman, Karaka’s Hayden Draper, New Plymouth’s Rian King and Te Awamutu’s Nixon Parkes, to name just a few, also have good reason to fancy their chances of snatching glory in the MX2 class this weekend.

In the senior 125cc class, it is likely that dual-class hero Draper, Levin’s Phoenix Van Dusschoten, Tauranga's Levi Townley, Rotorua’s Delton Manson, Auckland’s Jack Ellingham will be among the favourites to win at Woodville.

Racing over the two days at Woodville caters for minis and juniors on Saturday, while the seniors, veterans and women will race on Sunday. The novelty river race on Sunday is also sure to be a major crowd-pleaser.

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