2025 Honda New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix At Woodville: Greatest Show On Turf A Memorial Event
It is less than two weeks now to the “greatest show on turf” – the biggest dirt bike race in the Southern Hemisphere – the annual New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville.
And this year’s 62nd running of the big Honda-sponsored event, on the weekend of January 25-26, 2025, is set to be another massive ‘superstar showdown’, as well as offering a special tribute in respect of the late Tim Gibbes, the man who founded the iconic race weekend back in 1961.
The popular event celebrated its 60th in birthday in January 2021, but then the pandemic reared its ugly head and forced almost every major sporting competition nationwide, actually worldwide too, to be shut down the following year.
Then, when the Auckland Anniversary Weekend storm drenched the whole country in January 2023, the track at the eastern end of the Manawatu Gorge was flooded, the Manawatu River breaking its banks and most of the farmland circuit then completely inundated, sadly forcing another cancellation.
However, despite skipping two years, in 2022 and again in 2023, or perhaps even because of this, last year’s event was an absolute cracker.
In honour of Manawatu man Gibbes, who sadly passed away in October 2023 – just three days after he’d celebrated his 90th birthday – the event’s main trophy, for the premier senior MX1 GP title winner, was then re-branded the Tim Gibbes Memorial Trophy.
Host Manawatu-Orion Motorcycle Club president Brad Ritchie said: “It’s an amazing Grand Prix-style circuit, with great spectator vantage points, and it is truly a premier motocross venue.
"It is a very special occasion for everyone. It always starts the year off on a high and we are expecting big numbers to attend, as racers and/or spectators.
"As always, this event sets the year up nicely because it all flows into the senior national motocross championships series in February and March.”
It is always tough to pick a likely winner, so picking a favourite guess, but any overseas riders who do happen to show up for Woodville 2025 will regardless be up against an impressive array of Kiwi internationals, experienced campaigners such as Auckland's defending Woodville champion and current national MX1 champion Hamish Harwood, Mangakino’s former New Zealand MX2 (250cc) champion Maximus Purvis or Tauranga’s Kiwi international Josiah Natzke, among others, in the glamour MX1 class.
Since the stand-alone event was first staged over half a century ago, the Woodville Motocross has grown to become the jewel in New Zealand's motocross crown and hundreds of riders will battle over the weekend, including minis, juniors, seniors, women and veterans.
The long and illustrious list of previous winners includes New Plymouth's 1996 500cc motocross world champion Shayne King, Taupo's 2004 MX2 world champion Ben Townley, Australian stars Craig Dack, Dave Armstrong, Brett Metcalfe, Kirk Gibbs, Todd Waters, Jed Beaton, Jay Wilson and Dean Ferris, Britain’s Jeff Smith, Dave Bickers, Greg Hanson, Perry Leask and Jake Nicholls, Americans Willie Surratt and Frankie Brundage and Sweden’s Gunnar Lindstrom, to name just a few.
All ages and levels of ability are catered for by the Woodville GP event, with the novelty river race on Sunday also a major crowd-pleaser and perhaps appealing more to the enduro and cross-country racing brigade.
Racing over the two days attracts thousands of spectators to the Tararua region, filling motel rooms and camping grounds to the point of overflowing, the New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville is a must-see spectacle for any motorsports enthusiast.