Nobody could touch Mount Maunganui's Cody Cooper at the third round of four in this year's New Zealand Motocross Championships at the weekend.
The Suzuki star romped to a hat-trick of convincing wins in the glamour MX1 class, taking his fuel-injected RM-Z450 to the front early in each race at the Patetonga track, near Morrinsville, and then steadily building his advantage from there, each time finishing several hundred metres ahead of his nearest threat.
Unfortunately, Cooper's obvious dominance at the weekend may be too late to salvage his season -- his winning form comes as the series is winding down and follows a series of mishaps at the earlier rounds that have cost him valuable points.
However, Cooper is now just 11 points behind championship leader Justin McDonald, of Christchurch, although he'll need another golden run is he's to snatch the title at the final round, set for New Plymouth this Sunday.
When the Demon Energy-sponsored series kicked off near Timaru in October, injury meant Cooper was unable to live up to his star billing.
The title favourite had a damaged hand and found it almost impossible to hang on to his bike on the rough Timaru track. Even so, he still managed to finish the day third overall as fellow Suzuki rider Daryl Hurley took the championship lead.
The second round at Rotorua a week later was disastrous for both the Suzuki men with Hurley tumbling out of the championships with a shattered ankle and Cooper struggling with a fresh injury, this time the result of a blow to the face after a collision with another rider.
"But I guess I’m 100% again now," shrugged Cooper, the 26-year-old supported this season by Mount Maunganui Suzuki dealer MotoGB.
"I have had three weeks to recover from my injuries but I think I may have left my charge for the title a little too late.
"I'll just have to do what I can do (at New Plymouth) and see what happens."
Fellow Suzuki rider Brad Groombridge, of Taupo, is fourth in the series standings, just nine points behind Mount Maunganui's Mason Phillips.
In the MX2 class, the battle continues to rage between Kiwi internationals Michael Phillips, of Rotorua, and Queenstown’s Scott Columb, although Phillips has now broken free at the top of the standings.
The pair were level-pegging at the start of the day at Patetonga, but Michael Phillips’ 4-1-1 results on Sunday were enough to put the Bay of Plenty rider four points clear of Columb, who managed 3-2-2 in his three outings.
Columb was riding the new fuel-injected Suzuki RM-Z250 and picked up the bike less than a week before Sunday's national event.
"This is an absolutely stock bike. We've done nothing to it since taking it out of the packing crate. The thing is awesome," said Columb.
"The championship comes down to the final round next weekend and I'm looking forward to that. I usually go well at New Plymouth," he said.
In the fight for under-21 honours in the 125cc class, Waitakere's Ethan Martens leads from Mangakino's Kayne Lamont, although the third-ranked rider, Wanganui Suzuki ace Tom Managh, has also impressed.
Managh is just nine points behind Lamont in the standings and has everything to ride for at New Plymouth's finale this weekend.
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