Rockstar Motul Suzuki's Cody Cooper was unstoppable as he claimed the 2011 New Zealand National MX1 Motocross crown on Sunday.
Cooper dominated the fourth and final round at New Plymouth, as he claimed a hat-trick of wins on the sticky, damp Barrett Road circuit. By winning the first MX1 race of the day, Cooper leapfrogged series leader Josh Coppins in the standings and in doing so took the Championship lead for the first time this season. And he further strengthened his hold on the #1 plate by winning the two remaining races of the day.
Cooper, who was in dominant form over the course of the championship, claiming the overall win in three of the four rounds, said: "It was a good series for me this year. After suffering from arm-pump in Timaru, we changed the fork settings and it was awesome after that. I feel confident now as I head back across the Tasman to continue my Australian Championship campaign."
Cooper is currently second in the Pro Open class of the Australian National Motocross Championship after a muddy opening round in Victoria a fortnight ago.
"I love the Suzuki. I just think it's a bike that suits my style. My best campaign in the United States was on a Suzuki too," he added.
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In the MX2 Class, Rockstar Motul Suzuki's Daniel McCoy just missed out on the Championship after a challenging race day.
McCoy said: "I just couldn't get good starts today and couldn't really put myself in a good position to win. I didn't come here expecting to win a Championship, so to be so close to doing just that is very pleasing for me. But it is a little disappointing at the same time. Maybe I can come back next year and win it."
Both Cooper and McCoy now head to the second round of the Australian National Motocross Championship at Appin, NSW on April 3rd.
[Press Release and Photo Courtesy of Suzuki Racing]
