National Titles in Two Countries for Yamaha Ace

National Titles in Two Countries for Yamaha Ace

by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
November 29, 2013

The season has only just begun, but the silverware is already starting to pile up for Yamaha ace Jay Wilson.

The Australian teenager is a national champion in two different countries now after wrapping up the senior Pro Lites (250cc) crown at the second and final round of the New Zealand Supercross Championship at Winton, just north of Invercargill, on Thursday evening.

The Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team rider was unbeatable at Winton, scoring a hat-trick of wins to overturn the one-point deficit he had after round one near Timaru, eventually taking the title by a solid eight points from his main rival, Mount Maunganui’s Rhys Carter.

Wilson had also won the Australian Supercross Championships title in the Under-19 class just a week earlier.

Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team manager Josh Coppins, himself a former New Zealand supercross champion, said he was thrilled with the outcome of the two-round series.

“It all went very well for Jay (Wilson) at Winton. He was one point behind Rhys (Carter) coming into the round, but he ended up winning the title comfortably.

“We are really happy with the new 2014-model Yamaha YZ250F. This was the bike’s first outing and it was completely stock standard,” said Coppins, of Motueka.

“It was a shame that (the Altherm team’s open class rider) Matt Haworth crashed in the last race. It was disappointing for him because he had been running second in the class (behind eventual champion Cody Cooper, of Mount Maunganui). He ended up having to settle for third overall in the open class championship.

“It was a good overall result for the Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team tough, winning one class and taking the third podium spot in another class. It’s a good, solid campaign for the team.”

Other class winners were Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper (senior open class); Hamilton’s Josiah Natzke (Junior 250cc class) and Australian Sam Noonan (junior 85cc class).

“(National MX2 motocross champion) Scott Columb (of Queenstown) and I will race the Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team bikes at the two-day Otago Motocross Championships near Dunedin on December 7-8, but that’s a rare ride for me these days,” said Coppins.

He said that the “next big hit-up” for the Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team would be the big annual Whakatane Summercross, just after Christmas, and then Scotsman Billy MacKenzie would arrive to race the MX1 class for the team at the New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville at the end of January.

The Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing team is supported by Yamaha Motor New Zealand, CRC, Fox, Holland’s Collision Centre, Star Moving, GYTR, Yamalube, Pro Circuit, Alpinestars, Matrix, DID, NGK, Renthal, Pirelli, Etnies, Workshop Graphics, POD, Atlas, Motomuck, Uni, Giltrap Prestige, Hinson, Racetech Plastics, Vertex Pistons and SKF.

ENDS

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