McGoldrick Puts Honda on Top in Two Classes

McGoldrick Puts Honda on Top in Two Classes

FEBRUARY 15, 2016: It was double trouble for the motocross rivals of Canterbury's Micah McGoldrick at the weekend.

The 20-year-old Rangiora roofer took two Timaru Honda CRF-model bikes to dominate the two prestige classes at the big annual Gold Nuggets Motocross at Waipuna Station, Ikamatua, in Westland, on Saturday and Sunday.

In all, McGoldrick won seven of the 10 races he started and he finished runner-up in the other three.

Riding a CRF450, he produced a 1-1-1-2-2 score-card in the MX1 class, finishing ahead of international visitor Yu Hirata, from Japan, and Nelson's Hayden Wilkinson.

Riding the smaller CRF250, he cleaned up the MX2 class with a 1-1-1-1-2 score-line, beating Nelson's Ethan Waters, with Otago's Kiwi international Courtney Duncan taking third spot on the podium.

The senior 125cc class was won by Nelson's Clayton Roeske, who won all five of his races to finish the weekend ahead of Christchurch pair Angus Macdonald and Kieran Loveridge, who were joint runners-up.

"My national championships campaign started last season with a bang, but it faded at the end," said McGoldrick. "This year I'm using every event I can, like the Gold Nuggets, to build speed and strength and it's working well.

"My aim is to come out on top at the end of it all."

McGoldrick is a solid fifth overall in the MX2 class after the first round of four in the 2016 New Zealand Motocross Championships, held near Timaru, just over a week ago and he is looking to enhance his rankings at the second round in the Manawatu in a fortnight.

In the meantime, he has every right to bask in the glory of his double class win at the weekend.

"It was a tough weekend actually," said McGoldrick. "My MX1 and MX2 races were back-to-back, so that I'd come off the track after my MX1 race and go straight back to the start line where my next bike was waiting for me for the MX2 race.

"It was toughest on my hands. I've now got the biggest blisters ever on my hands," he laughed.

"The first day of racing was really hot and dry and not too rough. I had my dad (Marty) helping me on Saturday, but it was slick on Sundaybecause they'd watered the track a lot overnight. I was on my own on Sunday and that's when the track got really rocky and rough. Some pretty big rocks were showing through.

"It's all been good training for me though. Just what I needed."

McGoldrick is supported by Timaru Honda, Fly, Shoei, SB Autos, Lone Star and Hollands Collision Centre.

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