‘Golden Oldies’ Turn It On In Difficult Conditions

NOVEMBER 4, 2024: When the going got tough, the tough got going at the 2024 New Zealand Veterans' Motocross Nationals near Mosgiel at the weekend

Hosted by the Mosgiel District Motorcycle Club, former national champions and Kiwi internationals from the recent past all gathered at Outram, inland from Dunedin, for this Ewan Allan Honda-sponsored two-day event and spectators were delighted with the action on show, even if the “weather didn’t co-operate” and drenched the course early on.

Host Mosgiel District Motorcycle Club president Tim Guthrie said “we actually made the best of a bad situation” when the weather closed in on the course on Saturday afternoon.

“We had rain, then hail and snow, and so we really had a few issues to deal with,” said Guthrie.

“When the weather turned sour on us, we had to cut the day short on Saturday, but we still managed to get through five races for each class over the weekend. It was slippery on Sunday, but we shortened the duration of races and changed the track in some places.

“In the end, it was great racing all weekend and everyone had a smile on their face.”

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The only successful defending champion from 2023 was Richmond’s Shannon Hewetson, who again won the veterans’ 35-39 years’ title, this time around finishing ahead of Christchurch’s Ben McConochie and Leeston’s Glenn Harrison.

Outram’s Matt Sutherland improved on spot from his achievement in 2023, when he finished runner-up in the youngest category, the veterans’ 30-34 years’ class, this time winning that title ahead of Timaru’s Sam Rooney and Rolleston’s Jayden Moore.

Former Kiwi international Cam Negus, from Rotorua – who raced motocross Grand Prix events in Europe in the 1990s and a rider who has also contested the International Six Days Enduro – was the top man in the veterans’ 50-54 years’ class at the weekend, winning that trophy ahead of Timaru’s Hamish Collins and Waitara’s Glen Gooch.

New Plymouth’s 1998 New Zealand 500cc motocross champion Mitch Rowe stepped up one position from his runner-up finish in the veterans’ 55-59 years’ class last year to win this time around, beating Te Tii’s Bill McDonald and Rangiora’s Scott Power to the title.

Another of the standout riders at Mosgiel was former Otago rugby captain-turned motocross exponent Dave ‘Crazy’ Latta, from Balclutha.

The 61-year-old Latta not only won the most senior class, for riders aged over 60 years, be he also won the "handicapped" (points earned in race plus the rider's age) Champion of Champions feature race that wound up the weekend.

Other class winners at the weekend were Christchurch’s Darren Patterson (veterans’ 40-44 years’ class); Timaru’s Andrew Richardt (veterans’ 45-49 years’ class) and Kimberley Murphy, from the settlement of Pegasus (just 25km north of Christchurch), won the veteran women’s class title.

- Words by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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