Labour Weekend’s big annual MX Fest in Taupo is a must-see and must-do event for anyone with a passion for Kiwi motocross and Karaka’s Hayden Draper certainly ranks among that number.

The teenager took his Husqvarna FC250 four-stroke bike to stun his rivals across the Tasman Sea late last month, winning the younger of the two 250cc classes at the annual Australian Junior Motocross Championships in Western Australia, but then he rolled a two-stroke engine Husqvarna TC125 to the start line at Taupo over Labour Weekend.

He was keen to maximise his racing and his LMC Husqvarna Race Team had entered the 15-year-old into both the junior racing on Saturday and the senior racing the following day.

It was quite literally a win-win scenario, with the year 10 Howick College pupil winning both his classes outright over the two days. He was the only individual at the event to win classes on both Saturday and Sunday.

With 2-1-1 results in the junior 15-16 years’ 125cc class on Saturday, Draper convincingly won the trophy ahead of experienced fellow Auckland region rider Jack Ellingham and local Taupo rider Declan Connors. 

On Sunday, Draper lodged 2-1-2 results in the senior 125cc class to also win that trophy, again finishing ahead of fellow dual-class competitor Ellingham, with local Mangakino rider Maz Parkes, also riding a Husqvarna TC125, clinching the third podium spot.

“It was my first time back on a 125cc bike in about 12 months, because I’ve been concentrating on the 250cc class lately,” said Draper afterwards.

“In the first race on the junior day, both me and Jack (Ellingham) crashed in the first corner and we re-joined the race in last position. We both charged through traffic and he got the race win in the end, with me settling for second. That set the tone for the weekend really. With me winning the next two races, it gave me the overall win for the day.

“I only managed to qualify third fastest in the 125cc class on Sunday’s senior day, with Jack fourth, and I was sort of surprised with that.”

Otorohanga’s Cooper Phillips was quickest in qualifying, with Parkes second, but, as quickly became obvious, any qualifying spot within the top five or six could easily be a position to win from and that’s just what Draper did.

Draper’s day didn’t finish there either because he’d qualified for the all-capacities shoot-out feature race, a knock-out format where the slowest riders are culled after each of the progressively shorter races. 

Draper dropped out after race two of five in that novel contest, just failing to make the cut for the fastest 10 out of 40 qualifiers, Draper and fellow Husqvarna rider Parkes were actually the only two 125cc riders to survive that long up against all the individuals who were on 250cc and 450cc bikes.

As it turned out, visiting Australian Kirk Gibbs, on a 450cc GASGAS bike, won this “champion of champions” shootout and the Nicky Smith Memorial trophy that went with it. 

Other senior class winners at the weekend were Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis (MX1); Papamoa’s Cody Cooper (MX2); Te Awamutu’s Joel Hansen (veterans’ 35-44 years); Whakatane’s Darren Capill (veterans’ over-45 years) and Auckland’s Jayden McKenzie (MX3).

Other junior class winners at the weekend were Ohau’s Phoenix Van Dusschoten (14-16 years’ 250cc); Oropi’s Levi Townley (12-13 years’ 125cc); Oropi’s Jaggar Townley (12-16 years’ 85cc/150cc); Hamilton’s Nico Verhoeven (8-11 years’ 85cc); Matamata’s Henry Millar (8-11 years’ pro 65cc); Raetihi’s Karaitiana Horne (women); Auckland’s Mikayla Matthews (women 12-16 years’ 85cc/125cc) and Te Awamutu’s Mila Richmond (8-11 years’ 85cc).

The weekend offered an ideal chance for new 2025-model bikes to be tuned and set-up for the New Zealand Motocross Championship season in the New Year, for muscles to be flexed, fresh team line-ups and allegiances to be shaped and it was of course a long weekend in which to do it, so the MX Fest again heralded the start of what could be another cracking New Zealand motocross season.

World, national and provincial titles counted for nothing, international credentials came under threat and past loyalties went out the window as the new season began at the MX Fest and promised fresh challenges for the coming months. 

Significantly, it was a double celebration for the host Taupo Motorcycle Club at the weekend, marking off 50 years since the forming of the club and also ticking off 40 years of hosting its signature Labour Weekend MX Fest extravaganza.

Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com