It is one of the biggest events of the summer and it’s just around the corner - the big annual Whakatane Summercross.

As well as attracting the cream of New Zealand motocross racers to the Awakaponga circuit, near Matata, just outside Whakatane, each December, the Honda-sponsored event will again this year act as a springboard for riders heading into the busy part of the season, culminating with the four-round New Zealand Motocross Championships in February and March.

Kiwi international Josh Coppins, a rider who has been favoured to win the Honda Whakatane Summercross in past years, retired from fulltime racing in 2012, but he just might have a huge influence on who does the winning at the December 27-28 event.

Coppins manages one of the race teams that will be out to stop the current favourites and he sends Queenstown’s former national champion Scott Columb into battle on his behalf, pitting him against such talented riders as Mount Maunganui’s national MX1 champion Cody Cooper and Taupo’s MX Fest competition winner Brad Groombridge for example.

Former Opotiki man Cooper is on the comeback from injury but he is already showing signs that he is approaching winning form again.

Riding for The Honda Shop Racing Team, the 31-year-old Cooper has great support to make winning possible and he’ll be joined by team-mates John and Michael Phillips, the Rotorua brothers tackling the MX1 and MX2 (250cc) classes respectively.

The MX2 class is also bulging with hot talent, Mangakino’s national MX2 champion Kayne Lamont also on the comeback from injury but also well on the road to full recovery, having won the class at the recent Auckland Motocross Championships.

Ohaupo’s Campbell Bailey, Te Puke’s Logan Blackburn, Dunedin’s Campbell King, Hamilton’s Josiah Natzke, Atiamuri’s Hadleigh Knight, Masterton’s Bjarne Frederiksen and Whakatane’s Mitch Rees also add star power to the entry list, which again reads like a Who’s Who of New Zealand’s motocross elite.

Taupo’s Nick Saunders returns to the race track after a long absence from the sport and he’ll face a stern test in the MX2 class from Mangakino’s Cam Dillon, Hamilton’s Jesse Wiki and Taupo’s Aaron Smith, as well as a trio of BikesportNZ.com-supported riders, Rotorua’s Scotty Canham, Taupo’s Cohen Chase and Oamaru’s Joel Meikle.

It will also be worth watching for hot local heroes such as Whakatane riders Rhys Robb, Craig Spence, Petri Rautenbach, Kaylene Cornes, Emma Marshall, Blake Cheeseman, Leum Briggs and Opotiki pair Sam and Amy Corston.

"This event will be the first big hit-out of the season to feature all the major teams," said host Bay of Plenty Motorcycle Club spokesman Tony Rees.

"It is a great time of year for racing and, fingers crossed, the weather should be fine.

A mini motocross section has features that will really test the youngest riders, although the more advanced of the 65cc class riders are also invited to race with the juniors on the main track on Saturday.

The Honda Whakatane Summercross is a two-day affair, with minis and juniors racing on Saturday and the seniors, women and veterans racing on Sunday.

Source: www.yahoo.com