DUAL-CLASS IRONMAN MORROW PUTS HUSKY ON TWO PODIUMS

Among the huge number of entries at this season’s New Zealand Junior Motocross Championships in Southland at the weekend, there was one individual in particular who really made the most of things – Silverdale’s Seth Morrow.

Despite forcing himself to race twice as many times as most of the riders attending the three-day event at the Sandpit Track, on the fringes of Invercargill, the 15-year-old LMC Husqvarna Racing Team rider still had the stamina and talent to place himself on the podium in two separate bike categories.

Morrow won the 15-16 years’ 125cc class (on his TC125 model bike) and he also finished third overall in the 14-16 years’ 250cc class (on his FC250 model bike).

He had finished runner-up in the 250cc class last season, but still rode incredibly well to take the final podium spot in the same class this time around, on this occasion finishing behind Pukehina’s Flynn Watts and Levin’s Phoenix Van Dusschoten.

Morrow celebrated winning the 15-16 years’ 125cc class, but it was a close thing, with the former Southland rider only getting the nod on a countback after he and Richmond’s Wills Harvey finished the weekend tied on points.

However, Morrow’s superior score-sheet – the Husqvarna star winning three of the weekend’s five races in this class, compared to Harvey’s single race win – was enough to tip the balance in Morrow’s favour.

“It was a tough weekend for me for sure, but that’s what I had been training for,” said Morrow. “And actually, having the extra races meant I was in tune with the changing track.

“My last 125 race was particularly tough and I only finished fifth. The organisers worked the count-back on who had the most wins over the event, so that panned out for me.

“I have done countless hours on this track because we used to live just a few minutes away from it. But this time we had a very long drive from Silverdale (north of Auckland) to the bottom of the South Island.”

Morrow is no stranger to winning national motocross titles – he took his Husqvarna TC125 to win the younger 12-14 years’ 125cc class title when the junior nationals were held in Taranaki last season.

Meanwhile, fellow Husqvarna rider Connor Feather, from Taupo, took his Watson Racing TC65 to win the 8-11 years' 65cc class at the weekend.

Other class winners at the event were Leeston’s Kase Thoms (12-14 years’ 125cc class); Otorohanga’s Cooper Phillips (14-16 years’ 85cc/150cc class); Mangakino’s Maz Parkes (12-13 years’ 85cc/150cc class); Ohoka’s Levi McMaster (8-11 years’ 85cc/150cc class); Raetihi’s Karaitiana Horne (12-16 years’ 125cc/250cc girls’ class) and Whangarei’s Hannah Perris (12-16 years’ 85cc/150cc girls’ class).

Credit: Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com