Young, having fun and getting the job done ... that’s the message sent by Honda stars Phoenix Van Dusschoten and Jack Treloar at the annual MX Fest motocross extravaganza at Taupo over Labour Weekend.

The 15-year-old Phoenix raced both days at the Huka Honda-sponsored MX Fest, winning the premier 250cc class during junior racing on Saturday and then backing that up with an impressive performance also in the senior racing on Sunday.

Phoenix won all three junior 250cc races on Saturday, then took his Honda CR250F to finish fourth overall against his elder and more experienced rivals in the senior MX2 (250cc) class the following day.

“I won all my races on Saturday and also the Dirt Sprint (novelty races on Saturday evening),” says Phoenix, a drainlayer by trade.

“I was just chipping away at MX2 on Sunday. It’s a bit of a step up to race MX2 and I don’t turn 16 until March 22 next year. I’ve been training hard and I’m loving the bike. My mechanic, Darren Lupton, works his magic with the bike and I can’t thank him enough.”

Van Dusschoten’s Motul Honda Racing Team-mate, Southland rider Jack Treloar, had responsibilities only to race the senior MX1 class, for elite senior 450cc bike racers, but he also surprised many with his accomplishments on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Jack, from Otautau, not far from Invercargill, finished 3-1-3 in his three MX1 class outings – his win in race two his first at this level – and he settled for runner-up overall, behind multi-time former national MX2 and MX1 champion Cody Cooper, of Papamoa.

“I’m a part-time building apprentice and work on my parents’ dairy farm, so I can ride and train,” says Jack.

“I had some pretty dumb lines at the start of the race I won. But then the riders ahead of me started getting into it with one another and I could see their lines. It made my life a little bit easier when (Wairoa’s) Tommy Watts went down. I knew I just had to hold on. The bike was handling really well.

“When (Tauranga’s) Josiah Natzke started coming for me near the end, I managed to hold on for the race win.”

Another new signing to Honda this season, New Plymouth’s Curtis King, also impressed at the weekend on his debut ride for the brand, running among the top 10 in the senior MX2 class.

His name continues the proud family tradition after his father, 1996 500cc motocross world champion Shayne King, had also enjoyed a long and fruitful association with Honda, winning numerous national titles throughout the 1980s, 1990s and into the mid 2000s.

These results may offer a clue to which individuals might be battling for the silverware at the big annual Honda-sponsored New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville in late January or when the nationals kick off in Rotorua in February.

Leading standings after the 2023 Huka Honda-sponsored MX Fest at Taupo on Saturday and Sunday:

MX1 class: 1. Cody Cooper (Papamoa) 95 points; 2. Jack Treloar Otautau) 83; 3. Tommy Watts (Wairoa) 78.

MX2 class: 1. James Scott (Oparau) 89 points; 2. Madoc Dixon (Tauranga) 83; 3. Reuben Smith (Bombay) 64.

Senior 125cc two-stroke class: 1. Ben Townley (Tauranga) 85 points; points; 2. Wills Harvey (Appleby) 67; 3. Richard Horne (Raetihi) 61.

Senior women: 1. Amie Roberts (Hamilton) 75 points; 2. Meg Paton (Maungaturoto) 64; Holly Russell (Auckland) 62.

MX3: 1. Darren Capill (Whakatane) 75 points; 2=. Michael Buchanan (Invercargill) 56; 2= Kyle Workman (Napier) 56; 2= Cooper Smith (Bombay) 56.

Veterans 35-44 years: 1. Reuben Weber (Masterton) 75 points; 2. Shayne Giles (Lower Hutt) 62; 3. Caleb Holmes (Mosgiel) 58.

Veterans over-45 years: 1. Darren Capill (Whakatane) 75 points; 2. Glenn Clarke (Taupo) 66; Neil Thompson (Papamoa) 60.

14-16 years’ 250cc class: 1. Phoenix Van Dusschoten (Levin) 75; 3. Reuben Smith (Bombay) 66; Jack Coleman (Tauranga) 60.

15-16 years’ 125cc class: 1. Wills Harvey (Appleby) 75 points; 2. Cooper Phillips (Otorohanga) 66; Jayden McKenzie (Clevedon) 60.

12-14 years’ 125cc class: 1. Hayden Draper (Karaka) 70 points; 2. Jack Ellingham (Auckland) 65; Maz Parkes (Mangakino) 60.

12-16 years’ 85cc/150cc class: 1. Levi Townley (Tauranga) 75 points; 2. Jack Ellingham (Auckland) 66; 3. Bodie Court (Australia) 56.

8-11 years’ 85cc class: 1. Jaggar Townley (Tauranga) 72; 2. Jaxx Hunter (Palmerston North) 64; 3. Nico Verhoeven (Cambridge) 56.

8-11 years’ Pro 65cc class: 1. Connor Feather (Taupo) 75 points; 2. Nico Verhoeven (Cambridge) 66; 3. Levi Rodgers (Tokoroa) 60.

Junior women: 1. Karaitiana Horne (Raetihi) 75 points; 2. Mikayla Griffiths (Taupo) 64; Ruby Leech (Kaukapakapa) 58. 

Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com