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teams racing event to raise funds to compete at an even bigger teams racing event – that , in essence , was again what the Battle of the Teams motocross at Taupo was all about . The Battle of the Teams fundraiser motocross attracted six-rider teams from all parts of the country , the competition set to raise funds for Team New Zealand ’ s annual assault on the Motocross of Nations ( MXoN ), usually in Europe , but this year to be staged in the United States . The MXoN , often referred to as the “ Olympic Games of Motocross ”, did not proceed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and New Zealand did not send a team to the MXoN in Italy last year due to safety concerns and continuing travel difficulties associated with the pandemic . Those hiccups aside , the team-versus-team format used for June ’ s event in Taupo – which is similar to the nation-versus-nation configuration of the MXoN – is obviously still immensely popular with the New Zealand motocross community . The number of teams entered at Taupo this year was a record , with a staggering 52 separate teams signing up to race . There were some intriguing match-ups in the Battle of the Teams event , with typical drawcard riders such as Otago ’ s three-time former women ’ s motocross world champion Courtney Duncan , Mount Maunganui ’ s Cody Cooper , Oparau ’ s James Scott , Tauranga ’ s Brodie Connolly , Invercargill ’ s Jack Symon , Silverdale ’ s Hayden Smith , Waipukurau ’ s Rhys Carter , Christchurch ’ s Justin McDonald and Taupo ’ s Brad Groombridge , for example , all giving the event added “ star power ”. Individuals such as Wellington ’ s Josh Bartosh , Cambridge ’ s Jared Hannon , Te Puke ’ s Flynn Watts , Invercargill ’ s Seth Morrow , Pukekohe ’ s Tyler Brown , Te Awamutu ’ s Nixon Parkes , Bombay ’ s Reuben Smith and New Plymouth brothers Rian and Curtis King , to name just a few , were also outstanding on the day . In the end , it was the depth of talent and the consistency of Team Alpinestars that shone
Team Alpinestars ( from left ) New Plymouth ’ s Rian King , Waipukurau ’ s Rhys Carter , Napier ’ s Boston Scott , Levin ’ s Phoenix Van Dusschoten , Tauranga ’ s Peter Broxholme and New Plymouth ’ s Curtis King , the overall winners of the 2022 Battle of the Teams fundraiser motocross in Taupo .
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