Cooper Young’s motocross dreams are to always have fun and “do my best”.
His passion clearly paid off when he clinched the number one spot for the 12-16 years 125cc class at the 2025 New Zealand TT Nationals Competition at Fullers Farm in Taupiri on May 3-4.
Even though the motocross-mad rider qualified in 15th place – he went on to finish the event with a first, second and third, and two fourth placings, plus snapped up the overall first place in his class.
The Hauraki Plains College year 10 student, who rides for the school team, told The Profile his final race was a combination of the best and most challenging races of the entire event.
“I was tied with another competitor and whoever won that race won the overall points – and I bet him… I was stoked.
“It was good for me to deal with the pressure of having a tied race, to push me to ride harder.”
However, the biggest challenge was when he had to get up and catch his competitor after he hit a berm too hard, crashed and lost his first place position, he said.
The young rider’s training routine leading up to the TT Nationals consisted of Monday swims, two gym visits a week and a ride day, he said.
His strategy was to “ride as hard as I can” and stay on his bike.
The motocross champ’s journey into the sport started when he got his first bike at age five.
The 14-year-old said he learned how to ride at home and started to compete at motocross tracks when he was around eight years old.
“Motocross is in the family so it was a natural thing for me to compete.”
And when it came to mentors in motocross, the young rider didn’t need to look far as “both sides of my family” were his biggest influences.
Technique was something Cooper said he’d worked on and sorted, and now was focussed on speed.
But the two-wheeled thrill-seeker has his eye on another competition.
Some of the Hauraki Plains College motocross team would travel to Foxton to race in the Gold Coast Motocross Club Secondary Schools Competition for round three of the New Zealand Battle of the Schools Series, he said.
“My sights are set on winning the 12-14 year 125cc class.”
Cooper said he liked to thank his mum and dad for always getting him to the tracks.
“My sponsors are Triple 8 Training, Mr Motorcycles, P1 Moto, Slater Contracting, Bridgestone Tyres Morrinsville.”
His top two pieces of advice for other young riders was to focus on fitness and “having fun”, he said.
