Suzuki’s Brad Groombridge dominated the weekend’s annual Auckland Motocross Championship with three wins from three starts at Pukekohe. The 24-year-old Bel Ray Pro Rider Suzuki star twice finished ahead of fellow Kiwi international Hamish Harwood and was trailing him in the third and final race of the day when Harwood crashed heavily, gifting Groombridge the win. "The track today was very difficult and treacherous," said Groombridge. "It was drying out under the hot sun and the bikes were leaving black marks on the soil; it was that hard and compact. It was a very slick and rock-hard surface. Not pleasant at all, but it was a good warm-up for the season ahead. "I had a good battle with Hamish and John Phillips. Cody Cooper was not yet back on the pace following his accident earlier this year, but I know he'll be a force again when the nationals kick-off in February." Runner-up was Ethan Martens, with Phillips, Darryll King, and then the unlucky Harwood rounding-out the top five. "It was a good confidence-builder for me today," said Groombridge. "I have been doing a lot of riding on hard-pack tracks because they will all be hard-pack surfaces at the nationals; no sandy tracks. "I have been doing a lot of mountain-biking lately and my build-up is going well. I still need to be fitter, but I'm making good progress." If Groombridge can continue this momentum, he should be a contender to win the MX1 crown when the four-round New Zealand Motocross Championships kick off in New Plymouth in February.