Brad Groombridge raced his Bel Ray Pro Rider Suzuki RM-Z450 to a double MX1-class victory at Sunday’s ‘King of the Mountain’ Motocross at Taranaki in New Zealand, along with picking-up another victory in event’s feature race.

Although repeating the success he enjoyed when winning the big stand-alone Taranaki event in 2012 - and continuing the winning-trend he has enjoyed for the early part of this season - it wasn’t plain-sailing for the 23-year-old, with two-time former national champion Michael Phillips grabbing the early lead in all three races.

But, each time, the BikesportNZ.com-supported rider managed to find a way past his rival, although for the feature-final he had to do that half a dozen times.

Said Groombridge: “That was a bit of a battle that one. I made a few mistakes on the slick track; in fact the track got trickier as it dried out during the day. The hard-packed soil was very treacherous and it was hard to pick lines. Michael (Phillips) was strong and he forced me to try different lines to get past him. I had to experiment a little. My fitness is probably the best it’s ever been at the moment and I’m looking forward now to the New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville next weekend - and then that national championships that follow next month.”