PURVIS CLAIMS MX1 NZMX CHAMPIONSHIP

The fourth and final round of the Yamaha New Zealand Motocross Championships wrapped up on the weekend with JCR Altherm Yamaha’s Maximus Purvis bolting up the number 1 plate to his Yamaha after claiming the MX1 title a race early. Hosted in the North Island’s Rotorua, Yamaha riders were prominent in taking home a majority of the silverware, as Purvis’s MX2 teammate Hayden Draper took out the MX2 crown as well.

Purvis entered the final round in good shape after strong performances in the opening three rounds, having just needed a smart day’s racing to lock up another MX1 championship for himself and the team. But as Purvis doesn’t operate like that, he finished with 2-1-1 results for the day – beating current Australian ProMX champion Kyle Webster. These strong performances meant that he wrapped up the championship with a race to spare, but took the final race win just to stamp his authority. It’s been a good rebound for Purvis, who pulled out of the 2025 Australian ProMX championship due to injuries.

Purvis now heads straight into the first two rounds of the Australian Enduro Championship in Roma this weekend, as he takes on the E1 class for the ShopYamaha Off Road team.

The points were tighter in the MX2 class, with JCR Yamaha teammates Hayden Draper and James Scott fighting over the championship, and Caleb Ward not far behind. Draper, who has only recently turned 16, proved he has a mature head on his shoulders and managed the pressure of his first major championship well. Draper finished the round with 1-2-2 results to claim second on the day, but secure the MX2 championship by eight points over teammate Scott. Scott finished with 2-1-1 results and kept the pressure on his younger teammate all the way until the end.

Team Owner, Josh Coppins:
“This has been a very successful championship for our riders and teams. We had all three guys in with a hope of winning a championship, as well as our Japanese guests here. The team has been working at full capacity in recent months, so it’s a credit to everyone who kept showing up, putting in the work and in the end, got the rewards. It was a great way to finish the season and also send Maximus and Hayden to Australia in good form as they continue their commitments for the rest of the year.”