Series convener Noel May believes it is the longest-running off-road series in New Zealand and although numbers from its heydays of 400 entries have dwindled to below 200, it is still going strong.
The fact the series was hosted by the five southern motorcycle clubs - Southland, Gore District, South Otago, Mosgiel District and Central Otago - made for varied riding, May said.
Competitors began the season on Poolburn's harder ground, moved to Invercargill's sandy track and this Sunday will ride the loamy dirt of Gore.
Dunedin's closest round is on Sunday, October 30, when the series heads to the Scorgie family's property, at Lee Stream.
Motocross was no different from many other weekend sports, where mum and dad were getting out and supporting their children, May said. The only difference was they were ripping round a jump-laden circuit and dad may well be competing, too, as the eight classes covered from the 4-to-8 years mini category, through to the over-35 veterans.
Girls may not be as numerous as boys but there are some competing. They could take heart from the knowledge that this was where serious rising international star Courtney Duncan, of Palmerston, first began to shine when she started competing in the series aged 8. By the age of 11 she was the first female to win a Southern Moto-X Series round and the following year she topped it by beating all the boys in the five-round championships 11-12 years 85cc class.
Since then, Duncan has collected numerous national trophies and competed admirably at international level. Her latest achievement was winning the American national motocross title in the 65-85cc girls' class in July.
Like all motorsports, it did not come cheap and May estimated it would cost "thousands of dollars" to buy a motorbike, get all the gear and travel around the country. He attributed the drop-off in entry numbers over the past two years to the recent "financial crunch".
One father in the ideal industry to help his two sons in the Southern Moto-X Series is McIver and Veitch motorcycle dealership managing director Dean Veitch, of Dunedin.
Motorbikes were in the blood, as his father Bill could still be found racing classics in his 70s and had "lots of New Zealand titles" to his name, Dean said.
He and brother Jason, who also runs the family company, have also collected their fair share of silverware over the years, although now Dean is too busy "just running around after my two boys", to race at a high level.
Jackson (17) is competing in the Senior Pro class and is seventh going into this Sunday's third round, while Grason (9) is second in the new under-12s class.
