New Zealand names 'Nations line-up.

Motorcycling New Zealand has announced its team to contest the Motocross of Nations on October 2-3 in Leirop, The Netherlands.

The team will be led by GP front runners Josh Coppins (MX1) and Ben Townley (MX2), with the addition of Daryl Hurley in the MX3 class and Cody Cooper as reserve.

The first three riders were also named last year, but in very different circumstances: Both Townley and Coppins were coming back from serious crashes, while Hurley never got on the MX of Nations grid at all because of a serious foot injury. In the event, Shayne King stepped into the breach in a Kiwi team that was one place outside of the medals.

Moving forward a year, Ben Townley has a 94 point lead in the MX2 World Championship and Coppins, who competing in his first 'Nations event in 1993, third in the MX1 World Championship. Meanwhile, Hurley won the first round of the FIM World Supercross Championship in Seville, Spain, at the end of 2003.

Cody Cooper will be the team's non-travelling reserve and may have to step into any class. His personal inventory includes the current Oceania and NZ 125 Championships and his 'work in progress' is a good point's lead in the Australian 125 Championship.

New Zealand were absent from the Motocross of Nations Teams in 2002, but a third place in 2001(a team that included Coppins and Hurley) and a fourth in 2003 (Coppins, Townley and Shane King) indicate that they could take the championship outside of Europe or the USA for the first time in its 57-year history.

Mike McLeod will be New Zealand team manager for the second successive year.