It's tough when you have a big No.1 plastered over your motorcycle – everyone has you in their gun sights and wants to take that title away from you.

Bay of Plenty's national MX1 motocross champion Cody Cooper can feel the pressure, although it's something he's become accustomed to over the past few years, and he's determined that he will be the one who is "firing the bullets" this weekend.

Mount Maunganui's Cody Cooper (Honda), the favourite to again win at the Woodville GP. Photo: Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com.

The Mount Maunganui man won the MX1 class at the Honda-sponsored New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville last year, although he lost out to Australian visitor Kirk Gibbs in winning the event's feature trophy.

Cody then went on to successfully defend his national MX1 crown during the four-round New Zealand Motocross Championships that followed soon after.

He sees no reason why he can't repeat that string of success this season too, starting with him winning the feature trophy at the 55th annual Honda-sponsored Woodville GP next weekend.

"I love racing at Woodville and my build-up to the event has been going according to plan," Cody says.

"The track is always different at Woodville, always prepared so well, and it's great that nobody gets to ride it at all during the year. It's fresh for everyone.

"I'm glad that I usually get good starts because that's very important at Woodville. I don't like to be behind anyone because the dirt and stones that fly up can really hurt.

"I'd much rather be the one firing the bullets (at the other riders)," he says.

Cody has some heavy-hitters lining up against him again this year and they too are expected to be faster and fitter than ever before.

He won at Woodville for the first time in 2007, and repeated the feat in 2014, but the 32-year-old would really like nothing better than to become a rare three-time feature trophy winner at the event.

Only five riders have won at Woodville three times or more in the past – Taranaki brothers Shayne King (an incredible 9-time Woodville winner) and Darryll King (5-time winner) Motueka's Josh Coppins (5-time winner), Tauranga's Peter Ploen (3) and Pahiatua's Ken Cleghorn (3).

Racing over the two days at Woodville caters for minis, juniors, women and veterans, with the novelty river race on Sunday always a crowd-pleaser.