All fired up to make his mark in the national motocross season, it looked like it was almost over just as it began for Tauranga's Ryan Metz.

From finishing eighth in the first Timaru race on February 8, an accident in the second race saw him fail to complete the last two races, and end sitting 16th out of about 30. But strong results in the following rounds saw him recently finish the season just off the podium.

Tauranga's Ryan Metz made dramatic improvements during the season to finish fourth in the 125cc class at the New Zealand Motocross Championships. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

'I wasn't even thinking about making the top 10 for the series,” says Ryan, 22, who got serious about his motocross last season after a few years off 'just to do teenage things”.

'But then I started hanging out with the motocross guys and I got back into it,” says Ryan, who completed some national series rounds for the first time last year.

After a poor start in Timaru, his season picked up dramatically at the second round in the four-round series in Tokoroa last month, where a focus on smooth riding helped him finish third overall for the day, with two fourths and a third placing.

The 22-year-old Tauranga apprentice engineer finished the New Zealand Motocross Championships season in Taupo with a broad grin, claiming fourth place for the 125cc class for the season and final round.

'I'm pretty stoked with that. I got a bit lucky with some of the other guys having problems and crashing out, but that is the way it goes in motocross.”

Among those who've had their share of crashes and problems this season is Te Puke's Logan Blackburn, experiencing a patchy season that only got worse in the final round, with a crash breaking his collarbone at the start of the second race. Logan finished third with 190 points.

The class was won by Hamilton's Josiah Natze, who racked up 289 points, with runner-up Hadleigh Knight of Atiamuri earning 215 points.

Tauranga's Aaron Wiltshier also finished the 125cc class strongly, as the second best performer for the Taupo round with a fourth and two second placings.

His great performance helped him claim sixth place overall for the season with 144 points, only two points behind Ryan's riding mate Beau Yeandle from Morrinsville.

Ryan, who collected 158 points for the season, attributes his success to focussed work on his fitness and regular training on the bike with Beau, which helped him perform strongly and consistently.

While he jokes about being the 'old bugger” of the class, with many competitors in their teens, Ryan would love to step it up again next season.

'I'm going to take a bit of a break from riding over the next months, but I'll definitely be back again next season to give it another good go. Maybe I'll move up to MX2 [the 250cc class], I haven't decided yet.”

Ryan, who rides his Yamaha with the support of family firm Metz Engineering and Bayride Motorcycles, downplays his long-term motocross prospects saying it is a bit harder to balance riding with full-time work.

Meanwhile, Mount Maunganui's Cody Cooper retained the MX1 crown he reclaimed last year.

The top rider, who retired from a successful international career last year, dominated the four-round series winning nine of 12 races.