Rian King: New Plymouth's MX2 front-runner
Honda rider who finished fifth in the 2026 NZ MX2 championship.
By ROOST New Zealand desk · 17 October 2026
New Plymouth's Rian King has been a regular near the front of New Zealand's MX2 class for several seasons.
In 2024, aged 18 and backed by Honda, Crown Kiwi and Alpinestars, he led the national under-19 rankings going into the final day in Taranaki, but a race non-finish cost him the title. BikesportNZ wrote that it was "probably only a matter of time" before he won a senior title.
In 2025 he raced the first three rounds of the national MX2 series for Honda Motul Racing New Zealand.
In 2026 he completed the full series on a Honda and finished fifth overall in MX2 on 165 points, two points behind former champion Madoc Dixon, in one of the strongest MX2 fields in years. Hayden Draper won the title, ahead of James Scott and Australian Caleb Ward.
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