Tauranga-based former world champion Ben Townley got his motocross career back into gear yesterday with a dominant MX1 victory at the big Summercross event near Matata.
Townley, on his first outing for the Honda Team with which he will contest the 2012 Australian Nationals, scored five wins from five starts to head off Suzuki's national champ Cody Cooper (Papamoa) and Yamaha's former GP star Josh Coppins (Motueka).
Townley said he had been focusing on Summercross to restart his racing career after a couple of injury-interrupted seasons.
"This has been a really important day for me from the moment I decided I still wanted to carry on as a professional racer."
That decision came about four months ago, after Townley curtailed his European GP campaign because of a head injury .
"Since then I've worked really hard, both mentally and physically. Until now the mental part wasn't something I've ever really had to work at but this time, it's been just as much about coming right mentally.
"The thing I was most worried about today was getting good starts because Josh and Cody have been doing a lot of racing and have been starting well."
He needn't have worried. A fast-starting Honda CRF450F powered him to the front each time.
"Compared to the last time I rode a Honda, there is actually less power but the power is easier to use and the bike is very tractable."
Cooper started fast and pushed Townley in the first 10-minute segment of the opening back-to-back moto and then had a minor spill early in the second part and recovered to third behind Coppins.
Cooper was second both times in the second back-to-back race and trailed Coppins home in the final moto.
"It was a bit up and down today. I had a couple of average starts and because the track is now so fast it's hard to pass."
Coppins came in third and Mt Maunganui's Mason Phillips (Kawasaki) claimed fourth.
"I'm really happy. I wasn't in the same league as Ben, Cody and Josh and but I won the next league," Phillips said.
Defending Summercross MX1 champ Michael Phillips (Rotorua) was a non-starter after a training crash just before Christmas.
MX2 produced another Honda victory with 19-year-old Taupo rider Cam Dillon (Honda) taking the honours in a class that lived up to competitive expectations with three different race winners.
Dillon was fast out and won both segments of the first moto with an early challenge from Honda's Peter Broxholme (Tauranga).
Broxholme crashed out in the second moto and it was Papamoa's Rhys Carter (Suzuki) who came to the fore winning both legs of the second back-to-back moto.
National champ Darryll King (Hamilton) won the final moto ahead of Dillon and the MX2 podium was Dillon, Carter and King.
King also won the 35-45 age group veterans title with three wins while the 15-21 years Youth MX class saw Atiamuri's Dion Picard (Suzuki) setting the pace.
Picard raced clear in the first two races and then crashed early in the third moto. He fell back to 27th place before riding through to 12th which left him tied with final moto winner Peter Smit (Honda) of Whakatane. The countback fell in Picard's favour thanks to the two wins.
Young Te Puke rider Logan Blackburn (Yamaha) bounced back from a time-consuming first moto spill and finished sixth overall in the Youth MX class.
Tony Rees Motorcycles Summercross 2011:
MX1: 1 Ben Townley (Kaimai) Honda, 275pts; 2 Cody Cooper (Papamoa) Suzuki, 242pts, 3 Josh Coppins (Motueka) Yamaha, 238pts; 4 Mason Phillips (Mt Maunganui) Kawasaki, 212pts; 5 Nick Saunders (Taupo) Kawasaki, 203pts; 6 Brad Groombridge (Rotorua) Honda, 192pts.
MX2: 1 Cam Dillon (Taupo) Honda, 260pts; 2 Rhys Carter (Papamoa) Suzuki, 237pts; 3 Darryll King (Hamilton) Yamaha, 230pts; 4 Kayne Lamont (Mangakino) Suzuki, 218pts; 5 Jayden Jessup (Upper Hutt) KTM, 211pts; 6 Geran Stapleton (Australia) Honda, 198pts.
Youth MX (15-21 years): 1 Dion Picard (Atiamuri) Suzuki, 144pts; 2 Peter Smit (Whakatane) Honda, 144pts; 3 Evan Hood (Kaukapakapa) KTM, 137pts; 4 Broc Martens (Waitakere) KTM, 135pts; 5 Micah McGoldrick (Rangiora) KTM, 129pts; 6 Logan Blackburn (Te Puke) Yamaha, 117pts.
Veterans MX (over 35): 1 Darryll King (Hamilton) Yamaha, 165pts; 2 Nick Price (Cambridge) Honda, 150pts; 3 Darren Capill (Whakatane) Honda, 132pts. Over 45: 1 Tony Cooksley (Auckland) Yamaha, 165pts; 2 Tim Gleeson (Waharoa) Kawasaki, 137pts; 3 Ray Drake (Rotorua) KTM, 136pts.