“A lot has changed for me since 2014. I’m now more experienced, bigger, stronger and in a bigger bike class.
“At the start of the year I set a few goals for myself — to finish in the top five in the senior nationals and to earn a podium spot in the junior nationals. I’ve exceeded all my expectations.”
It has been an incredible season for the 16-year-old Watts, a Year 12 boarding pupil at Napier Boys’ High School.
He has quickly risen up the national motocross rankings in recent months and his many successes on the race track have gained him widespread recognition.
Last November, Watts collected the 2017 Wairoa Junior Sportsperson of the Year award and was then called back to the stage to also collect the night’s top honour, overall Sportsperson of the Year.
Just last month he succeeded in wrapping up second overall in the 125cc class at the senior nationals, on that occasion finishing behind Kiwi international Maximus Purvis, from Mangakino.
The weekend’s junior national campaign was his last at that level, as he now graduates fulltime to the senior ranks, although he is still eligible for junior honours at world level and is making plans to contest the Junior Motocross World Championships in Australia in August.
Watts would be the first person to say that much of the credit for his success goes to the people working for him behind the scenes — parents Bronnie and Graeme, mechanic Jimmy Ashton, suspension guru Craig Guy, HLR Husqvarna Racing Team manager Howard Lilly, and Patrick Stafford, of Husqvarna New Zealand.
Meanwhile, it would have been great consolation to dual-class rider Veitch that he did win the 14-16yr 250cc title at the weekend.
Other class winners at the junior nationals were Tauranga’s Brodie Connolly (Junior 12-14yr 125cc class); Rangiora’s Cobie Bourke (Junior 13-16yr 85cc class); Darfield’s Tyler Wiremu (Junior 11-12yr 85cc class); Leeston’s Kobe Thoms (Junior 8-10yr 85cc class) and Invercargill’s Charlie Baynes (Junior 8-11yr 65cc support class).
