Tauranga's Ben Townley has one hand firmly on the national MX1 crown after another dominating display at the third round of this season's New Zealand Motocross Championships.
The Carlton Dry Honda rider again won the day on Sunday - although he was forced to accept runner-up spot for the first
time this season when he crashed in turn one and had to battle though almost the entire field in one race. He has now stretched his lead to 21 points over his chief rival, fellow Kiwi international Josh Coppins, of Motueka.
With three-quarters of the championship in the bag, only a massive disaster would prevent Townley from taking the MX1 crown this season and, with the final round on his home-town track of Taupo on March 18, it seems the Honda ace is well on target to win his first national title since embarking on an international career that has kept him away from the domestic scene since 2001.
"It was tough," said Townley. "I had a big weekend [winning round two of that national series at Patetonga, near Morrinsville] last weekend, followed by bike testing for my team in Australia during the week.
"I came here feeling a bit tired and flat," said Townley, who still managed an impressive 1-2-1 score-card.
