Atiamuri's Hadleigh Knight was clearly the fastest rider on the track at the weekend's New Zealand Junior Motocross Championships in Taranaki, but still it was a nail-biting finish for the KTM rider.
Knight (CMR Red Bull KTM 250 SXF) dominated racing in the premier 14-16 years' 250cc four-stroke class atthe hilly New Plymouth circuit but, even though he was obviously the fastest rider on the treacherous hillside track, he still had a few anxious moments.
With Chatham Islands rider Kairyn King and Rotorua's Nathan Henderson keeping him honest, it came down to the fifth and final race on Sunday afternoon before he could finally clinch the crown.
"I was hoping to win all five races in my class, but that didn't quite happen," said the 16-year-old Knight, who nonetheless won three of his races and finished second and third in the others.
It was a similar cliff-hanger finish in the 15-16 years' 125cc class, with two KTM riders, Taupo's Cohen Chase (KTM 125 SX) and Tauranga's Aaron Wiltshire (KTM 125 SX), battling for the crown.
But Chase rode smart to eventually win the title by just three points from Wiltshire, with Te Aroha's Aaron Manning taking third overall, finishing just 12 points further back.
With an eight-point advantage as he went to the start line for his final race of the weekend, Chase knew that fourth place or better would be enough to seal the outright championship victory and so, with Wiltshire winning that final race and Chase in second spot but coming under pressure from Christchurch KTM rider Dylan Walsh, he wisely opted to let Walsh go past, easing the pressure and allowing him to cruise to the finish in third place and accept the title win.
