Motorsport: Seven roar into first national titles

The annual NZ TT Championships earned extra significance this season because of the numerous competitors who claimed their first national titles in the motorcycling code.

Taupo's Ben Townley (Honda), Stratford's Camo Keegan, Taihape's Sarah Elwin (Yamaha), Turangi's Brendon Dally (Yamaha), Inglewood's Steve Holmes (Honda), Kaiwaka's Cullen Curtis (Honda) and Mangakino's Maximus Purvis (Honda) each collected their first TT titles at the two-day event on farmland near Kuratau, at the southern tip of Lake Taupo on Saturday and Sunday.

TT racing is similar to motocross in that it's run on a dirt track but, without steep hills or jumps, it also takes on some of the characteristics of road-racing and riders reach incredible speeds until the track cuts up rough.

Townley and Keegan scored double victories; Townley winning the MX1 and enduro class titles and Keegan snatching the ATV open class and ATV 450cc production class titles.

Townley's double win was the most significant, not only because he won the premier MX1 class but because he is a former world, US and NZ motocross champion and had never done it before.

"It was so much fun," said Townley afterwards.

"All the Taupo boys raved about how much fun this would be and they weren't wrong. It was certainly a bonus to win two national titles along the way."

Keegan was also satisfied he had finally cracked the TT event.

"It's great to come back and win after my bad luck last season," said Keegan, 23.

The other first-time winners were also thrilled with their weekend's success.

Elwin won the women's crown, Dally won the over-45 years' veterans' title, Holmes ruled the over-50 years' class, Curtis took the junior ATV class win and Purvis won the junior 8-12 years' 85cc/150cc class title.

Repeat winners were Waitakere's Ethan Martens (Yamaha), who defended the national MX2 crown; New Plymouth's Mitch Rowe (KTM), who won the veterans' over-35 years' class; Auckland's Craig Ridgley (KTM), who won the ATV over-40 years' class; and Taupo brothers Cohen and Wyatt Chase (both on KTM bikes). Cohen won the both the junior 125cc/250cc and national 125cc classes while Wyatt won the 13-16 years' 85cc class.