KIWI RIDER 06 2018 VOL.2 | Page 20

“ It was a sensational weekend for the “Orange Brigade” with a slew of other riders on KTM bikes also enjoying success “The racing was excellent and I’m sure the spectators would have enjoyed it. There was one race in particular on Saturday where a blanket could have covered five of us riders battling at the front.” Townley had finished runner-up in the MX1 class at this event last year, behind Christchurch's former national MX1 champion Justin Macdonald (Honda), but then he won the all-important feature race during that debut appearance, hisw enjoyable experience there in 2017 enticing him back this year. "I have not had this new 2018 KTM 450 SX-F for long, maybe a month now, but I'm really enjoying racing it," said Townley. It was a sensational weekend for the "Orange Brigade" with a slew of other riders on KTM bikes also enjoying success. Taupo's Chase doubled up to take a 250cc version of his KTM to dominate the MX2 class, his 3-1-1-1-1 score-card giving him a massive edge over Dunedin's Sam RIDE - UPLOAD - REVIEW Cuthbertson and Mangakino's Maximus Purvis, while Rotorua's Josh Bourke- Palmer won the senior 125cc class, ahead of Nelson's Clayton Roeske. Motueka's Roma Edwards won the women's class and Tapawera's Keegan Anglesey won the enduro grade. In the junior grades, Ashburton's Mitchell Stocker took his KTM to record a 1-2-1- 2-1 score-card and win the 14-16 years' 250cc class, and he also won both the Junior 125/250 Feature Race and the Trent Haywood Memorial Trophy, while Westport's Reece McBride (Husqvarna) scored 1-1-1-2-2 results over the two days to dominate the 12-16 years' 125cc class. Rangiora's Cobie Bourke took his KTM to a clean sweep of five wins as he dominated the 12-16 years' 85cc class, also winning the Junior 85cc Feature Race, while fellow KTM star Kobe Thoms, from Leeston, ruled the roost in the 8-11 years' 85cc class.