Kiwi riders were to the fore at the 2024 FIM Junior Motocross World Championships at the Circuit Kamperweg Heerde in the heart of the Netherlands in mid-July .

Kiwi riders were to the fore at the 2024 FIM Junior Motocross World Championships at the Circuit Kamperweg Heerde in the heart of the Netherlands in mid-July .

Bay of Plenty trio , brothers Levi Townley and Jaggar Townley , from Tauranga , and Cambridge ’ s Nico Verhoeven certainly helped put New Zealand on the map at this annual event . Levi Townley finished 1-3 in his two races to win the 85cc class title , while Nico Verhoeven finished 1-4 in his two 65cc class outings , good for overall world championship runner-up , while Jaggar Townley finished 22-33 in his two 85cc class races , worth 36th overall . While it is interesting to note Levi Townley ’ s success is New Zealand ’ s first junior world title , it is also worth recognising that even a small country like New Zealand has produced eight senior world championship winners in the past – Taranaki ’ s Shayne King ( 500cc world title , on a KTM in 1996 ); Taupo ’ s Ben Townley ( MX2 / 250cc world title , on a KTM in 2004 ); Pukekohe ’ s Katherine Prumm ( women ’ s world titles , on a Kawasaki in 2006 and 2007 ) and Otago ’ s Courtney Duncan ( women ’ s world titles , on a Kawasaki in 2019 , 2020 , 2021 and 2023 ). Meanwhile , Fantic Factory Racing EMX125 rider Noel Zanocz continued his fantastic year with the 2024 World Junior 125cc title in his pocket after a stunning display of riding in the sand in The Netherlands . The Hungarian also features this year at the front of the EMX125 Championships . Kiwi rider Levi Townley justified the long journey with a stunning overall win to add another FIM Gold Medal to the family collection as his former MX2 world championship-winning father Ben Townley watched on proudly in The Netherlands .