Kiwi Rider August 2024 Vol.2 | Page 61

New Zealand ’ s Levi Townley , top rider in the 85cc class at the 2024 Junior Motocross World
Championships in the Netherlands just interrupting his rhythm enough to give it to the Italian . Local ace Dani Heitink claimed fifth ahead of Hindersson , but it was Zanocz who claimed the World Junior Championship with his 1-2 scoreline ahead of Mancini ’ s 3-1 . Garcia completed the podium ahead of Doensen and Hindersson , with Brit Jamie Keith taking a good sixth overall with consistent 6-8 finishes .
85 CLASS The 85cc class had taken the 40 starters from 108 entrants on Saturday , so it was always going to be a full and frantic circuit for the buzzing machines . In race one , Austrian GASGAS pilot Moritz Ernecker took the holeshot and held the early lead from Levi Townley and French flyer Sleny Goyer , before Finland ’ s Viktor Leppälä moved into contention on his KTM . On lap five , Ernecker threw away the lead , remounting in 16th and recovering to finish an eventual 8th . This gave the elder of the two Townley brothers ,
Levi , a lead which he would not relinquish , as Goyer moved up to claim second with three laps to go , leaving Leppälä to hold off a charge from Estonian Lucas Leok . The USA ’ s Wyatt Duff claimed fifth ahead of another Estonian , Aston Allas , who put a last lap pass on France ’ s Kenzo Ferez . Race two saw a clean holeshot for Leok , and he simply would not be caught as he made an early gap and claimed a solid 12-second victory by the flag . The battle raged behind him as the Dane Casey Karstrom put his Yamaha into second initially , before local ace Dex van den Broek completed his charge from outside the top five to claim second in the race , but Levi Townley battled past Brit Finley Pickering , Austrian Ricardo Bauer , and finally Karstrom to take third place , enough to keep Leok back in the points and claim the first ever World Junior Championship for New Zealand . Van den Broek claimed third overall ahead of Goyer and Leppälä , with American Braxtyn Mes taking sixth overall by virtue of a stunning charge right from the back in race two .
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