The only thing certain about supercross racing is that nothing is certain.

Tauranga’s Ben Townley leads the open class and Queenstown’s Scott Columb is top of the Lites (250cc) class at the halfway stage of the four-round New Zealand Supercross Championships but there are still two rounds to go and anything can still happen.

Round three is set for this Saturday night at the Amisfield track in Tokoroa and both Townley (Kawasaki) and Columb (Suzuki) know they can take nothing for granted.

Townley is a comfortable 20 points clear of Christchurch Honda rider Justin McDonald and 29 ahead of third-placed Mason Phillips (Kawasaki), of Mount Maunganui, but one slip-up now and Townley’s advantage could quickly evaporate.

Columb is the defending senior 250cc champion but he has not had it all his own way this season and it was dual-class campaigner Phillips who led the class after the series opener in Timaru a week ago.

Columb made up for the slow start to his 2010 campaign by dominating the evening at Sunday’s round two at Motueka, emerging at the end of the event with a narrow six-point lead.

Columb had been nine points behind Phillips (pictured above) at the start of racing in Motueka, but the South Islander quickly made up the lost ground thanks to 1-2-1 results on Sunday.

Taupo Suzuki rider Brad Groombridge is third in the rankings, just 15 points behind Phillips.

“I haven’t been overly impressed with my riding lately, to be totally honest,” said Columb.

“I crashed during qualifying at round one and had blurred vision for the rest of the meeting. I came to Motueka feeling a little better and, of course, I’m happy to come away from Motueka with the series lead.

“I’m not many points in front but I’ve turned it around,” said Columb.

“Timaru didn’t really go to plan and I struggled there.”

Rangiora brothers Isaiah and Micah McGoldrick (both on KTM bikes) leads the two junior categories, the Junior 250cc class and the Junior Lites (85cc) class respectively.

The fourth and final round scheduled for Manukau City the following weekend, on January 23.

© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com