There are now just two courses of action for the nation’s dirt biking elite with the second round of four in this season’s New Zealand Motocross Championships set to explode at Patetonga this weekend.

Depending upon their respective positions in the standings after the opening round near Timaru a week ago, competitors will be out to either stabilise and strengthen or strike back and stun when the gates drop at Patetonga, near Morrinsville, on Sunday.

When the dust settled at Timaru’s round one, it was Taupo’s Ben Townley, Queenstown’s Scott Columb and Amberley’s Micah McGoldrick who had ended the day with the biggest smiles on their faces.

Townley scored a hat-trick of wins to comfortably lead the MX1 class, finishing the day ahead of Motueka’s Josh Coppins and Christchurch’s Justin McDonald, while Columb topped the MX2 class, ending up ahead of defending national MX2 champion Darryll King, of Hamilton, and multi-time former national champion Daryl Hurley, of Hawera.

McGoldrick was impressive in pocketing a hat-trick of wins in the dual-title 125cc and under-21 division, taking a solid lead in both categories, but with Rotorua’s Cameron Vaughan and Tauranga’s Logan Blackburn breathing down his neck.

As the riders head this weekend to battle on the red clay surface of the Patetonga track, eyes will focus on Townley, Columb and McGoldrick as they try to cement, or preferably improve upon, their respective positions as class leaders.

The focus this weekend will therefore equally be on the likes of Coppins, McDonald, King, Hurley, Vaughan and Blackburn to see if they can change the balance of power.

When racing wraps up on Sunday afternoon the four-round series will have reached the halfway stage, with the trophy engraver perhaps already beginning to spell out the winners’ names.

Each class is bulging with incredible talent and it would be a foolish person who does not also consider riders such as Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper, Auckland’s Hamish Dobbyn, Mount Maunganui’s Rhys Carter, Waitakere’s Ethan Martens, Rotorua’s Cameron Negus or Nelson’s Nathan Clare revealing themselves as title contenders this weekend.

Practice and qualifying takes up the early part of Sunday’s programme with racing proper sent to begin just before midday.

The second half of the championship takes in round three at Pukekohe on March 4, with the final round set for Taupo on March 18.

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