The annual New Zealand TT Championships earned extra significance this season because of the high number of competitors who claimed their first national titles in this unique motorcycling code.

Taupo’s Ben Townley (Honda), Stratford’s Camo Keegan, Taihape’s Sarah Elwin (Yamaha), Turangi’s Brendon Dally (Yamaha), Inglewood’s Steve Holmes (Honda), Kaiwaka’s Cullen Curtis (Honda) and Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis (Honda) each collected their first TT titles at the two-day event, held on farmland near Kuratau, at the southern tip of Lake Taupo on Saturday and Sunday.

TT racing is similar to motocross in that it’s run on a dirt track but, with the course set out on a flat paddock, without steep hills or jumps to slow the riders down, it also takes on some of the characteristics of road-racing and riders do reach some incredible speeds until the track cuts up rough.

For Townley (pictured above) and Keegan it was not only their first TT success, they also each scored double victories – Townley winning both the MX1 and enduro class titles and Keegan snatching both the ATV open class and ATV 450cc production class titles.

Townley’s double win was perhaps the most significant, not only because he won the premier MX1 class but because he is a former world, American and New Zealand motocross champion and he had never done it before.

“It was so much fun,” said Townley afterwards.

“All the Taupo boys raved about how much fun this would be and they weren’t wrong. It was certainly a bonus to win two national titles along the way.”

Keegan was similarly satisfied that he had finally cracked the TT event.

“It’s great to come back and win after my bad luck last season,” said the 23-year-old Keegan. “It was amazing that it was so trouble-free for me this time around.”

The other first-time winners were also thrilled with their weekend’s success.

Elwin won the women’s crown, Dally won the over-45 years’ veterans’ title, Holmes ruled the over-50 years’ class, Curtis took the junior ATV class win and Purvis won the junior 8-12 years’ 85cc/150cc class title.

The only repeat winners this year were Waitakere’s Ethan Martens (Yamaha), who successfully defended the national MX2 crown he won for the first time last year, New Plymouth’s Mitch Rowe (KTM), who again won the veterans’ over-35 years’ class, Auckland’s Craig Ridgley (KTM), who again won the ATV over-40 years’ class, and Taupo brothers Cohen and Wyatt Chase (both on KTM bikes).

Cohen won the both the junior 125cc/250cc and National 125cc classes while younger sibling Wyatt won the 13-16 years’ 85cc class.

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

Full story and more photos in your next issue of KIWI RIDER magazine.

RESULTS:

Leading results from the 2013 Bike Torque Yamaha New Zealand TT Championships at Kuratau at the weekend:

MX1: Ben Townley (Taupo, Honda)

MX2: Ethan Martens (Waitakere, Yamaha)

National 125: Cohen Chase (Taupo, KTM)

Enduro class: Ben Townley (Taupo, Honda)

Veterans’ over-35 years: Mitch Rowe (New Plymouth, KTM)

Veterans’ over-45 years: Brendon Dally (Turangi, Yamaha)

Veterans’ over-50 years: Steve Holmes (Inglewood, Honda)

Women: Sarah Elwin (Taihape, Yamaha)

Junior 12-16 years’ 125/250: Cohen Chase (Taupo, KTM)

Junior 13-16 years’ 85cc: Wyatt Chase (Taupo, KTM)

Junior 8-12 years’ 85cc: Maximus Purvis (Mangakino, Honda)

ATV Open: Camo Keegan (Stratford, Honda)

ATV 450cc Production: Camo Keegan (Stratford, Honda)

ATV over-40 years: Craig Ridgley (Auckland, KTM)

ATV juniors: Cullen Curtis (Kaiwaka, Honda)