It’s hard to believe for any ardent follower of the sport, but Auckland’s Jack Ellingham has just been crowned a New Zealand motocross champion.
It’s not that the teenager shouldn’t or couldn’t be No.1 for the first time in his favourite sport at the weekend, but it is a surprise that he has not won it several times already in the past.
The 16-year-old apprentice builder from Herne Bay became the star of the show at the 2026 edition of the New Zealand Junior Motocross Championships at Leeston, south of Christchurch, at the weekend, the Honda rider so dominant that he almost clinched the crown with a race to spare.
The annual school holiday weekend-long event was an arduous test for all concerned, with five races for each of the various bike or age-group categories held over the three days from Friday to Sunday.
But Ellingham made it look easy as he took his Honda CRF250R to lock away the premier 14-16 years’ 250cc class title in Canterbury at the weekend and so became the stand-out individual at the event.
“I’ve finished as runner-up four times at the New Zealand Junior Motocross Championships over the years and runner-up once in the senior 125cc class as well, but now I’ve finally cracked it and I have earned a New Zealand title,” exclaimed an obviously thrilled Ellingham.
After an intense three days of racing at the Christchurch Offroad Motorcycle Club’s popular Boundry Creek Road circuit, Ellingham convincingly wrapped up the title, finishing ahead of New Plymouth’s Travis Taylor and Onewhero’s Ryan Foster and on the top of the podium in the 250cc class.
Meanwhile, and Cambridge’s Jack Hazelden and Murchison’s Ryder Solly rounded out the top five in the 250cc class.
“It was pretty muddy on the track on day three, but I had built a 15-point lead over the next best rider before the start of the last race, so I just rode carefully and safely in the end to bring it home,” Ellingham explained, after he eventually won four out of his five races.
“I was just cruising in the end,” he said.
“I will be heading now to Australia, to race in the MX3 class at the Pro MX Champs in Canberra next weekend.”
The other title winners at the weekend were Tauranga’s Ethan Carleton (15-16 years’ 125cc class); Waipukurau’s Carson Carroll (12-14 years’ 125cc class); Taupo’s Connor Feather (13-16 years’ 85cc class); Cambridge’s Nico Verhoeven (11-12 years 85cc class); Piopio’s Case Wilson (8-10 years’ 85cc class); Waipukurau’s Kobe Carroll (8-11 years’ 65cc class); Halcombe’s Indie Allison (junior women 12-16 years’ 125/250cc class).
Sadly, there were not enough riders entered in either the junior women’s 12-16 years’ 85cc or the junior women’s 8-11 years’ 85cc classes to constitute a championship in either case.
© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
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