History never repeats … or does it? A dig into the motocross archives certainly makes for some interesting reading.
New Zealand’s Cole Davies (pictured here) won the 250cc motocross class in the United States at the weekend (just two days after his 19th birthday) co-incidentally almost exactly 19 years after fellow Kiwi Ben Townley had done the same thing in that same year of Davies’ birth, in 2007.
In truth, it actually wasn’t quite the same thing, because Taupo man Townley in fact had to accept runner-up spot in 2007, behind his then Kawasaki team-mate Ryan Villopoto, but ahead of another top American in Josh Grant.
However, to be fair, Townley had already reached the top in the world a few seasons earlier, when he had won the MX2 world championships (on a factory KTM) in 2004. On that occasion he finished ahead of his KTM team-mate from South Africa, Tyla Rattray, and Italian Yamaha rider Antonio Cairoli (who later became a nine-time world champion)
The 2007 season in the US had been a memorable one for Townley because he won the East Coast Lites Supercross crown too, although he finished overall runner-up to Seattle rider Villopoto in the final East Versus West showdown.
Taupo’s Ben Townley (Kawasaki), at a time when he was a frontrunner among the American supercross and motocross elite. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
Townley, along with fellow New Zealand “stars” from that time – racers such as Darryll King, Shayne King, Daryl Atkins, Josh Coppins and Daryl Hurley – had put New Zealand on the motocross world map in the 1990s and 2000s.
And all of this “ancient history” was no doubt inspiration for Davies in the United States as this rider from Waitoki (near Kaukapakapa, north of Auckland) put everyone to the sword in both supercross and motocross contests in the US in 2026.
He finished fifth in the opening round of the 250 East Coast Lites Supercross series this year and, after that, he finished no lower than third across the remaining nine rounds. Included within this streak were six wins, making him the dominant rider in the championship.
He took the title, in just his second professional season in the US, winning by more than 50 points from Pennsylvania’s Seth Hammaker.
Over the weekend just gone, he added to that accolade by wrapping up the 250MX and 250SMX outdoor titles as well at the final round of this series at Ironman Raceway, in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
Main Davies photo courtesy MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.
© Words and other photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
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Cole Davies (KTM), when he raced the New Zealand Mini Motocross Championships in Taranaki 11 years ago, in 2015. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com