Dixon defends his NZ Junior 125cc title
Altherm JCR Yamaha Media Statement 08.02.21
TITLE CAPTION : Altherm JCR Yamaha rider Madoc Dixon on his way to defending his 15-16 years 125cc national title.
He had to wait an extra year to do it but Altherm JCR Yamaha’s Madoc Dixon left nothing to chance when defending his 15-16 years 125cc title at the Farmer Autovillage Yamaha Motor NZ 2021 New Zealand Junior Motocross Nationals.
The Tauranga youngster first won his national crown in 2019 and when Covid-19 caused the 2020 edition’s cancellation, he approached this weekend’s three-day event at Tauranga’s TECT All Terrain Park doubly determined to keep hold of it.
“I felt pretty nervous coming into it but I’ve worked really hard and it paid off this weekend,” Dixon (16) says.
A wrist injury meant he was forced to spend three months off the bike over winter. However, it didn’t cause any issues over the weekend and the up to three hours training Dixon puts in each day were evident as he powered through the five, 16-minute high intensity races.
Winning the first, third and fourth outings and finishing runner-up in the other two races, Dixon took his YZ125 to a three-point victory over Dylan Westgate.
“I knew I just had to stay consistent and I’d achieve my goal,” Dixon says.
Hosted by Tauranga Club, this was the first national event for the TECT All Terrain Park. Yamaha Motor New Zealand ambassador and club president Ben Tonwley says it was satisfying to see everyone enjoying the summer atmosphere after a busy build-up.
The junior nationals is usually held in April, so the February date meant entrants and their families were able to camp on-site which added to the overall experience.
“We’ve only been there for about six years getting established. We’ve put in a big effort for the past few years and a huge effort in the past few weeks. It worked out really well and was rewarding for our committee - they all deserve a lot of credit,” Townley says.
He also had his ‘dad hat’ on as his two sons Levi and Jaggar were competing as part of the Yamaha Junior Racing Team.
Caption: Levi Townley demonstrated he has plenty of his dad Ben’s ability - winning the 8-11 years Pro 65 class and finishing a close second in the 8-11 years 85cc category at the Farmer Autovillage Yamaha Motor NZ 2021 New Zealand Junior Motocross Nationals.
“Levi had a fantastic weekend and rode in two classes. He came away with the win in the 8-11 years Pro 65 class and a close second in the 8-11 years 85cc category. It was tough going for Jaggar as he had an accident on the first day, which meant it was hard for him but good learning,” Townley says.
After a successful international and national riding career, it was a special feeling to watch the next generation sharing his skill-set, Townley says.
“I love doing motocross with them. They really have a lot of passion for it.”
Yamaha Motor New Zealand’s Motorsport Manager Josh Coppins also did dual duty at the event - ensuring that as a title sponsor everything ran smoothly for the brand and also keeping an eye out for his Altherm JCR Yamaha team rider Dixon.
Captions: Demo bikes and two mechanics were available at the Yamaha Motor New Zealand stand for the brand's customers to make use of over the three-day event. The Yamaha spectator zone was the ideal spot to watch all the action unfold from.
“We created a bLU cRU alley for our customers and had two mechanics and demo bikes on-site to support them. Our activation section had a merchandise stand and a Yamaha customers’ platform viewing area. We did some giveaways and worked hard to ensure our bLU cRU customers felt like part of the Yamaha family,” Coppins says.
Caption: Based out of the bLU cRU alleyway at the Farmer Autovillage Yamaha Motor NZ 2021 New Zealand Junior Motocross Nationals, Yamaha riders won five out of the ten classes.
“Madoc’s title defence was the icing on the cake for the weekend, where we ended up winning five out of the 10 classes. Along with his 15-16 years 125cc victory, we had Aidan Roberts top the 12-14 years 125cc competition and Levi’s 8-11 years Pro 65 success.
Caption: Yamaha riders Karaitiana Horne (#394) and Penny Lang (#144) battle it out on their YZ85s in the 12-16 years Junior Woman – 85/150cc class.
We also won two junior women’s clases with Karaitiana Horne claiming the 12-16 years Junior Woman – 85/150cc title and Mikayla Griffiths winning the 8-11 years Junior Woman category.
“It was a fairly dominant performance by Yamaha, with KTM taking out three classes and one each to Honda and Kawasaki.
“I’m happy with how we performed and with the massive effort from the Yamaha team who worked for days to get everything set up. Now we look forward to the second round of the New Zealand Motocross Championship in Rotorua on February 21,” Coppins concludes.
BAYRIDE EDIT: The 2021 NZ Junior Motocross nationals was also supported by Bayride Motorcycles , sponsoring two of the race classes. Bayride also had a display and put up prize money in conjunction with Farmer Auto Village on the GWM stand.
Bayride Sponsored 8-11yrs 60-85cc2t & 100-125cc 4T
Bayride display with Farmer Autovillage and GWM
2021 NZ JUNIOR MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP OVERALL RESULTS:
12-14 years 85/150cc
1st Cole Davies – 122
2nd Seth Morrow – 113
3rd Jack Coleman – 100
12-14 years 125cc
1st Aidan Roberts (YZ125)– 116
2nd Cole Davies – 100
3rd Flynn Watts – 97
14-16 years 85/150cc
1st Troy Bullock – 112
2nd Lachlan Bourn – 106
3rd Ryan Harris – 105
14-16 years 250cc
1st Tyler Brown – 111
2nd Nick Westgate – 108
3rd Jack Symon – 99
15-16 years 125cc
1st Madoc Dixon (YZ125) – 119 (Team Altherm JCR Yamaha)
2nd Dylan Westgate – 116
3rd Jack Symon – 96
8-11 years 85cc
1st Declan Connors – 119
2nd Levi Townley (YZ85) – 114 (Yamaha Junior Racing Team)
3rd Boston Scott – 98
8-11 years Pro 65
1st Levi Townley (YZ65) – 125 (Yamaha Junior Racing Team)
2nd Jack Ellingham (YZ65) – 108
3rd Ethan Carleton – 100
10th Jaggar Townley (YZ65) – 55 (Yamaha Junior Racing Team)
12-16 years Junior Woman – 125/250cc
1st Hannah Powell – 119
2nd Halle Cox (YZ250) – 116
3rd Jess Harris – 98
8-11 years Junior Woman
1st Mikayla Griffiths (YZ85) – 125
2nd Hazel Lang (YZ85) – 106
3rd Hannah Perris – 100
12-16 years Junior Woman – 85/150cc
1st Karaitiana Horne (YZ85) – 122
2nd Penny Lang (YZ85) – 113
3rd Thalia Heileson – 96
PHOTOS CREDITS TO: CD PHOTOGRAPHY
2020/21 ALTHERM JCR YAMAHA RACE SCHEDULE:
24th & 25th October 2020 – Taupo MX Fest (first contracted race for 2020/21)
27th & 28th December 2020 – SummerCross, Whakatane
30th & 31st January 2021 – Woodville Grand Prix, Palmerston North
2021 New Zealand Motocross Championship
Round One – tied into Woodville Grand Prix – 31st January 2021
Round Two – Rotorua – 21st February 2021
Round Three – Pukekohe – 20th March 2021
Round Four – Taupo – 28th March 2021
ALTHERM JCR YAMAHA WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS:
Altherm Window Systems, JCR, Yamaha Motor New Zealand, Yamalube, GYTR, bLU cRU, YMF,
YMI, Akrapovic, Holland Collision Centre, Ward Demolition, Star Moving, Contract Consultants,
Fox, Workshop Graphics, Pirelli, DID, Renthal, Motomuck, Vertex, Twin Air, Motoseat & SKF.