TWO OUT OF TWO Dec 2009
Once again Kiwi international motocrosser, Ben Townley turned out at the second round of the Bel Ray cross country series held at Vinning's farm in Glen Murray over the weekend.Townley was again hosted by the Metalman KMP Cross Country team and took the win.
Talented Yamaha rider Adrian Smith (Mokau) this time choosing a YZ125 keep Ben honest all day even posting the best lap time in the last lap.
The track was very fast and fuel concerns as well as a damaged radiator shroud saw Ben play it safe allowing Adrian to stay in touch with him to the end.
The Metalman KMP team riders had a great day too with Jason Moorfield (TeKauwhata)charging through from an average start to finish a very credible 6th overall and 1st in the veterans class, while Luke Ramsey (Pukekohe) started well inside the top 10 only to suffer a first lap incident that dropped him back in the field outside the top 40, Luke pushed his way through the traffic to finish 7th overall, and Cameron Downing (Taupiri) had a remarkable ride in only his 3rd senior outing after suffering a high speed get off to finish 3rd in the Expert under class and 28th overall.
Craig Brown (Pukekawa) Director of Mr Motorcycles and associate sponsor of the Metalman KMP team lead the boys out early in the day with the holeshot and held a top 5 overall position up to the beginning of the last lap on his KX450F when he retired from the race placing him 8th overall.
The juniors also had a great day with their 1 ½ hour race with Jason Dickey (Raglan) running up front again on his Kawasaki KX125 and battling for the lead with Brandon Given (Raglan CR125) Jason eventually having to settle for 2nd overall but maintaining his series points lead. Young Sean O'Connor (Bombay) had a stellar day with no mistakes and consistent lap times coming in 2nd in the 85cc race within the race.
Metalman KMP Cross Country team manager, Mike Ramsey was again pleased with the results.
The whole team performed well. "They're all placed well to challenge for series podiums and we look forward to the final round on the 16th of January".
TOWNLEY SHINES IN HUNTLY Nov 2009
Kiwi international motocrosser, Ben Townley made a rare appearance at the first round of the Bel Ray cross country series held in Huntly over the weekend.Townley accompanied the Metalman KMP Cross Country team to the 1st round only to show the crowd how well his recovery was coming along.
Townley is currently rehabilitating from a series of injuries that have forced him to take time off the international motorcross stage. After getting an average start, Townley (KXF450) soon picked off the front runners leaving the rest of the field behind him from lap 2.
The annual 2 hour event saw all the top guns come out of the woodworks. Talented Yamaha riders Adrian Smith (Mokau) and Rory Read (Porirua) made up 2nd and 3rd with Honda riders Karl Power (Auckland) and Renny Johnson (New Plymouth) taking a close 4th and 5th.
The Metalman KMP team riders had a great day too with Luke Ramsey (Pukekohe) finishing up 10th overall, Jason Moorfield (Te Kauwhata) finishing up 14th and Cameron Downing (Taupiri) a respectable 29th place.
The juniors also had a great day with their 1 ½ hour race with Jason Dickey (Raglan) cleaning up the competition on his Kawasaki KX125 and Sean O'Connor (Bombay) placing an honest 15th overall.
Metalman KMP Cross Country team manager, Mike Ramsey was pleased with the results from the first round. He said that there is still some work to do but the boys looked sharp and are heading nicely into the cross country season. They look forward to round two in December.
NZ North Island X- C Championships Rd 1, Waipu Caves, Sunday 28th March.
The Metalman KMP Team headed North with high hopes of making an early impact in this years series.
Junior support rider Jason Dickey KX125 (Raglan) suffered early bike problems due to a filter blockage but battled on to secure a close 2nd overall behind Woodville's Ben Extor on a CRF250.
Jason secured 1st place in the 2 stroke over class and showed that he is definitely a contender for the overall this year.
The senior 3 hour race was a real nail biter, with the lead changing lap by lap for the first hour, Michael Vinning of Huntly (RMX450) lead the charge with Adrian Smith (YZ125) hot on his heals and Luke Ramsey (KX250F) close behind. A pit stop by the leaders saw Luke take the advantage and he tried to distance himself from the pack, Adrian took the advantage in the tighter bush sections and by the 2 hour mark he closed the gap and made the pass on Luke coming into the pits only to hit a post and pick up 100 odd meters of wire which wrapted around his rear wheel bringing him to an abrupt stop, Adrian spent 15 minutes unravelling the mess before he could continue leaving Luke to fend off another spirited charge from Michael Vinning and hard charging Moto crosser Shaun Fogerty (KTM450). Shaun had come from a poor start and was putting down some very fast lap times only disadvantaged by having to fuel every second lap.
Luke maintained the lead up till the 2nd to last lap when Fogerty made the pass and with the hot and rough conditions his superior fitness gave him an 8 second buffer over Luke to the finish flag.
A Class win for Luke along with 2nd overall was just rewards for some very good racing.
Jason Moorfield (KLX450) started well and held his own in 4th until some scary moments made him back off and settle for 8th overall and a well earn't win in the Vet 35 – 45 class.
Cam Downing (KX125) also started well and showed exceptional speed, running top 3 in his class until an untimely crash at the half way point saw him limp to the end of the race to gain valuable points within the class to finish 6th.
Unfortunately the Team was unable to be entered in the Teams section as Kevin Hermason (KX250F) of Norsewood recently suffer an ankle injury, but be assured he will be back for duty at the next Rd at Oparau on the 14th of March and ready for battle.
Individually all Team riders attending Rd 1 are in a strong position, Luke now believes he can not only contend for the 0 – 300cc 4 stroke class but also the overall, Jason Moorfield moves to a new KXF450 for the remainder of the series and with one win already under his belt his sights are set on winning the Vets and securing a top 10 overa
