Five wins from five starts

Five wins from five starts ... dominance doesn’t get any more clear-cut than that.

Rangiora’s Dylan Walsh had a mixed bag of results during his recent foray into the senior ranks, his New Zealand senior motocross championships assault in February and March plagued by set-backs right from the opening round.

But, as the 16-year-old KTM ace rebounded from injuries and managed to score top-three placings and salvage an overall senior national 125cc class ranking of ninth.

When he slipped back into the junior ranks for this season’s Backflips Clothing and KTM-sponsored New Zealand Junior Motocross Championships, held near Greymouth over the Anzac weekend, he proved to be untouchable.

Walsh took his McIver and Veitch, Technosol, Backflips and BikesportNZ.com-backed KTM125 to win all five races in the 15-16 years’ 125cc class over the weekend, easily winning the national title ahead of Ngatea’s Ben Broad and Hawera’s Nick Hornby.

“I didn’t have a good junior nationals last season, but it all worked out well this time around,” said Walsh.

“I holeshot all three races on the Saturday and easily won those. I relaxed a bit on Sunday because I felt I didn’t need to push too hard. I didn’t get the holeshots but was into the lead after about the first lap each time.”

Walsh had previously won national titles, twice in the 85cc class and once in the 65cc class, but he said this one was “the best one so far”.

“I will leave the junior competition and go senior fulltime now. My next big race is the Michael Godfrey Memorial Motocross (near Christchurch on May 31) and that will be my first event as a fulltime senior.”

In all, KTM riders won half of the six bike categories being contested at the weekend’s junior nationals – Australian visitor Tyler Darby winning the 11-12 years’ 85cc class title and Auckland’s Ryan Webley winning the 8-10 years’ 85cc class – while Taupo’s Cohen Chase (Yamaha) won 14-16 years’ 250cc class; his younger brother Wyatt Chase (Yamaha) won the 85cc 13-16 years’ class and Nelson’s Reece Walker (Yamaha) won the 12-14 years’ 125cc class title.

Ends

© Scoop Media