Ngatea's Broad Takes First Senior Title

Ngatea's Broad Takes First Senior Title

MARCH 22, 2016: It could be the first of many major titles for Thames Valley's Ben Broad after he so convincingly wrapped up the senior national 125cc title on Sunday.

The 17-year-old from Ngatea had done enough at the first three of four rounds of this season's New Zealand Motocross Championships that he arrived at Taupo for the final round on Sunday with nearly an entire race up his sleeve
and only three races to go.

With a massive 23-point advantage over his nearest rival, Taupo's Wyatt Chase, he had no reason to panic, even though he was on his rival's favoured home turf.

When Broad took his Fox KTM 125 and shot out of the starting gates in race one, eventually recording a nearly three-second win over Yamaha rider Chase, the message had been sent and the pressure on Broad had eased still further.

A gaggle of KTM riders followed Broad and Chase past the chequered flag in race one – Mangakino's Maximus Purvis, Kotemaori's Reece Lister and Auckland pair Blake Gillard and Claude Griffith – making it five KTM riders in the top six.

Broad went on to wrap up the day with two runner-up finishes, both times crossing the line behind Chase, and it was more than enough to complete the task. It also gave him a 20-point winning margin, the largest of any of the championship winners on Sunday.

Third overall in the 125cc championship was Beachlands' rider Gillard, albeit finishing the series 73 points behind Chase and 93 behind Broad.

"This is exactly what I had set out to do at the start of the campaign," said a delighted Broad afterwards.

"It couldn't have been any better. I didn't have to win my races today but I never like getting second anyway. I didn't want to change my racing mentality, so I pushed hard and won the first race.

"I didn't want to finish second in the next two races because you never aim to do that, but also I didn't want to risk anything with so much at stake.

"Wyatt (Chase) and I have raced against one another many time in the junior ranks and he'd often beat me, but I'd done enough work building up for this that I knew I could win. I had great help in my training from (MX1 class riders) Cody Cooper and Rhys Carter. I was so fortunate to have their assistance."

Broad, now a year 13 pupil at Hauraki Plains College, was national junior 14-16 years' 250cc class champion last season.

Broad finished third in the senior 125cc class last season, also then supported by Epic Decals, Pirelli, BikesportNZ.com, M-Spec Racing, Carter Coaching and KTM PowerParts.

Broad's first senior win this year continues the KTM brand's recent dominance in this class, following on from the back-to-back title wins achieved by fellow KTM rider Josiah Natzke, who won the New Zealand senior 125cc crown in 2014 and again in 2015.

Hamilton's Natzke went on to race for KTM in Europe last season, finishing runner-up in the European 125cc Championships and perhaps proving that motocross in New Zealand is remarkably strong and a good nursery ground for our international campaigners of the future.

Meanwhile, in the MX2 (250cc) class at Taupo on Sunday, South Islander Hamish Harwood took his CML Racing KTM 250F to easily win the title.

Like Broad, the rider from Takaka had arrived at Taupo with a healthy points advantage over his nearest threat, Australian visitor Jed Beaton, and Harwood simply cruised to the title with a 2-2-4 score-card on Sunday, eventually winning the class by 17 points from Beaton.

In the MX1 class, Mount Maunganui's Cooper held off the challenge of Australian riders Dean Ferris and Todd Waters to retain his national crown.

ends

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