Making his debut on European soil at the 2024 Junior Motocross World Championship in Heerde, The Netherlands, Yamaha’s Levi Townley made history as the first bLU cRU YZ Cup rider to win a Junior Motocross World Title. The 14-year-old New Zealander secured the 85cc title aboard his YZ85 after an emphatic race win and a hard-fought third-place finish in damp and challenging conditions.
Revelling in the deep Dutch sand at the tight and technical Kamperweg Heerde circuit, Townley highlighted his talent with two contrasting but equally impressive performances.
In Race One, Townley got off to a dynamite start, emerging from turn one in second position, hot on the heels of Austrian Moritz Ernecker. Drawing on the race craft instilled by his father, former MX2 World Champion Ben Townley, the young rider executed flawlessly. He capitalized on an error by Ernecker on lap five and proceeded to dominate, eventually finishing the race with a commanding 4.5-second lead over Frenchman Sleny Goyer.
In Race Two, Townley again used his race smarts and incredible technique as he charged through the field after a mid-pack start. The Yamaha star pushed as far up the ranks as second position before a small mistake, and a tip-over on the final lap cost him the position. Nevertheless, the gritty #26 made a quick remount and powered his YZ85 home in third place, which was enough to clinch the overall championship.
Townley’s historic victory not only marks him as the first New Zealander to claim a Junior Motocross World Title but also ends Yamaha’s lengthy title wait in the 85cc class, reaffirming the resurgence of the YZ85.
As the first-ever bLU cRU rider to win a Junior Motocross World Title, and with his younger brother Jaggar also showing huge promise and potential on track, the future looks bright.
From The Netherlands, the Townley’s will embark on a 30-hour journey back to New Zealand. However, the talented family is set to return to Europe for the 2024 YZ85 bLU cRU FIM Europe Cup SuperFinale, which will take place at the prestigious Monster Energy Motocross of Nations in Matterley Basin, Winchester, England, October 4-6.
