Motorbikes: Townley's back after first national title win

Tauranga rider Ben Townley is looking to the future with confidence after wrapping up the New Zealand supercross title at Auckland last night.

Townley, the 2004 world MX2 champion and 2007 United States East Coast supercross champion was using the series as a build-up tool in his comeback from serious shoulder injury that has sidelined him since mid-2008.

Townley won all of last night's three races on his way to claiming his first national senior title in either motocross or supercross.

"My recovery has come a long way since I started riding again in October," Townley, 25, said. "I'm still not as fast as when I was at my best, not yet … but I soon will be," he said, sounding a warning for his American rivals as he soon heads back to the United States to prepare for the national motocross series there.

Townley, on a Kawasaki, won the open class title ahead of Mount Maunganui's Cody Cooper (Suzuki), while Mason Phillips broke through to take the Lites (250cc) title from Queenstown's defending champion Scott Columb (Suzuki).

"Winning the Lites title has not really sunk in yet," said Phillips. "On the first lap of that last race, I saw Scotty (Columb) was way back and so the pressure came off for me. I wasn't pushing too hard in that last race because I didn't want to throw it all away with a mistake."

Phillips, from Mt Maunganui, also finished third overall in the open class, equal on points with Cooper but losing out on countback rule with Cooper clocking a greater number of higher placings throughout the series.

Final leading overall standings after the fourth and final round of the New Zealand supercross championships at Manukau City, Auckland, last night: Senior open class: Ben Townley (Tauranga) 222 points 1, Cody Cooper (Mount Maunganui) 182 2, Mason Phillips (Mount Maunganui) 182 3.

Seniors Lites (250cc): Mason Phillips (Mount Maunganui) 216 points 1, Scott Columb (Queenstown) 204 2, Brad Groombridge (Taupo) 179 3.