As the dust settles on Round 2 of the 2025 Yamaha New Zealand Motocross Championship at Rotorua MX Track, some riders continue to shine, while others face an uphill battle in the final two rounds.
The Rotorua Motorcycle Club hosted a well-prepared event that delivered exciting battles across all classes.
MX1: Purvis Extends His Lead
In MX1, Maximus Purvis emerged victorious once again, though he didn’t manage a clean sweep like in Round 1 at Tauranga. Purvis led home Josiah Natzke in the first two races while defending champion Hamish Harwood had to settle for third overall.
Harwood, however, fought back hard in the final moto, claiming victory ahead of Purvis, with Australian Caleb Ward finishing third. Purvis still won the round overall, extending his championship lead to 147 points—19 ahead of Natzke (128), with Harwood close behind on 123.
“It was another good weekend for me coming away with the overall and I’m feeling good for the next round. I definitely need to do some more work on my starts before Pukekohe,” Purvis said.
Despite his dominance, Purvis admitted that starts would be a key focus before Pukekohe.
MX2: Dixon Fights Through Tough Round to Stay on Top
The 250cc MX2 class was unpredictable, with three different Moto winners across the round.
Madoc Dixon and Yamaha’s James Scott continued their intense rivalry, swapping wins in the first two motos. However, disaster struck Scott in the final race—he crashed and was unable to finish, opening the door for Honda’s Cobie Bourke to take the final moto win and secure second overall for the round.
Dixon claimed the overall victory for the second consecutive round and now holds an 11-point championship lead over Bourke at the halfway mark.
“I had a crash in qualifying and tweaked my neck and back,” Dixon said. “I managed to soldier on to win the first moto, then crashed again in race two but still fought back to second. My shock overheated in the final moto, so I had to nurse it home for third and cruise to the overall.”
Dixon said his focus in the coming weeks would be on recovery before Pukekohe, where he expects to be strong. Yamaha Japan rider Souya Nakajima rounded out the MX2 podium with third overall.
Levi Townley Wins and Says Goodbye to MX125
In the MX125 class, Tauranga’s Levi Townley claimed victory in his final New Zealand Championship race before heading to Europe to compete in the EMX Championship.
Townley offered a “big thanks to Altherm JCR Yamaha for all their support through the years. They gave me so many opportunities and I wouldn’t be able to go to Europe without them. Also a big thanks to my mechanic Luke for all the help over the past two weekends.”
With Townley departing, Hayden Draper—who finished second overall in Rotorua—now becomes the title favourite. Local Rotorua rider Delton Manson secured third overall.
Women’s MX: McCutcheon Continues to Dominate
The Women’s class results were nearly identical to Round 1, with Australian Taylah McCutcheon once again taking overall victory.
This time, Karaitiana Horne managed to win the opening moto, denying McCutcheon a clean sweep. Mikayla Griffiths claimed third overall.
MX3 and Championship Standings
In the non-championship MX3 category, Travis Taylor dominated the round and now holds a sizeable points lead.
Motorcycling New Zealand Sponsorship & Media Manager Sarah Lindup said the organization is pleased with how the championship is progressing.
“We’re incredibly happy with how things are shaping up, and everyone is looking forward to Round 3 in Pukekohe in a few weeks,” she said.
Next Round
Round 3 of the 2025 Yamaha New Zealand Motocross Championship takes place at Pukekohe on Saturday, March 8, 2025.
2025 NZMX CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 2 RESULTS
MX1
1st – Maximus Purvis (72 pts)
2nd – Hamish Harwood (65 pts)
3rd – Josiah Natzke (62 pts)
MX2
1st – Madoc Dixon (67 pts)
2nd – Cobie Bourke (63 pts)
3rd – Souya Nakajima (54 pts)
MX125
1st – Levi Townley (68 pts)
2nd – Hayden Draper (65 pts)
3rd – Delton Manson (62 pts)
Women’s
1st – Taylah McCutcheon (72 pts)
2nd – Karaitiana Horne (69 pts)
3rd – Mikayla Griffiths (58 pts)
MX3
1st – Travis Taylor (75 pts)
2nd – Mitchel Gleeson (58 pts)
3rd – Mokey Vining (58 pts)
2025 NZMX CHAMPIONSHIP – OVERALL STANDINGS (ROUND 1 & 2 COMBINED)
MX1
1st – Maximus Purvis (147 pts)
2nd – Josiah Natzke (128 pts)
3rd – Hamish Harwood (123 pts)
MX2
1st – Madoc Dixon (132 pts)
2nd – Cobie Bourke (121 pts)
3rd – James Scott (112 pts)
MX125
1st – Levi Townley (143 pts)
2nd – Hayden Draper (131 pts)
3rd – Jack Ellingham (110 pts)
Women’s
1st – Taylah McCutcheon (147 pts)
2nd – Karaitiana Horne (135 pts)
3rd – Mikayla Griffiths (116 pts)
MX3
1st – Travis Taylor (150 pts)
2nd – Seaton Head (117 pts)
3rd – Mitchel Gleeson (112 pts)
