- Levi Townley recovered from crashes in both starts to finish 16th overall in the JMX125 class.
- Nico Verhoeven made a spirited comeback, placing 17th overall in JMX85 after showing top-10 pace.
- All four Kiwi riders qualified inside the top 10 of their groups, but startline crashes ruined their chances of fighting for podium finishes.
Strong qualifying pace from New Zealand’s young riders wasn’t reflected in the final results after poor starts and crashes plagued their campaigns in the Czech Republic.
Absent: Nico Verhoeven (travelling). Photo: MNZ/Supplied
New Zealand’s promising junior motocross squad endured a frustrating weekend at the 2026 FIM Junior Motocross World Championships in Jinín, Czech Republic, with poor starts and first-turn incidents preventing the team from converting strong qualifying performances into top results.
All four New Zealand riders qualified comfortably inside the top 10 of their respective groups, raising hopes of a standout showing against the world’s best young motocross talent. However, a combination of crashes, bad starts and getting caught in opening-lap incidents left the team fighting from the back throughout Sunday’s races.
Leading the Kiwi contingent was Tauranga’s Levi Townley, who entered the event as the reigning 2024 Junior Motocross World Champion in the 85cc class and one of the favourites in JMX125.
Townley’s title hopes were effectively over before they began after he was caught up in the opening stages of the first moto. Forced to charge through the field from near the back, he recovered to finish 19th.
His second race followed a similar pattern, with another difficult start leaving him to once again slice through the pack. A determined ride saw him climb to 12th by the finish, earning 16th overall.
“It was a tough weekend for me,” said Townley.
“Saturday in qualifying wasn’t great – I wasn’t feeling it with the track all weekend.
“I went down in both the starts, so I had to come from last in both races. I made a lot of passes over the weekend. I am looking forward to my next EMX125 race in Foxhill in a few weeks.”
The best overall result for New Zealand came in the JMX85 class through Cambridge rider Nico Verhoeven.
The 13-year-old, who finished runner-up in the 2024 Junior Motocross World Championship 65cc class, made an excellent start in the opening moto, sitting fifth through the first turn before running inside the top 10 during the early stages. He eventually crossed the line 19th after fading late in the race.
Verhoeven again showed strong pace in the second moto, climbing into the top 10 before finishing 16th, securing 17th overall to lead the Kiwi charge in the JMX85 category.
“I couldn’t quite find my flow around the track,” Verhoeven admitted.
“Not my best weekend and plenty to work on – especially my fitness.”
Fellow JMX85 rider Jaggar also endured a difficult day after becoming another victim of first-turn chaos. Despite crashes in both races, the 14-year-old fought back to finish 21st and 17th for 21st overall.
In the JMX65 class, Nixon Coppins arguably produced one of the strongest comeback rides of the weekend.
After being caught in a start-line crash in the opening moto, the 13-year-old charged from near the back of the field before another collision interrupted his progress. He eventually recovered to finish 25th.
His father, former motocross star Josh Coppins, praised the ride despite the result.
“It was a tough day for Nixon – he rode really well,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to come from 35th or 40th and get the result at this level.”
Coppins again found himself buried in traffic after another poor start in the second moto but stormed through the field to reach as high as 11th before fading slightly in the closing stages to finish 15th.
That result was enough for 20th overall, with Coppins leading the New Zealand riders home in the final moto ahead of Verhoeven and Jaggar.
“Unfortunately, their results do not reflect their performances, but they knew that and it is what it is,” said Josh Coppins.
While the overall placings were below expectations, the team’s qualifying speed and ability to work through world-class fields offered encouraging signs for the future, particularly considering every rider spent much of the weekend battling back from poor starts rather than racing from the front.
Austria’s Ricardo Bauer claimed the 2026 JMX125 world title, Australia’s Blake Bohannon won the JMX85 championship, while France’s Lucas Bos took victory in the JMX65 class.
