Latest news with #Masterton
Scoop
a day ago
- Sport
- Scoop
Nelson Rider Basalaj Claims First NZ Title
JUNE 9, 2025: South Islander Bailey Basalaj finally lived the dream at the weekend as he collected his first major New Zealand motorcycling title. The Honda rider from Nelson has been racing at the ultimate level for many years now, and on Sunday he finally broke through to achieve his career-long ambition. He won the opening round of the 2025 Yamaha New Zealand Enduro Championships near Nelson in April, but he was still taking nothing for granted as he headed to round two near Whanganui over the King's Birthday Weekend, barely a week ago. Basalaj managed to win the weekend near Whanganui and, with two outright victories in a row, it set him up for 'a more relaxed third and final round', two back-to-back days of racing, near Martinborough on Saturday and Sunday. Basalaj finished runner-up in the 'sprint' segment of the competition held on Saturday, beaten to the finish by Owaka's Blake Affleck, and it was the same story again the following day, during the more-arduous long-loop phase, with Affleck once more winning ahead of Basalaj. This gave Affleck overall honours for the weekend, but, more importantly, it was enough for Basalaj – with his eventual 1-1-2 scorecard for the series – to wrap up the premier Expert Grade title overall. Second overall for the series was Affleck (with 3-4-1 round results over the series) and New Plymouth's Josh Houghton (2-6-3) completed the Exert Grade podium, while Whangamata's Ethan Jameson (4-3-11) and Amberley's Nathan Hodge (6-5-5) rounded out the top five for 2025. Best of the Intermediate Grade riders at the weekend was Masterton's George Callaghan, followed by Masterton's Dave Edmonds and Tokoroa's Mark Newton. For the series overall it finished with Callaghan on top (with a 2-1-1 score-card over the three rounds), followed by Whanganui pair Grant McKinlay (1-6-5) and Jason Wakeling (0-2-7). Best of the women this season was Stratford's Megan Collins, who finished a highly-creditable fourth overall in the Intermediate Grade. In addition to Yamaha-Motor New Zealand, the 2025 Yamaha NZ Enduro Championships were supported by Motorcycling New Zealand, Tasman Pine Forests Ltd, Macaulay Metals, Best Build Construction, Silver-bullet web site and Kiwi Rider magazine. 2025 Yamaha NZ Enduro Champs calendar: Round 1: April 25-26, Nelson. Day 1, 725 Dovedale Road, Day 2 Moutere Highway, 3.8km west of the Redwood Valley Hall. Round 2: June 1-2, near Whanganui. Round 3: June 7-8, Ruakokoputuna Hall, Martinborough District, South Wairarapa.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Scoop
Nelson Rider Basalaj Leads A Honda 1-2 At Nationals
JUNE 8, 2025: South Islander Bailey Basalaj led a Honda 1-2 finish to the top of the series podium as his year's New Zealand Enduro Championships wrapped up in the North Island. The 21-year-old industrial refrigeration engineer from Nelson has been racing at the ultimate level for many years now, and on Sunday he finally broke through to achieve his career-long ambition, but he had a fight on his hands with fellow Honda rider Blake Affleck making a late charge for the title. Basalaj won the opening round of the 2025 New Zealand Enduro Championships near Nelson in April, but he was still taking nothing for granted as he headed to round two near Whanganui over the King's Birthday Weekend, barely a week ago. He managed to win again over the weekend near Whanganui and, with two outright victories in a row, it set Basalaj up for 'a more relaxed third and final round', two back-to-back days of racing, near Martinborough on Saturday and Sunday. Basalaj finished runner-up in the 'sprint' segment of the competition held on Saturday, beaten to the finish by Affleck, from Owaka, south of Balclutha, and it was the same story again the following day, during the more-arduous long-loop phase, with Affleck once more winning ahead of Basalaj. This gave Affleck overall honours for the weekend, but, more importantly, it was enough for Basalaj – with his eventual 1-1-2 scorecard for the series – to wrap up the premier Expert Grade title overall. Second overall for the series was Affleck (with 3-4-1 round results over the series) and New Plymouth's Josh Houghton (2-6-3) completed the Exert Grade podium, while Whangamata's Ethan Jameson (4-3-11) and Amberley's Nathan Hodge (6-5-5) rounded out the top five for 2025. Best of the Intermediate Grade riders at the weekend was Masterton's George Callaghan, followed by Masterton's Dave Edmonds and Tokoroa's Mark Newton. For the series overall it finished with Callaghan on top (with a 2-1-1 score-card over the three rounds), followed by Whanganui pair Grant McKinlay (1-6-5) and Jason Wakeling (0-2-7). Best of the women this season was Stratford's Megan Collins, who finished a highly-creditable fourth overall in the Intermediate Grade. 2025 New Zealand Enduro Champs calendar: Round 1: April 25-26, Nelson. Day 1, 725 Dovedale Road, Day 2 Moutere Highway, 3.8km west of the Redwood Valley Hall. Round 2: June 1-2, near Whanganui. Round 3: June 7-8, Ruakokoputuna Hall, Martinborough District, South Wairarapa.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan voted Masterton Trophy winner
Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan voted Masterton Trophy winner Show Caption Hide Caption Columbus Blue Jackets getting reinforcements vs New York Islanders Sean Monahan and Erik Gudbranson will return to the Blue Jackets' lineup Monday against the Islanders hoping to end a six-game skid Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan is the winner of the 2024-25 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. It's the first time a Blue Jacket has won the award, which is presented annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. No player in the league exemplified those qualities more than Monahan, who was voted the Masterton winner by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Monahan, 30, signed with the Blue Jackets on July 1, 2024, primarily to reunite with Johnny Gaudreau. The two were close friends after playing nearly a decade together in Calgary, so Monahan jumped at a chance to rekindle that spark as a free agent — two years after Gaudreau stunned the NHL by picking the Blue Jackets. Instead, an offseason tragedy that took the lives of Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, on Aug. 29, 2024, in Oldmans Township, New Jersey dashed those plans, leaving Monahan emotionally gutted. His Columbus debut began with a heavy heart, forcing Monahan and his new teammates to bond through shared grief and fond memories of Gaudreau. 'John's someone who brings people together," Monahan said after the NHL announced him as the Masterton winner June 5. "So, going to a new team, everyone knew him well, and I said it plenty of times this year ... I felt like that was where I was supposed to be, playing in Columbus. And I don't take that for granted. Being a Blue Jacket, what it means to be a Blue Jacket and the guys I'm surrounded with every day in the organization and my teammates, it's a real special place to play." Monahan became a special part of the Blue Jackets lineup while centering the top forward line and playing the critical "bumper" position for the first power-play group. Together, Monahan and the Blue Jackets became the NHL's most improved team, improving by 23 points from 2023-24, and nearly qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs under new head coach Dean Evason. Monahan, who missed more than two months with a wrist injury, was a driving force with 19 goals, 38 assists and 57 points in just 54 games. "I was playing with some great players, and I was confident in my game," Monahan said. "I worked really hard to get back to where I wanted to be, and I think I've still got a lot to prove and a lot to prove to myself. I think we should be a playoff team every year. This year was a bit of a step forward, but we didn't get where we wanted to, so ... it's a big summer for our group to get ready for next season.' Meredith Gaudreau, Johnny Gaudreau's widow, presented Monahan with the trophy in a surprise visit to his offseason home near Toronto. The NHL shared a moving video on social media of her surprising Monahan with the award, and both had tears flowing. "I had no idea," Monahan said. "I was kind of waiting around all dressed up for a while because I was told we were doing family photos, and my mom was here and was going to help us with the little guy (1-year old Leo) and to get set up. It definitely caught me off guard, so it was just presented in a special way, and they did a great job to surprise me.' Runners-up to Monahan for the 2024-25 Masterton are Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who's retiring after a distinguished career, and Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who returned in the playoffs after a three-year absence due to a knee injury. Monahan also went through injury difficulties prior to signing with the Blue Jackets, playing just 90 games combined for the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens between 2021 and 2023 due to multiple health challenges that included two hip surgeries, a groin surgery and a broken foot. A wrist surgery kept him out for two-plus months with the Blue Jackets, while at the same time grieving Gaudreau. "It's definitely special to get the award," Monahan said. "I've said it before. I don't need the recognition. Everybody's going through different things in their life, but I worked hard to get where I am, and I went through ups and downs. And to be in Columbus and be healthy and able to play the game I love is something I don't take for granted.' Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@ and @ Get more on the Columbus Blue Jackets with our Cannon Fodder podcast
Scoop
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Honda Rider Basalaj Stretches His Advantage
South Islander Bailey Basalaj has leapt another huge step closer to winning his first national motorcycle racing title after another solid performance over King's Birthday Weekend. The Nelson rider won the opening round of the 2025 New Zealand Enduro Championships near Nelson in April and probably felt there was a target on his back when he arrived at round two in the lower North Island at the weekend. However, the Honda star continues to lead the way after also winning the second two-day round of competition near Whanganui at the weekend and he knows a 'steady as she goes approach may be enough to get the job done', with the third and final weekend of racing now less than seven days away. Bailey won the 'sprint' segment of the competition day on Sunday, but was forced to settle for third overall during the main enduro on Monday, although his 1-3 score for the two days was still enough to give him the overall edge over Masterton's Max Williams (who finished runner-up with 2-4 results over the two days), with Whangamata's Ethan Jamieson (third, 3-7), Owaka's Blake Affleck (fourth, 4-6) and Amberley's Nathan Hodge (fifth, 5-5) rounding out the top five in the premier Expert AA grade. New Plymouth's Josh Houghton finished sixth overall for the weekend, with a 16-1 score-card, and can only rue his lost opportunity to overshadow Basalaj. Houghton had a minor mechanic issue to deal with on Sunday and this obviously cost him dearly because he was certainly on fire on Monday, winning three of the five separate sections, ahead of Taupo's Wil Yeoman, and clinching overall honours for the day, with Basalaj third overall for day two, finishing just 10 seconds behind Yeoman. "It wasn't such a good day for me on Monday,' explained Basalaj afterwards. 'After winning round one of the series, I knew I didn't need to ride over my head and I'm still in a good position anyway with now just one round to go. 'My Honda CRF250R bike performed brilliantly and didn't miss a beat, although I made a few human errors, silly mistakes that cost me time on Monday. I tried to hop over a log and messed that up. It was hard to get back into a rhythm after that. 'Thankfully, the pressure is off for me a little bit in terms of winning the title and perhaps I won't need to push too hard at the final round. I still have to be careful though, because I could still lose it all from here.' Best of the intermediate (A grade) riders at the weekend was Masterton's George Callaghan, followed by Whanganui's Jason Wakeling and Stratford's Megan Collins. Leading rider in the B–Trail class was Wakefield's Cam Clarke, with Palmerston North's Jarrod Amey topping the B-Junior class. The third and final round of the series is set for farmland near Masterton next weekend, on June 7-8. 2025 NZ Enduro Champs calendar: Round 1: April 25-26, Nelson. Day 1, 725 Dovedale Road, Day 2 Moutere Highway, 3.8km west of the Redwood Valley Hall. Round 2: June 1-2, near Whanganui.
Scoop
03-06-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Nelson Rider Continues To Lead After Round Two
South Islander Bailey Basalaj continues to lead the way, but the pressure may be on for him with the third and final weekend of racing now less than seven days away. He won the opening round of the 2025 Yamaha New Zealand Enduro Championships near Nelson in April and probably felt there was a target on his back when he arrived at round two near Whanganui over King's Birthday Weekend. The Honda rider from Nelson was in his element as the first of three-rounds of the 2025 series was raced near home turf in the South Island, but he showed he could still produce the goods after crossing Cook Strait and heading three hours' north to Whanganui for two days of racing on Sunday and Monday. Bailey won the 'sprint' segment of the competition day on Sunday, but was forced to settle for third overall during the main enduro on Monday, although his 1-3 score for the two days was still enough to give him the overall edge over Masterton's Max Williams (who finished runner-up with 2-4 results over the two days), Whangamata's Ethan Jamieson (third, 3-7), Owaka's Blake Affleck (fourth, 4-6) and Amberley's Nathan Hodge (fifth, 5-5). The unluckiest rider in the premier Expert AA grade was perhaps New Plymouth's Josh Houghton (sixth overall for the weekend, with a 16-1 score-card). Houghton had a minor mechanic issue to deal with on Sunday and this obviously cost him dearly because he was certainly on fire on Monday, winning three of the five tightly-timed sections, ahead of Taupo's Wil Yeoman, and clinching overall honours for the day. "It was a fantastic course and the weather conditions perfect, testing for all riders, but still a lot of fun,' said acting Motorcycling New Zealand enduro commissioner Justin Stevenson. 'It was just damp enough to keep the dust down and we really could not have asked for better. 'Josh Houghton was really on the pace on Monday and Wil Yeoman and Bailey Basalaj were too.' Best of the intermediate (A grade) riders at the weekend was Masterton's George Callaghan, followed by Whanganui's Jason Wakeling and Stratford's Megan Collins. Leading rider in the B–Trail class was Wakefield's Cam Clarke, with Palmerston North's Jarrod Amey topping the B-Junior class. The third and final round of the series is set for farmland near Masterton, next weekend, on June 7-8. In addition to Yamaha-Motor New Zealand, the 2025 Yamaha NZ Enduro Championships are supported by Motorcycling New Zealand, Tasman Pine Forests Ltd, Macaulay Metals, Best Build Construction, Silver-bullet web site and Kiwi Rider magazine. 2025 Yamaha NZ Enduro Champs calendar: Round 1: April 25-26, Nelson. Day 1, 725 Dovedale Road, Day 2 Moutere Highway, 3.8km west of the Redwood Valley Hall. Round 2: June 1-2, near Whanganui.
