It ended up a Kawasaki 1-2-3-4-5 at the top of the 150cc street stock class at the Victoria Motorcycle Club’s popular Actrix Winter Series this season.

And, what’s more, three of those top five riders were from the same family.

Paraparaumu’s Sam Croft (Kawasaki KR150) was the dominant force in the championship chase, but he had his work cut out with his nearest challenger, Auckland’s Daniel Mettam (Kawasaki KR150), finishing the six-round series just four points behind.

Croft’s father, David Croft, was third overall, another 51 points further back, and Foxton’s Joel Dykstra finished fourth, while 18-year-old Andrew Croft wound up finishing the series fifth overall.

For 55-year-old David Croft, a mental health programme manager on the Kapiti Coast, it’s getting harder and harder with each passing month for him to keep pace with his sons but he says it is a lot of fun trying and agrees it’s a great way stay “mates” with his children.

In 12 races over the series – following the cancellation of round five because of storms – Sam Croft was only twice outside of a podium finish and one of those uncharacteristic results, a fifth placing, came in the final race of the series at Manfeild on Saturday.

It was nailbiting stuff because, if the teenager had dropped back just four more positions in that race, he would have relinquished his series lead and lost the championship.

It was perhaps always going to be a Kawasaki clean sweep in this class but, for the Croft trio at least, also having a champion in the family was a fine way to end the season.

© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com