Bay of Plenty rider Ben Townley has helped put New Zealand's Motocross Team amongst the world's elite.

Ben, who raced in the MXGP class, was the leading individual in the team over the weekend, finishing sixth and second in his two races in Ernee, France.

The Bay of Plenty's Ben Townley was the top rider for Team New Zealand at the weekend. Photo: BikesportNZ.com.

His team mate – Mount Maunganui rider Cody Cooper – managed 20th and 30th in his two rides in the open class.

The team finished eighth, representing a big leap from last year's performance which saw New Zealand fail to qualify at the Motocross of Nations in Latvia.

Team New Zealand manager Howard Lilly says: 'From not qualifying one season to being inside the top 10 the next – I'm blown away.

'I'm actually lost for words. It was a fantastic team effort with the riders receiving massive support from mechanics, supporters and sponsors.”

Unfortunately, their third team mate Kayne Lamont (Mangakino) suffered mechanical issues in his rides.

'We are very disappointed about what happened to Kayne Lamont and his results are no reflection on him at all,” says Howard. 'It's just that it was he who copped all the bad luck.”

Meanwhile, host country and defending champions France fought off a stiff challenge from the United States to send the masses of screaming French fans home happy.

Belgium finished third, followed by Estonia, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Australia, with the latter finishing just 15 points ahead of the unlucky New Zealanders.

Each rider raced twice and, with five of the six results to be counted towards the team total, Lamont's cracked frame, engine seizure and re-occurring rear brake issues proved extremely costly.

The Motocross of Nations will be hosted by Italy in September next year.