2015 AJMX Nationals Day Six Report
By Jeremy Hammer
The final day of the 2015 Australian Junior Motocross Nationals produced several new champions, across numerous categories.
Overcast skies loomed over the Bunbury circuit, although rain would not prevail. The tracked proved to be in it’s toughest state all week, pushing the riders to their limits.
Hunter Lawrence demonstrated why he’s Australia next best rider, taking home both the 125cc, and 250cc 15 Year classes. The freshly crowned Australian champion dominated all 10 Moto’s, stamping his authority amongst his rivals.
Hunter Lawrence: 100cc to 125cc 2-stroke 15 years & 128cc – 150cc 2-stroke & 200cc – 250cc 4-stroke 15 years Australian Champion – “My favorite championship I took this year was the on the 250. I enjoy the 250 a lot more. There’s more power, it’s a bit heavier and the setup on it is sweet so I think it makes it a bit more fun. It was a good week for me, the bike is handling awesome so a massive shout out to Mike Ward and Scott Bishop. I had a bit of a squid moment and binned it after the whoops and had to come back, so that was a pretty cool race, but the whole week was a lot of fun. Another fun moment was hanging out with a few of the Yamaha boys, I got to know a few more of them over here pretty well and they’re all good kids, so props to them.”
Taj Marshall broke through to clinch the 250cc 13-U15 Years championship, despite a poor result in the opening Moto. He was able to bounce back with three Moto wins, even though Callum Norton tried his all to stop Marshall’s run. A rear shock issue in Moto four would unfortunately crush Norton’s chance at the title, making it a little bit easier on Marshall in the final race.
Taj Marshall – 128cc – 150cc 2-stroke & 200cc – 150cc 4-stroke 13-u15 years Australian Champion – “I didn’t really expect much coming over here, I was just hoping to have a clean run, and have some fun with a good team behind me, so this was a big surprise. My favorite moment was when I got my first race win. I was so pumped and I didn’t really know what to think at the start because I hadn’t really won that many races this year but because it was sand I really loved it, and it’s made it so much more fun for me.”
The 125cc 13-U15 Years class had some of the tightest racing all week, with the championship coming down to the wire. Mat Fabry was able to edge out Caleb Grothues for the title, which was on of the biggest upsets of the event. An average result in the opening Moto put Grothues several points down, however he was able to come back with two Moto wins.
Matt Fabry – 100cc to 125cc 2-stroke 13-u15 years Australian Champion – “I didn’t really expect to get the title, but I think I’ve just got to believe in myself a lot more – dreams really do come true and to come away with a National title I couldn’t be happier. I felt pretty confident all week so to be honest the whole event was my favorite moment. I just stayed consistent and got the job done, so it feels awesome.”
Mitchell Outram secured the older age group 85cc class championship, showing great speed and consistency all week.
Mitchell Outram – 85cc 2-stroke / 150cc 4 stroke std / big wheel 14-u16 years Australian Champion – “This title was so important for me, because all of the other years I haven’t done very well and I keep crashing, so after that first race for the week I was really happy with what I did, and I just kept the momentum going. My favorite moment without a doubt was getting that win in that first race; it kept the confidence up for the rest of the week. It helped a lot having W.A behind me – I would see them all over the fence cheering me on and that helped me to keep pushing.”
Regan Duffy would also show consistency throughout the event, wrapping up the 85cc 12-U14 Years category.
Regan Duffy – 85cc 2-stroke / 150cc 4-stroke std / big wheel 12-u14 years Australian Champion – “I was pretty surprised to come away with the win this year, the guys in my class have all been there and done it, and they’re all Australian Champions already so I’m so happy. For me my favorite moment was when I got a bad start and I came from nearly last back to second so I was pretty happy with that.”
While Jett Lawrence dominated the 85cc 9-U12 Years class, he ran into issues on the final day in the 65cc 11 Years category. The Queensland rider suffered problems in Moto 4, causing him to finish a lap behind in eighth – ultimately handing the championship to Cody Chittick.
Jett Lawrence – 85cc 2-stroke / 150cc 4-stroke std wheel 9-u12 years Australian Champion – “I’m really happy to get the win on the 85, because I had a bit of a bummer on the 65, but I managed to comeback in this one. I have to thank all of the boys for the competition, because if I didn’t have them it wouldn’t have been as fun for me. My favorite moment was when I had a bike that was playing up and I had really bad luck but then I came back from dead last to first and that was pretty surprising for me.”
Cody Chittick – 65cc Solo 11 years Australian Champion – “Winning the championship on home soil this year was definitely the best thing about this year, it helped a lot having so much support. My favorite moment this year was in my first moto when I was racing against Jett Lawrence and I caught him, which was a big achievement.”
Noah Smerdon grabbed the 65cc 9-U11 Years title, while Kayden Minear secured championships in both the 50cc, and 65cc 7-U9 Year categories.
Noah Smerdon: 65cc Solo 9-u11 years Australian Champion – “The best thing about this year was good competition, and this was my second time getting an Aussie title. It was really tough and the track was hard to ride, so my favorite thing was getting the win in such hard conditions.”
Danielle Foot dominated the girls’ classes, taking home both titles despite a strong effort from Tahlia O’Hare.
Danielle Foot – 100cc – 150cc 2-stroke / 200cc – 250cc 4-stroke Girls 13-u16 years & 85cc 2 –stroke / 150cc 4 stroke all wheel Girls 12-u16 years Australian Champion – “It was difficult the whole week. I had been training for six weeks on a sand track at home but it was nothing like it ended up being here. The track got real rough but my bikes were handling perfectly and I pushed through, so I’m so happy to come home with the number one for Victoria. For me, the whole week was the highlight of my year. I learnt a lot and suppose the last race was the best. I actually didn’t win the last race on the 85; I cruised and had a good time, and knew I had wrapped up the championship.”
100cc – 125cc 2-stroke 15 years – Championship Standings
1) Hunter Lawrence – 175 points
2) Justin Hart – 154 points
3) Wyatt Chase – 150 points
4) Wade Kirkland – 142 points
5) Cooper Pozniak – 133 points
65cc Solo 11 years – Championship Standings
1) Cody Chittick – 161 points
2) Tyran Tomich – 159 points
3) Jett Lawrence – 158 points
4) Benny Novak – 140 points
5) Dylan Vivian – 122 points
128cc – 150cc 2 stroke & 200cc – 250cc 4 stroke 13-u15 years – Championship Standings
1) Taj Marshall – 165 points
2) Trent Collins – 141 points
3) Callum Norton – 140 points
4) Michael Driscoll – 135 points
5) Mason Semmens – 134 points
65cc Solo 9-u11 years – Championship Standings
1) Noah Smerdon – 160 points
2) Deegan Mancinelli – 154 points
3) Liam Atkinson – 151 points
4) Zachary Watson – 142 points
5) Lewos Callow – 130 points
85cc 2-stroke / 150cc 4-stroke all wheel Girls 12-u16 years – Championship Standings
1) Danielle Foot – 169 points
2) Tahlia O’Hare – 166 points
3) Tanesh-Rose Harnet – 144 points
4) Britney boyce – 136 points
5) Kara Cats – 131 points
128cc – 150cc 2-stroke & 200cc – 250cc 4-stroke 15 years – Championship Standings
1) Hunter Lawrence – 175 points
2) Wade Kirkland – 156 points
3) Justin Hart – 152 points
4) Cooper Pozniak – 136 points
5) Brendon Walther – 131 points
100cc to 125cc 2-stroke 13-u15 years Championship
1) Mat Fabry – 97 points
2) Caleb Grothues – 96 points
3) Callum Norton – 92 points
4) Riley Dukes – 84 points
5) Regan Duffy – 76 points
85cc 2-stroke / 150cc 4-stroke std wheel 9-u12 years Championship
1) Jett Lawrence – 105 points
2) Alex Larwood – 96 points
3) Levi Rogers – 86 points
4) Cody Chittick – 76 points
5) Seth Manuel – 75 points
50cc Division 2 7-u9 years Championship
1) Kayden Minear – 154 points
2) Seth Clark – 151 points
3) Seth Burchell – 142 points
4) Deacon Paice – 123 points
5) Taj Moore – 115 points
85cc 2-stroke / 150cc 4 stroke std / big wheel 14-u16 years Championship
1) Mitchell Outram – 167 points
2) Liam Walsh – 158 points
3) Riley Dukes – 152 points
4) Thomas Bell – 133 points
5) Patrick Ceh- 117 points
85cc 2-stroke / 150cc 4-stroke std / big wheel 12-u14 years Championship
1) Regan Duffy – 172 points
2) Rhys Budd – 152 points
3) Corben Weinert – 133 points
4) John Bova – 125 points
5) Bailey Malkiewcz – 123 points
65cc Solo 7-u9 years Championship
1) Kayden Minear – 161 points
2) Seth Burchell – 155 points
3) Tyler Collins – 151 points
4) Braden Plath – 141 points
5) Reece Weissel – 13t points
100cc – 150cc 2-stroke / 200cc – 250cc 4-stroke Girls 13-u16 years Championship
1) Danielle Foot – 172 points
2) Tahlia O’Hare – 154 points
3) Lily Kent – 139 points
4) Chelsea Carter – 129 points
5) Tanesha-Rose Harnet – 129 points
