Jackson Richardson SX2 Australian Champion
Jay Wilson the mud king of Jimboomba
2017 Australian Supercross – Round Six – Jimboomba SX2
Torrential rain had turned the Jimboomba Stadium to mud ahead of the 2017 Australian Supercross Championship finale and thus after some discussions at rider briefing, the format for the day was shortened, combining the practice and qualifying sessions, as well as reducing the race lengths by several laps.
SX2 qualifying separated the men from the boys, with four riders making a stand early. Jay Wilson put together the fastest lap ahead of title contender Wilson Todd and red plate holder Jackson Richardson. American Chris Blose was also fast, and looked a threat after his win last round at the Aus-X Open.
The rain continued into the night but lightened as the heats got underway. Wilson Todd and Jay Wilson continued their strong form into the night show, grabbing the all important holeshot in each of their races and riding to a clean victory out front. Those behind were left battling roost, spending most of the race drenched head to toe in muddy water.
The math was simple for Todd, he needed to win the final and hope Richardson would find trouble back in the pack.
The gates dropped for the final time and Jay Wilson beat Wilson Todd to the first corner but found themselves next to each other in the first rhythm lane.
Richardson was also near the front, but in the trying conditions anything could happen, and it did.
Half way through the first lap Todd was no where to be seen, but then emerged at the back of the field. Unfortunately for the young rider, he had come together with another competitor and the title simply slipped from his grips.
Out front though Jay Wilson rode the track like it was dry, lapping riders only a few laps in.
Behind him Blose, Richardson and Wills all swapped spots as competitors struggled to complete laps in the ten lap final.
Todd slowly pulled back positions, but in the mud, it was an uphill battle and had to settle for seventh on the night.
There was no such issue for Jay Wilson, who backed up his emotional podium finish last round, taking the final main event win of the series by almost a full minute.
Jay Wilson
“Wow! The last round at Jimboomba was absolutely everything I’ve been working towards – we qualified fastest, won the heat race and the main event so we couldn’t have done any more. My fiancé, my daughter, my brother and my mum were all here for this moment and I’m so proud that I could do this for them. The conditions were absolutely brutal – we had so much rain before we went racing but I just rode the track for what it was, stayed patient and made sure we got the starts that we needed to get the win. At the halfway point in the year Chris Woods and Raceline gave me a life-line, it was the opportunity to go racing with no expectations, and to just try and get back to where I know that I belong. Finally, we got there, and the hard work has certainly paid off, so I can’t thank everyone enough for their support – I can’t wait for 2018.”
A late scramble between Blose and Wills gave the fans something to cheer about but Blose was too strong in the wet and claimed his third podium in as many races.
2017 Australian Supercross – Round Six – SX2 Jimboomba Results
- Jay Wilson
- Chris Blose +51.291
- Dylan Wills +54.700
- Jackson Richardson +63.052
- Morgan Fogarty +1 lap
- Nick Sutherland +1 lap
- Wilson Todd +1 lap
- John Puritti + 1 lap
- Lochie Latimer +1 lap
- Jye Dickson +1 lap
- Ricky Latimer +1 lap
- Geran Stapleton +2 laps
- Chandler Burns +2 laps
2017 Australian Supercross SX2 Championship
Defending champion Jackson Richardson finished fourth to reclaim his title, ahead of Morgan Fogarty who finished off his maiden season with an impressive fifth place.
Jay Wilson’s win was enough to wrap up third in the championship, while it was heartbreak for Wilson Todd, finishing second after leading the series at the halfway point.
It was almost déjà vu for Todd, who in motocross lost his points lead and the championship in the final race of the year.
For Richardson however, the déjà vu was a lot sweeter, going back-to-back in a stacked field to claim the SX 2 championship.
2017 Australian Supercross – Final SX2 Championship Points Standings
- Jackson Richardson 119
- Wilson Todd 110
- Jay Wilson 110
- Dylan Wills 102
- Geran Stapleton 74
- Gavin Faith 63
- Nick Sutherland 49
- Taylor Potter 48
- Chris Blose 47
- Morgan Fogarty 40
- Mitch Evans 38
- Cooper Pozniak 36
- Connor Tierney 35
- Bailey Malkiewicz 34
- Jesse Madden 33
