2019 MX Nationals
Round 4 & 5 – Murray Bridge
In 2018 Dean Ferris won all ten rounds on his way to his third Australian Motocross Championship, his third in as many years, but it hasn’t been without challenges.
Over the summer Ferris had been concentrating on regaining his fitness after a big crash at the Jimboomba Supercross last September, ahead of what was to be a big 2019 among the ranks of the American AMA Motocross Championships but that now seems to be up in the air somewhat.
The 28-year-old professional motocross rider was recently called up to replace the injured Romain Febvre in the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team, but Ferris also picked up an injury while in Europe standing in for Febvre.
After not contesting the opening three rounds of the Australian MX Nationals, Ferris recently teamed up with Raceline KTM and fronted the start gates at the Murray Bridge double-header weekend. Obviously all eyes were on the kid from Kyogle to see if the magic was still there…
As it turned out, it was, with Dean Ferris dominating the opening proceedings on Saturday’s Round 4, before Luke Clout and Todd Waters took his measure and took the Round 5 wins, with Ferris coming home fourth.
In MX2 Kyle Webster dominated, with only Wilson Todd snatching a-piece win a-piece on Saturday and Sunday, and retaining his championship lead by 23-points. Webster meanwhile closed the gap by 22-points.
Regan Duffy and Maximum Purvis fought it out to take a round win a-piece in MXD, while no one came close to Meghan Rutledge in the MXW class.
Thor MX1
The Thor MX1 class roared into life Saturday morning, with the day’s competition consisting of practise/qualifying and a two moto format, where Ferris answered that question resoundingly on after winning both Motos.
Sunday would see the Thor MX1 class challenged with the three moto format, consisting of practice/qualifying in the morning followed by two back to back gruelling motos then a traditional moto in the afternoon, with Sunday proving not quite as fruitful for Ferris, as Luke Clout and Todd Waters got the better of him to take the round five race victories.
Waters was disappointed in himself after only managing 6-4 results on Saturday but came good on Sunday to take victory in the final moto of the weekend.
Jayden Rykers and Hayden Mellross also scored podium finishes across the weekend.
Lawson Bopping took 11th overall on Saturday, qualifying for Super Pole in fifth position, then recording 8-15 finishes, and improved on Sunday to take eighth in the combined sprints, with ninth in moto 3 for ninth overall.
Lawson Bopping
“It was a big weekend with two rounds of racing. I’d worked hard coming into here and was happy to put it into Super Pole on Saturday, but the motos were difficult – my arms couldn’t hang onto the handlebars and it caused me to fade. It was frustrating because the team and KX450 are so good. I didn’t qualify as strongly on Sunday, but the sprint motos were decent and I felt as though I had a bit of fight in me. The last moto was great as well for the most part, although I slowed up right at the end and a few guys got me. Anyway, it was great and I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”
Dylan Long also returned to the MX1 class, with a 10-9 result on Saturday for eighth overall, while taking 11th on Sunday thanks to a 8-11-12 scorecard.
Dylan Long
“I wasn’t super-happy with my riding on either day, but I got into a bit of a flow at stages. I just haven’t had enough bike time, so I tightened up in almost every single race. It’s good to have a break now, but we’ll come back strong and ready. The KX450 was good, I’m happy enough and can work from this.”
Luke Clout leaves South Australia with the Thor MX1 Championship lead and red plate but things are very tight at the top with only ten-points covering the top three in the series. Yamaha’s Clout on 275-points, Hayden Mellross on 271-points and Todd Waters on 265-points.
Dean Ferris also rocketed up through the standings to 124-points after a single race meet, taking a win on Saturday’s Round 4, and fourth overall in Sunday’s Round 5.
| Thor MX1 Round 4 Results | |
Moto 1
| Moto 2
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| MX1 Round 4 Overall | |
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| Thor MX1 Round 5 | |
Moto 1
| Moto 2
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Moto 3
| Round 5 Overall
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Thor MX1 Standings
- Luke Clout 275
- Hayden Mellross 271
- Todd Waters 265
- Justin Rodbell 210
- Jayden Rykers 207
- Erki Kahro 190
- Brett Metcalfe 181
- Kirk Gibbs 179
- Richie Evans 174
- Jesse Dobson 173
Pirelli MX2
The Pirelli MX2 class was also put to work across Saturday with the three moto format, consisting of two back to back gruelling motos then a traditional moto in the afternoon.
Sunday in contrast went back to the more traditional format with practice/qualifying in the morning and a two moto format throughout the day.
Kyle Webster won the opening bouts on Saturday before Wilson Todd managed to get the better of him in the third moto.
The pair also shared the wins on Sunday and are 1-2 in the championship chase, Todd on 283-points while Webster moved up to second place on 260-points which pushed Jay Wilson back to third on 258-points.
| MX2 Round 4 Results | |
Moto 1
| Moto 2
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Moto 3
| Round 4 Overall
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| MX2 Round 5 Results | |
Moto 1
| Moto 2
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| Round 5 Overall | |
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Pirelli MX2 Standings
- Wilson Todd 283
- Kyle Webster 260
- Jay Wilson 258
- Nathan Crawford 212
- Aaron Tanti 212
- Dylan Wills 206
- Riley Dukes 202
- Bailey Malkiewicz 198
- Jye Dickson 188
- Cooper Pozniak 184
Motul MXD
The Motul MXD class again was one not to be missed with plenty of action across both days and all four motos, where Max Purvis and Regan Duffy shared the winners spoils.
Regan Duffy leads the series on 289-points while good points hauls across both on Saturday, and Sunday saw Purvis move past Rhys Budd to take second place in the Motul sponsored championship.
Riding in MXD on-board the KX250, Deakin Hellier put in a major effort for 24th overall on Saturday and a much-improved 15th on Sunday. Hellier’s best ride came in moto one on Sunday, charging to a confidence-boosting ninth-place.
Deakin Hellier
“I’ve showed my best sides and also my worst sides this weekend, so it was a bit of an up and down one. That first moto on Sunday was where I feel I should be, so I’m ready to keep trying and look forward to round six already! I just need to find some consistency from here.”
| Motul MXD Round 4 Results | |
Moto 1
| Moto 2
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| MXD Round 4 Overall | |
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| Motul MXD Round 5 Results | |
Moto 1
| Moto 2
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| Round 5 Overall | |
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Motul MXD Standings
- Regan Duffy 289
- Maximus Purvis 272
- Rhys Budd 257
- Brodie Ellis 218
- Mason Rowe 207
- Jack Kukas 200
- Noah Ferguson 197
- Jai Walker 181
- Liam Walsh 179
- Jayce Cosford 178
WMX
Murray Bridge marked Rounds 1 & 2 of the 2019 Australian MXW championship for women racers, in which Kawasaki Motors Australia-supported Meghan Rutledge dominated to win all four motos contested. Rutledge’s perfect score sees her build an 18-point advantage in the series.
Meghan Rutledge dominated ahead of Maddy Brown and Jessica Moore also scoring podium positions. Emma Melisevich joining the podium on Sunday morning.
Rutledge leads the YMF Australian MXW Championship on 140-points while Jessica Moore and Maddy Brown are equal second on 122-points.
| MX Womens Round 4 Results | |
Moto 1
| Moto 2
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| WMX Round 4 Overall | |
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MX Womens Round 5 Results | |
Moto 1
| Moto 2
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| WMX Round 5 Overall | |
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WMX Standings
- Meghan Rutledge 140
- Jessica Moore 122
- Maddy Brown 122
- Emma Milesevic 116
- Kara Cats 102
The 2019 MX Nationals championship will take its annual mid-season break now, with round six set for Gympie, Queensland, on 23 June.
Images by MX Nationals
