Massive round up from AusProMX Wonthaggi season opener

2022 Penrite ProMX Championship
Round One – Wonthaggi

With Mark Bracks – Images RbMotoLens

The 2022 Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores, hit the track for the first time this year with the opening round of the title chase held at the traditional starting venue of Wonthaggi (Vic) on the weekend of 26-27 March.

It was defending Thor Pro MX1 champion, Luke Clout (CDR Monster Energy Yamaha) who took the spoils with two hard fought victories to secure a perfect points haul.

Team principal Craig Dack is an astute observer of talent and his spotting has allowed another rider to show his talents with team recruit Aaron Tanti scoring 3-2 placings to back up his team-mate with second on the day. 2019 Champion Todd Waters rounded out the podium for Husqvarna.

Since 2006 CDR Yamaha has claimed nine MX1 titles and 2022 has commenced perfectly in the team’s efforts to claim Number 10.

In the Pirelli MX2 class, dual MX2 class champion, Wilson Todd (Team HRC Honda Fatory Racing) – who spent last year on the Grand Prix trail – was unstoppable taking the two wins, although Yamalube YZF250cc rider Alex Larwood was just over a second away in both Motos. In third place it was a tie between Serco Yamaha team-mates, Bailey “Milkshake” Malkiewicz and Jesse Dobson, Bailey claiming third overall with his third place in Moto Two.

In the MX3 development class for the 14-18year olds aspiring champions, another Honda Australia Red Ride rider, Cambell Williams was victories was a brace of victories , from Brock Flynn (Husqvarna) and Byron Dennis (Gas Gas) third.

As with all sports, all involved from riders, crew to officials and spectators have their collective fingers crossed in anticipation of witnessing an uninterrupted season in the dirt.

The Wonthaggi round has been a regular season kick off for a number of years and has a reputation to throw up a few challenges that are normally, moist wet and muddy in nature.

Last year in the shortened 2021 season, the opening round was conducted in utterly atrocious conditions; rain squalls coupled with extremely strong bone-cutting gales with a wind chill factor of well below zero prevailed.

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There’s a very good reason a wind farm was constructed next to the track, adjacent to the surf beaches of the Bass Coast. It was absolutely brutal.

What a difference a year makes. Fast forward to 2022 and conditions couldn’t have been more extreme with perfect heat-wave like conditions held under sunny cloudless skies with slight zephyrs caressing the circuit over the weekend with the temperatures in the 30s. This year any shade was packed with people trying to escape the blazing sun. Astounding for mid-Autumn as many folk actually asked if they were in fact in the southern part of Victoria. From mud to dust Wonthaggi did it again.

If the amount of entries are any indication, Australian Motocross is in a very healthy state. A total of 170 entries competed across the four classes on the weekend. In MX1 there were 29 entries, in Pirelli MX2, 44 riders fought over the 40 start gate spots and a massive 63 entries entered the Maxxis MX3 class for the 14 – 18-year-old youngsters. As such, 23 kids had to miss out on the two motos with a Non-Qualifiers Race on the card at the end of race day to accommodate them.

There was also the first (of three rounds) of the Maxilift Women’s Motocross title with 23 keen contestants strutting their talent. Anyone who has the stone age impression that women cannot ride should get out on track with the ladies to eat their dust. There are some very talented ladies out there.

Yes, the number of entries may be explained away as there has been a huge lapse between laps of the Australian MX Championships with only three rounds of the national title held in the past two years, but still, it is an impressive amount of riders.

The same could be said about the roll out of spectators eager to get out and absorb what a live event has to offer, with a huge crowd treated to excellent and entertaining contests through the ranks.

The onslaught of the plague prompted the earlier than planned exit of long-term promoter, Kevin Williams and Williams Event Management, with Motorcycling Australia taking over promotion – as it has also done with the Australian Superbike Championship

In the premier MX1 category a couple of top shelf riders have stepped up to the class, while there are riders changing teams most notably with Aaron Tanti and Hayden Mellross basically swapping teams; Tanti moves from GASGAS to the CDR team and Mellross moving sideways to the GASGAS outfit. Brett Metcalfe is running his own Go24 KTM team this year while two-time MX1 champion Dean Ferris returns to a slot with the Honda factory team after overcoming debilitating back injuries.

Additionally, 2021 MX2 Champion, Kyle Webster – who won all bar one race in a dominant season – moved up to the premier category to continue his association with the factory Honda outfit.

One noticeable absentee from the start gate was 2021 runner-up Regan Duffy. Although not racing, Duffy was a keen onlooker and helper as he lives directly across the road from the track and unlike many racers was keen to be trackside as he continues his recovery from his near- death experience resulting from an accident at Bunbury (WA) in October last.

Duffy was involved in an horrific incident on the opening lap of a state championship round, and was hit by another bike, the impact ripping his aorta from his heart. If it hadn’t been for a quick-thinking paramedic, Duffy would have bled to death at the scene. Subsequently, he suffered a cardia arrest and stroke and was placed in an induced coma.

The 19 year old “man mountain” is almost fully recovered, although he still has some issues with his left-hand side, but was on hand even helping officials with track prep and upkeep during the day while mixing with his many fans. It’s been a confronting time for the likeable Sandgroper as he was set to step up to the Motocross World Championships this year. If the old story that chicks dig scars, he’s going to have them lining up around the block!

A massive kudos to the Dandenong Motorcycle Club who own the 64-acre facility. The club provided an excellently well-groomed and presented facility with a challenging layout and the circuit held up exceedingly well with a passionate group of volunteers and officials working hard to ensure the best possible racing conditions.

Oh, and the bacon and egg rolls from the club canteen that are on offer from 6am are stupendous.

Now, let’s get down to how the racing went down…

Thor MX1 Race One

The 2022 MX1 class boasts six premier class champions (Luke Clout, Todd Water, Dean Ferris, Kirk Gibbs, Matt Moss and Brett Metcalfe) as well as current MX2 champion Kyle Webster joining the ranks with Team Honda Racing. 

Webster who now resides at Leongatha, a decent stone’s throw away from the Wonthaggi complex, spent a number of years competing on the sandy desert soils of WA. With his local knowledge of the challenging layout and affinity for sandy tracks, he was expected to dominate the class.

Race day kicked off perfectly, as Webster claimed fastest time in the combined practice/qualifying before doing the same in the 10-rider Superpole session to have first pick of the start gate. 

CDR Yamaha recruit, Tanti was second with 2019 Champion Todd Waters (Husq) third. Clout was fourth.

The rest of the Top Ten at this eatly juncture were, in order, Gibbs, Metcalfe, Mellross, Lochie Latimer (KTM) Jayden Rykers (Empire Kawasaki) and Ferris. 

Webster converted his Superpole into a perfect start to claim the Holeshot award and immediately set up a handy lead from CDR’s Clout to have a near two-second lead after the opening lap of 2022 with Gibbs, Tanti, Ferris and Waters not far behind. 

Half a lap later it came unstuck for Webster when he crashed after cross-rutting a turn. He remounted in ninth spot, nearly 20-seconds behind, as Clout inherited the lead to set the pace with CDR team-mate Tanti in second ahead of Waters. 

Webster was lapping two-seconds quicker than his rivals in front, picking them off one by one and even after a second crash in his desperate attempts to regain the lead, he then again climbed to second by the end of the 10^th lap in the 25 minute + one lap moto.

But Clout had checked out to take the win by over eight-seconds from Webster, Tanti a further 10-seconds adrift in third. 

Thor MX1 Race One

Thor MX1 Race Two Report

Understandably, Webster was more fired up than ever for leg two and exploded out of the gates to again grab the holeshot and in no time had a lead of 1.5 seconds over Tanti and the evergreen Metcalfe in third. Clout got a shocker of a start but clawed his way back to fifth at the end of the lap behind Gibbs in fourth.

As the laps unfolded Webster looked to be clearing off to establish a racing winning lead of 5.445 seconds after 11 laps, with CDR lads Clout and Tanti in second and third respectively, Waters not too far behind in fourth.

It looked a mere formality for the #96 to claim is first win of the year but with only a few minutes left, incredulously he binned it again, flinging himself over the bars and face planting, gifting the lead to Clout.

Webster remounted in fourth, 15-second behind Clout with Tanti in second and Waters third, but Webster was hurting and Gibbs managed to grab fourth place soon after.

Positions remained the same until the chequered flag with the gifted round victory not lost on Clout as he explained, “Yeah, I am happy to walk away with the round win but I am not happy as if Webster had not made those mistakes in both legs I’d be looking at second overall. We have plenty of room for improvement.”

Webster has only himself to blame and probably went to bed flagellating himself, ruing what might have been with the loss of those vital 12 points in what will be a highly contested season. A rider doesn’t win a championship in one round, but he can sure lose a championship in one round. After such a dominant year in MX2, Webster was extremely keen to make a massive impact at his first outing in the class in what was his home round, he did exactly that, but the runs on board don’t paint that picture.

The tropics of Mackay for round two will no doubt have a few surprises in store.

Thor MX1 Race Two Results

Thor MX1 Points

Pirelli MX2 Report

With Kyle Webster’s graduation to the MX1 category the door is open for anyone of a number of riders to step up to the plate in MX2 this season.

The year has seen the return of double MX3 champion Wilson Todd, after competing in the Motocross World Championship last year Todd heads up Team Honda Racing’s assault on the MX2 category. 

Also joining the MX2 ranks are last year’s MX3 victor Blake Fox and runner-up Ryder Kingsford stepping up, while Bailey “Milkshake” Malkiewicz joins Jesse Dobson in the Seco Yamaha squad. 

The MX2 category was the most keenly contested of all the classes at Wonthaggi. Wilson Todd was fastest qualifier and his overseas experience helped him claim both holeshots to lead the motos from gate to flag for a perfect haul of 50-points.

Todd’s winning margin in both legs was just a second over Larwood, the Yamaha rider could get close to the rear of Todd’s Honda but he couldn’t find a way past.  Todd leaves Wonthaggi with 50-points to Larwood’s 44.

Malkiewicz had a year to forget on the world stage last year, carrying an ACL injury for the majority of the season with his best GP result fifth at Manitoba. The 2018 MX3 champion looks to be well prepared and fit for the year and shared the same results from the season opener as team-mate Dobson with 3-4 finishes putting him on an equal 38-points from the season opener.

Also signing up for the year is Japanese rider Haruki Yokoyama (Empire Kawasaki). Yokoyama has an All Japan Motocross Championship in his resume and was impressive on his Oz debut with 5-7 placings, finishing on equal points with team-mate Jai Constantinou with 28-points apiece.

Ryder Kingsford was the best of the newcomers from MX3, finishing fifth overall after carding 6-5 placings, while MX3 Champion Blake Fox will be far from happy with his 14^th overall in the season opener.

Pirelli MX2 Race One Results

Pirelli MX2 Race Two

Pirelli MX2 Points

Maxxis MX3

With a massive field of 63 entries there qualifying had to be held in two sessions, with the top 20 of each session then guaranteed a start in the Mains, leaving 23 to have a consolation race as the final event of the day. That’s a long time to wait for a consolation race with no bearing on championship standings but an impressive reflection on the popularity of the class.

You have to keep reminding yourself that the riders in the class are all teenagers, still learning and honing their craft at which they are already so talented. Some amazing skills were on display.

Cambell Williams, 17, from Cargo (NSW) finished eighth in the class last year, and has let it be known he means business in 2022 by taking the overall with two victories to add more glory to the Red Wing brand for the weekend.

Williams was fastest throughout to dominate the class. He took out leg one by over 10 seconds from Husky mounted, Brock Flynn who finished with 3-4 placings.

Dynamic young West Australian Kayden Minear, who finished third in last year’s MX3 chase, claimed third in the opening leg but made it hard for himself in leg two with an early race get-off before clawing his way back to sixth position for fifth on the day, behind Byron Dennis third overall (3-5 placings) and Jack Mather fourth (6-3 placings).

Maxxis MX3 Moto One Results

Maxxis MX3 Moto Two Results

Maxxis MX3 Points

EziLift MXW

The young ladies in the three round women’s MX championship showed there is some great talent in the class. 

Queenslander Charli Cannon Yamalube YZF250was unstoppable, winning both legs by over 30 seconds from Emma Milesevic (Vic Honda CRF250), with Madison Brown (Vic YZF250) third in each leg.  Cannon is a real talent as in a recent Sunshine State round she went head-to-head with the lads in the MX2 category and beat them all!

Cannon has also vowed that she will compete in the MX3 category when the rounds of the EziLift MXW class are not on the card. 

There was a major scare in the opening leg when a leading contender in the class, Ebony Harris crashed on the first lap of the opening moto and was struck by Maddie Healy and Tayla Thompson. While she may have been battered and bruised, thankfully the young Victorian will recover soon enough. 

EziLift MXW Moto One Results

EziLift MXW Moto Two Results

EziLift MXW Points

2021 Australian ProMX Championship Calendar

1. March 27 – Wonthaggi, VIC
2. April 10 – Mackay, QLD
3. May 1 – Wodonga, VIC
4. May 29 – Gillman, SA
5. June 26 – Maitland, NSW
6. July 24 – Coffs Harbour, NSW
7. August 14 – QLD Moto Park, QLD
8. August 20-21 – Coolum, QLD