— 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship – Round Seven – Hervey Bay (QLD)
— Mackenzie, Styke and Wilson win Hervey Bay
Yamaha riders swept the Hervey Bay round of the Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, on Sunday, 28 July in a pivotal round for the premier MX1 title chase.
CDR Yamaha rider Billy Mackenzie claimed his first overall victory aboard the factory-backed YZ450F, using a GoPro Super Pole victory and a pair of third places in the two 30-minute motos to clinch the round.
Behind the Scotsman was Moss twins Matt and Jake, with Moss Moss (Motul Pirelli Suzuki) moving into the championship lead following seven of 10 rounds. Moss finished second in Super Pole, sixth in moto one and won moto two.
Jake Moss (Campbell Mining Suzuki) was third overall after being excluded from the Super Pole session, posting a solid second in both motos for the weekend.
The opening moto win belonged to South African series newcomer Gareth Swanepoel (Carlton Dry Honda), sealing him fourth overall after he raced to fifth in the second outing.
Former series leader Todd Waters (Motorex KTM) was fourth in both motos, resulting in fifth overall for the round and he now trails Matt Moss by two points with three rounds remaining.
The Motul MX2 ranks saw Luke Styke (Serco Yamaha) race to his sixth round win of the season with another clean-sweep, heading privateer Tune Tech Racing KTM rookie Kale Makeham and Kade Mosig (Zero Seven Motorsports Kawasaki).
Makeham qualified first and scored 3-2 results in the motos, while Mosig rallied to 2-3 positions. Styke now enjoys a mammoth 91-point advantage in the standings.
The Pirelli MXD ranks saw GYTR Yamaha rider Jay Wilson win his first round of the season, winning the opening moto before cementing the overall with second in moto two. Championship leader Hamish Harwood (KTM) was second overall after winning moto two, and Wilson’s teammate Joel Dinsdale was third.
The Scott Rookies round was won overall by Queensland rising star Nathan Crawford with back-to-back wins for Yamaha Junior Racing, heading Jed Beaton and Zak Small for the overall.
The Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, will continue at Swan Hill in Victoria on Sunday, 11 August, when the series makes its official debut at the venue.
MX1 overall results:
1. Billy Mackenzie 65
2. Matt Moss 64
3. Jake Moss 64
4. Gareth Swanepoel 61
5. Todd Waters 58
6. Cody Cooper 51
7. Kirk Gibbs 50
8. Lawson Bopping 45
9. Jay Marmont 45
10. Cody Mackie 42
MX1 championship standings (after seven of 10 rounds):
1. Matt Moss 436
2. Todd Waters 434
3. Billy Mackenzie 405
4. Cody Cooper 382
5. Lawson Bopping 365
6. Jake Moss 343
7. Kirk Gibbs 343
8. Adam Monea 323
9. Jay Marmont 286
10. Tye Simmonds 273
MX2 overall results:
1. Luke Styke 70
2. Kale Makeham 62
3. Kade Mosig 62
4. Ryan Marmont 53
5. Beau Ralston 52
6. Brock Winston 52
7. Dylan Long 47
8. Rhys Carter 46
9. Kayne Lamont 44
10. Geran Stapleton 40
MX2 championship standings (after seven of 10 rounds):
1. Luke Styke 473
2. Kale Makeham 382
3. Brock Winston 354
4. Josh Cachia 305
5. Geran Stapleton 304
6. Ryan Marmont 297
7. Luke Clout 285
8. Takeshi Katsuya 280
9. Dylan Long 274
10. Rhys Carter 255
MXD overall results:
1. Jay Wilson 67
2. Hamish Harwood 63
3. Joel Dinsdale 62
4. Jack Simpson 54
5. Corey James 48
6. Jake Emmanuelli 46
7. Jesse Madden 44
8. Dylan Wilson 43
9. Joel Wightman 42
10. Dakota Court 39
MXD championship standings (after five of eight rounds):
1. Hamish Harwood 307
2. Jack Simpson 279
3. Jay Wilson 257
4. Joel Dinsdale 256
5. Jesse Dobson 249
6. Corey James 226
7. Joel Wightman 221
8. Logan Blackburn 205
9. Jake Emmanuelli 180
10. Nick Scott 176
— Yamaha Report
The seventh round of the 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals proved to be a special one for Yamaha Racing as it was a complete day of dominance for Yamaha riders and teams winning all four classes contested in a total round blue wash.
In front of Yamaha VIP’s in from Japan, all four Yamaha factory supported race programs put their best foot forward in the sands of Hervey Bay and took home round honours with CDR Yamaha, Serco Yamaha, GYTR Yamaha and Yamaha Junior Racing riders winning their respective classes showcasing the brilliant YZ range and their professional race teams in place.
Billy Mackenzie won his first MX National round of the year and his first for CDR Yamaha with a consistently strong day, taking the Superpole victory followed by two top three moto results to hit the top spot of the podium and remain in third place in the premier MX1 championship. Mackenzie spent all day at the front of the pack leading several laps on the gruelling Hervey Bay circuit.
Luke Styke continued his success on the Serco Yamaha claiming another round win at Hervey Bay. The victory was Styke’s sixth for the season out of the seven rounds contested and he now holds a commanding 91 point lead with three rounds to go. Styke lead race one from start to finish but worked hard for his victory in race two making it a perfect 1-1 day.
GYTR Yamaha’s Jay Wilson took the honours in the MXD class with his 1-2 results. Wilson has been gaining momentum at each round and it was only a matter of time before he won a round of the MX Nationals in season 2013. The round win takes him to third in the championship and hits the last three rounds with plenty of momentum.
And it was almost a GYTR Yamaha 1-2 with Joel Dinsdale just missing second by one point to snare third for the day. Dinsdale finished with 2-3 moto finishes and both riders stood on the podium together for the first time this year.
The MXR (MX Rookies) class also saw plenty of YZ250F’s out front with QLD Yamaha Junior Racing rider Nathan Crawford making it four class wins for Yamaha with his 1-1 display. Crawford has now won both MXR rounds this year and showed great skill and speed in his final year of junior racing.
He finished just ahead of Victorian YJR teamster, Jed Beaton, who posted 2-2 results and looked sensational in his first hit out at national level. Wilson Todd was in line to make it a Yamaha 1-2-3 in the MXR class but fell ill between the motos and was unable to start the second race after finishing third in moto one.
“What a day!” enthuses Yamaha Motorsports Manager Ray Howard. “All the riders and teams acquitted themselves extremely well this weekend and it was an impressive display for Yamaha. Congratulations to all riders and teams on a successful days racing and the Hervey Bay round will long be remembered by everyone at Yamaha.
“It was particularly pleasing to have some special guests here from Yamaha Motor Company, Mr Itou, Mr Yokoi and our Australian Managing Director Mr Otani, on hand to witness how our teams and riders function and I’m sure they will take back the great news to their colleagues in Japan,” Howard ends.
— Motul Pirelli Suzuki Report
Motul Pirelli Suzuki’s Matt Moss has seized the lead in the 2013 MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, after placing second overall at Hervey Bay in Queensland on Sunday, 28 July.
In his return to the premier MX1 category and the Suzuki RM-Z450, Moss now holds a two-point advantage in the MX Nationals championship standings following seven of 10 rounds contested to date this season.
Hervey Bay saw Moss battle to sixth in the opening moto, before he rebounded to score a dominant moto two victory in the second 30-minute race of the round. Combined with his four points scored in the Super Pole qualifying session, Moss claimed second overall. 
“In the second race we changed suspension and tyres to suit the sandy surface and my bike felt so good, it was completely different,” Moss reflected. “I’m just happy to get a moto win and to get the red plate.
“I’ve been working towards it for seven rounds now and there’s only the three to go. I’m looking forward to the challenge and what lies ahead, I think me and Todd [Waters] will be battling to the end.”
Teammate Cody Cooper finished fifth overall for the weekend on the second of the RM-Z450s, maintaining fourth in the championship with three rounds remaining.
Cooper was in the running for the victory throughout much of moto one before slipping to fifth, and then in moto two he circulated to the sixth position on what was one of the most brutally challenging circuits of the season.
“It was frustrating, because in moto one I was right there but just wasn’t quite able to make it happen when I needed to,” Cooper commented. “It was a consistent round, but not where I was hoping to be if we are to race for a top three in the championship again.”
It was another positive weekend for Motul Pirelli Suzuki team manager Jay Foreman, proud to see Moss earn the red plates as new championship leader, in what was a technical weekend for the team.
“It’s a nice reward to see Matt get the red plates that we’ve all been working very hard, but of course the real race for the title is just beginning,” Foreman commented. “Every race in these final three rounds will be vital and we are really pleased with Matt and Cody’s form so far throughout the series.”
The MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, will continue on Sunday, 11 August, when the series makes its anticipated debut at Swan Hill in Victoria.
— Carlton Dry Honda Report – Swanepoel breaks through for first Aussie race win
Carlton Dry Honda Racing’s Gareth Swanepoel has taken his first race victory on Australian soil, winning the opening MX1 Moto at the seventh round of the Monster Energy MX Nationals in Hervey Bay today.
The South African finished the second moto fifth and was fourth overall for the round due to the influence of Superpole. Based on traditional scoring, Swanepoel would have finished the round second.
Swanepoel,who qualified 11th for today‘s opening 30 minute moto, got a great start and lapped consistently in third for the first half of the race. He moved past Cody Cooper (Lap 15) and Billy Mackenzie (Lap 16) to take the race lead and had pulled out to a five second lead before he greated the chequered flag.
“The first race was awesome,” Swanepoel said. “I got a great start, I felt good and I rode well.
“In the second moto I put too much pressure on myself to get a good start and I messed it up completely. While I was disappointed with my start, I still came from the back through to finish fifth.
“I felt a lot more comfortable on the bike today but starts are so important and that is an area I will be working on before Swan Hill.
“As I showed in the first race if I get my starts right it will be a different result,” Swanepoel added.
The Carlton Dry Honda Racing team await an update on the extent of MX2 campaigner Jackson Richardson’s injury after he crashed in the morning practice session.
The next round will see the series head back to Victoria for Round 8 of the Monster Energy Nationals at Swan Hill.
— KTM Report
Today’s Hervey Bay round of the Monster Energy MX Nationals series has ensured an exciting end to the 2013 championship with Motorex KTM’s Todd
Waters showing in no uncertain terms that though he may have relinquished the red plate, he’s still very, very much in the hunt to be champion.
Waters lies just two points behind new series leader Matt Moss and just a few days into his return to proper training following a collarbone injury, he’s already showing a heap of pace and stamina.
Waters dominated the first three rounds of the 2013 series before injuries forced him to fight a rearguard action and watch his 44-point lead evaporate ever since the fourth round.
At Hervey Bay he may have suffered in the sandy start gates, but Waters demonstrated he is already right on the pace of the front runners, and hungry to fight for his first MX1 national championship.
After qualifying for Super Pole, Motorex KTM’s Kirk Gibbs suffered a poor start in the first race and a fall early in the second to come away without a top-five result for the first time in three rounds.
Rob Twyerould Team Manager: “It wasn’t a bad result for us today but it could have been a lot better with good starts. Both boys qualified for Super Pole which was great. In the first moto though they would have come out in 15th and 17th and for the first ten minutes Todd and Mossy went head to head, banging bars hard. Todd would have passed him three times before pulling a lead and working his way toward the leaders. At the end he was hauling them in at three seconds a lap and he passed Cooper and got right onto the back of Mackenzie for fourth. Kirk kept moving forward all moto before finishing sixth. In the second moto Todd got a terrible start and Kirk fell at Turn Two. Todd worked his way through and was unlucky not to get third at the end. Three and a half weeks ago Todd was getting a plate screwed in and he’s been back into solid training for just three days, so I think he rode very well and his fitness was very impressive. Overall I can’t be disappointed; both boys showed good speed today and when Todd got to ride side by side with Mossy Todd ran away from him. We’ll let someone else take the weight of the red plate for now and see how they go, with three rounds to go this championship is anything but over.”
Todd Waters: “I rode pretty well today even though the results probably didn’t show it. We’re working together Rob and I, and it’s a great help to have him on my side. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. Bad starts were a problem today but I was able to come from behind, I was surprised with my fitness today and that I was able to run the guys down – if I’d have had longer I would have got to the front. But I am sore. I’ve had a lot of time off the bike so it was a bit of a shock to the body giving it long motos in the sand. I’m buggered now, but I’ll get back into the routine. I feel good, not back to where I was, but I’m at everyone else’s level which is good. We’re still in the hunt and I’ll be trying my hardest. It’ll be a good championship.”
Kirk Gibbs: “The day started off well with third in the Super Pole then in the first moto after a bad start I rode tight and pumped up and had a tip over. I went into survival mode a little to make sure I finished and ended up seventh. I started a lot better in the second but went hard into Turn Two and got a bit of roost in the goggles and went through a berm and crashed. I came from last and rode pretty well to finish eighth. I’m a bit disappointed but I’ll look at the positives of how I rode and go away and work on some things.”
MX2 & MXD
In the MX2 category, KTM 250SX-mounted Kale Makeham holds second in the championship after finishing second overall at Hervey Bay, while the KTM of Brock Winston moved into third in the championship with sixth on the day.
In the MXD category, the KTMs of Hamish Harwood and Jack Simpson sit one and two at the top of the table despite finishing second and fourth on the day.
