Dean Ferris makes it six in a row with Conondale victory

Perfect weekend for Dean Ferris at Conondale

Wilson Todd dominates MX2

High McKay tops Motul MXD

Joshua Kilvington wins Yamaha Amateurs

Images by Scottya

Dean Ferris has taken another perfect Thor MX1 Nationals win, making this his sixth in a row, at the weekend’s Conondale round. Ferris took 70 points to Brett Metcalfe’s 62 and Kade Mosig’s 58, with Ferris leading the standings from Kirk Gibbs and Mitch Evans.

Wilson Todd took the Motul MX2 round win on 70 points with two Moto wins, from Aaron Tanti (64) and Kyle Webster (56), while Todd holds the standings lead, from Hamish Harwood and Egan Mastin.

Motul’s MXD saw Hugh McKay take the round win, with a 1-3 result, with consistent performance Brodie Ellis second overall, narrowly holding off Mason Rowe by a point in the round standings. Overall standings see Bailey Malkiewicz and Morgan Fogarty on 292 points, with Maximus Purvis third on 287.

Thor MX1

At a thrilling sixth round of the 2018 Pirelli MX Nationals at Conondale, QLD, CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team’s Dean Ferris continued to take the Thor MX1 class by storm as he claimed his fifth perfect round of the year.

The paper results don’t tell the entire story though, with Ferris having to run down the front-runners in each race. At the end of the day, though, the defending champion took a spotless 1-1 scorecard from Conondale, ahead of Brett Metcalfe and Kade Mosig.

Luke Clout charged to the front of the opening Thor MX1 moto, but relinquished his lead on the third lap to a rampant Ferris. A mistake soon after saw Mosig slide by Clout on his way to second place, while Metcalfe fought his way to third. Rookie star Mitch Evans and Clout filled the top five.

In the second Thor MX1 outing, Evans snagged the holeshot, but Mosig led the field through the opening laps, despite a temporary assault from Clout. Overcoming a dismal start, Ferris sniped his way past Mosig for the lead on the eighth lap.

Behind him, Metcalfe got involved in a small tangle with Clout but remounted and took the bit between his teeth as he charged to second, just one second behind Ferris. Clout rounded out the podium, with Caleb Ward fourth and Mosig fifth.

Dean Ferris – 1st Overall

“It wasn’t easy today and I had to dig deep to get both race wins. My starts weren’t what they needed to be and the speed of the top five guys was good so it made for hard work. But it is rewarding to win it this way and I’m glad I was able to make it happen. I still want challenges, and I want to race and that’s what I got today and I’m excited about that. Conondale is one of my favourite tracks and it was cool to have a good crowd here to watch as well as plenty of friends and family that stopped by to lend their support. The CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team were awesome again today and together we will keep working hard until this championship is secure.”

Luke Clout – 4th Overall

“I started the day well with a fourth in Super Pole, it was really close and I just missed out on the top spot. I went out and got the hole-shot in the first race and led for a while, I got passed and was stuck in third for much of the race, but I went down with a lap to go, so that put me back to fifth. I wasn’t happy about it, but it’s racing. Race two was a battle to the end, I got third in that one and fourth overall for the day – I just missed out on the podium. I’m third in the championship and a point behind second, so it was a pretty good day in the end!”

Rhys Carter – 7th Overall

“I qualified well despite being ninth because the lap-times were really close. I got an okay start in race one, worked my through the pack and finished up in sixth. I got a good jump in race two, although I got boxed in the second turn. I got back through to the top five, but a lost the front-end on a high-speed turn. I lost a few positions and then managed to get back to seventh. I’m excited for what’s to come.”

Thor MX1 Moto 1

1. Dean Ferris 33:47.580
2. Kade Mosig +7.970
3. Brett Metcalfe +14.418
4. Mitch Evans +19.467
5. Luke Clout +26.669
6. Rhys Carter +28.120
7. Caleb Ward +31.665
8. Dylan Long +46.431
9. Jesse Dobson +1:02.949
10. Connor Tierney +1:35.262

Thor MX1 Moto 2

1. Dean Ferris 33:43.999
2. Brett Metcalfe +1.058
3. Luke Clout +6.269
4. Caleb Ward +7.379
5. Kade Mosig +20.906
6. Mitch Evans +49.918
7. Rhys Carter +1:01.668
8. Connor Tierney +1:03.709
9. Robbie Marshall +1:34.359
10. Keiron Hall +1:44.079

Thor MX1 – Round Points

1. Dean Ferris (Yamaha) 70
2. Brett Metcalfe (Honda) 62
3. Kade Mosig (Husqvarna) 58
4. Luke Clout (KTM) 56
5. Mitch Evans (KTM) 53
6. Caleb Ward (Husqvarna) 52
7. Rhys Carter (Kawasaki) 49
8. Connor Tierney (Yamaha) 44
9. Robbie Marshall (Honda) 42
10. Keiron Hall (Suzuki) 40

Thor MX1 Standings

1. Dean Ferris – Yamaha – 354
2. Kirk Gibbs – KTM – 286
3. Mitch Evans – KTM – 275
4. Luke Clout – KTM – 273
5. Kade Mosig – Husqvarna – 263
6. Dylan Long – Yamaha – 258
7. Caleb Ward – Husqvarna – 247
8. Rhys Carter – Kawasaki – 239
9. Brett Metcalfe – Honda – 215
10. Connor Tierney – Yamaha – 213

Pirelli MX2

Fresh off the five-week mid-season break, Serco Yamaha’s Pirelli MX2 championship leader Wilson Todd has continued to extend his series lead with a brace of race victories around the fast, flowing Conondale hills.

While Todd stood atop the day’s overall podium, early championship leader Aaron Tanti  showed a return to form with second overall, ahead of Kyle Webster.

After setting the pace in qualifying, Todd claimed the holeshot of the opening race, but was quickly overtaken by Tanti before a small crash on the sixth lap allowed Todd to again earn the lead.

Todd pulled an impressive 14-second lead over Tanti by the end of the race, with Yamalube Yamaha pilot Jay Wilson in third. Dylan Wills and Webster rounded out the top five.

In the Pirelli MX2’s second outing, Tanti and Webster diced several times in the opening lap before a surging Todd took command of the race in on lap two and was never headed on his way to a 9.5-second victory.

Tanti stormed home to a second runner-up place for the day, with Webster third. KTM’s Hamish Harwood and Wills finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Wilson Todd

“The weekend went perfect for me and I think it was the first time I have qualified fastest, and then went 1-1 in the motos so I’m pretty excited about that. The track tough day as reading the dirt was difficult and finding consistent traction was hard. It looks loaming and really tacky but a lot of the time it is hard pack and slippery so the right tyre choice was important and my Dunlop’s worked great today. The team continued to work hard during the break and my bike was again in perfect shape. Thank you to Ben, Paul, Gavin and everyone at Serco for the efforts they put in and we will continue to give 100% all the way to the end.”

Aaron Tanti – 2nd Overall

“It was a pretty good day today at Conondale and I went 2-2. I was leading moto one before having a bit of an off, although I was up straight away. Race two I hole-shotted, but Wilson [Todd] got me in the early laps, we battled for a little and I ended up second. I feel like the break was a restart for me and it gave me a chance to reset my mind, so I’m happy with how I went today.”

Pirelli MX2 Moto 1

1. Wilson Todd 33:55.057
2. Aaron Tanti +14.833
3. Jay Wilson +21.875
4. Dylan Wills +26.312
5. Kyle Webster +46.808
6. Hamish Harwood +1:00.595
7. Richie Evans +1:03.687
8. Jy Roberts +1:04.679
9. Egan Mastin +1:07.984
10. Ricky Latimer +1:09.093

Pirelli MX2 Moto 2

1. Wilson Todd 22:36.393
2. Aaron Tanti +9.540
3. Kyle Webster +22.813
4. Hamish Harwood +28.405
5. Dylan Wills +36.381
6. Egan Mastin +38.487
7. Richie Evans +40.988
8. Kale Makeham +42.093
9. Cody Dyce +44.851
10. Jayden Rykers +56.129

Pirelli MX2 – Round Points

1. Wilson Todd (Yamaha) 70
2. Aaron Tanti (Kawasaki) 64
3. Kyle Webster (Honda) 56
4. Dylan Wills (Husqvarna) 54
5. Hamish Harwood (KTM) 53
6. Jay Wilson (Yamaha) 49
7. Richie Evans (Yamaha) 48
8. Egan Mastin (KTM) 47
9. Kale Makeham (Honda) 43
10. Cody Dyce (Yamaha) 41

Motul MX2 Standings

1. Wilson Todd – Yamaha – 300
2. Hamish Harwood – KTM – 269
3. Egan Mastin – KTM – 261
4. Aaron Tanti – Kawasaki – 257
5. Kyle Webster – Honda – 246
6. Dylan Wills – Husqvarna – 238
7. Jay Wilson – Yamaha – 234
8. Jy Roberts – Husqvarna – 225
9. Nathan Crawford – Yamaha – 222
10. Kale Makeham – Yamaha – 216

Motul MXD

Young gun Hugh McKay took a hard-fought overall victory in the always-tight Motul MD class around the picturesque Green Park circuit. McKay traded race wins with Kiwi Maximus Purvis on his way to the day’s overall, with Yamaha’s Brodie Ellis and KTM’s Mason Rowe enjoying consistent days on their way to overall podium positions.

In the opening Motul MXD race championship leader Morgan Fogarty claimed the holeshot, but a mistake on the second lap saw Honda pilot Rhys Budd take over the lead, before he too surrendered it to McKay on the fourth lap. Fogarty finished second, ahead of Ellis, Riley Dukes (KTM) and Jye Dickson (KTM).

In the second race, Purvis led the opening laps before Fogarty moved past for the lead on lap three. Fogarty led several laps before a mistake again let Purvis by. Purvis, raced to a 10-second lead over Queensland local Mason Rowe (KTM) and McKay, who clawed his way back from a horror start. Ellis crossed the line in fourth and Dukes in fifth.

Motul MXD Moto 1

1. Hugh McKay 23:16.673
2. Morgan Fogarty +2.800
3. Brodie Ellis +5.648
4. Riley Dukes +22.579
5. Jye Dickson +23.142
6. Mason Rowe +23.792
7. Callum Norton +24.892
8. Mat Fabry +26.773
9. Rhys Budd +31.103
10. Liam Walsh +32.224

Motul MXD Moto 2

1. Maximus Purvis 23:27.565
2. Mason Rowe +10.317
3. Hugh McKay +17.654
4. Brodie Ellis +21.184
5. Riley Dukes +24.618
6. Bailey Malkiewicz +30.151
7. Morgan Fogarty +34.259
8. Callum Norton +35.414
9. Rhys Budd +40.959
10. Liam Walsh +46.306

Motul MXD – Round Points

1. Hugh McKay (Yamaha) 65
2. Brodie Ellis (Yamaha) 58
3. Mason Rowe (KTM) 57
4. Morgan Fogarty (KTM) 56
5. Maximus Purvis (Yamaha) 55
6. Riley Dukes (Husqvarna) 54
7. Callum Norton (Honda)
8. Rhys Budd (Honda) 44
9. Liam Walsh (KTM) 42
10. Mat Fabry (Yamaha) 40

Pirelli MXD Standings

1. Bailey Malkiewicz – Yamaha – 292
2. Morgan Fogarty – KTM – 292
3. Maximus Purvis – Yamaha – 287
4. Hugh Mckay – Yamaha – 278
5. Riley Dukes – Husqvarna – 268
6. Brodie Ellis – Yamaha – 249
7. Callum Norton – Honda – 246
8. Rhys Budd – Honda – 227
9. Mason Rowe – KTM – 210
10. Jye Dickson – KTM – 209

Yamaha Amateurs

An intense day of racing in the Yamaha Amateur Cup feature class saw KTM racer Josh Kilvington take the overall honours at Conondale’s Green Park.

Kilvington and fellow KTM pilot Ryan Kenney each took a race win on a day that threw up unpredictable results, while the day’s podium was filled by Kilvington, Lachlan Holroyd, (KTM) and Kenney.

Despite only taking over the lead halfway through the opening race, Kenney stretched out an impressive 19-second lead over Darcy Cavanagh (KTM), Holroyd, Kilvington, and Jack McNeice (Suzuki) by the time he took the checkered flag.

In the second moto Kilvington overcame a top five start to take the lead on the penultimate lap from Holroyd, with Jesse Bishop (Yamaha) in third, Mitchell Dark (Husqvarna) and McNeice rounded out the top five.

Yamaha Amateur Cup Moto 1

1. Ryan Kenney 14:19.191
2. Darcy Cavanagh +19.662
3. Lachlan Holroyd +21.266
4. Joshua Kilvington +24.841
5. Jack McNeice +26.202
6. Mitch Budd +34.264
7. Shane Blinksell +35.686
8. Mitchell Dark +42.922
9. Kristian Sprenger +51.125
10. Jesse Bishop +52.202

Yamaha Amateur Cup Moto 2

1. Joshua Kilvington 14:47.014
2. Lachlan Holroyd +4.331
3. Jesse Bishop +4.859
4. Mitchell Dark +6.717
5. Jack McNeice +14.550
6. Shane Blinksell +16.646
7. Ryan Kenney +18.010
8. Darcy Cavanagh +27.368
9. Mitch Budd +28.398
10. Kristian Sprenger +33.373

Yamaha Amateurs – Round Points

1. Joshua Kilvington (KTM) 63
2. Lachlan Holroyd (KTM) 62
3. Ryan Kenney (KTM) 59
4. Darcy Cavanagh (KTM) 55
5. Jack McNeice (Suzuki) 52
6. Jesse Bishop (Yamaha) 51
7. Mitchell Dark (Husqvarna) 51
8. Sam Blinksell (Honda) 49
9. Mitch Budd (Honda) 47
10. Kristian Sprenger (Yamaha) 43