Honda dominate Australian Supercross opener in Adelaide

2023 FOX Australian Supercross Championship
Round One, Adelaide

In a huge night for team HRC Australia, Froth Honda Racing’s Dean Wilson (SX1), Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Max Anstie (SX2), and Repco M9 Honda’s Parker Ross (SX3) took out their respective class honours in a tightly contested opening round of the FOX Australian Supercross Championship in Adelaide.

Jack Nunn secured the inaugural win for the CR22 85cc Cup on his GasGas MC 85, with his podium presentation from Chad Reed, in what will be night to remember for the 14-year-old. The youngster showed great maturity in both his ride and his after race interview.

The Adelaide Entertainment Centre delivered a tight indoor track which placed fans close to the action, but meant skills, experience and smart riding was needed from the first gate drop.

SX1

Dean Wilson looked comfortable and in control on his Honda CRF450 and took out the first SX1 win for the championship. Followed closely by five-time AUSX champion Justin Brayton in second, and Australia’s very own Matt Moss racing for Empire Kawasaki in third.

Dean Wilson – P1

“I felt good all day, I am glad I flew in early to get settled, everything went well and this is a great start to the championship for Honda, the team and I. I can’t remember the last time I had the red plate, and to do it with my family here is even more special.”

Justin Brayton – P2

“Dean rode well, I said it all night, you need a start in these small arenas, once Dean got a gap it was hard to reel him in. My Boost Mobile Honda was solid, I just didn’t execute my start as well as I needed to in the main. I want to congratulate him and the team for their win and I will take a few days to get settled in the Sunshine Coast before knuckling down and preparing for round 2.”

Matt Moss – P3

“The day started well and I felt good all night, but I made two costly mistakes while leading the heat, then a couple of lapped riders got in my way towards the end of the final as I was settling for second. I probably shouldn’t settle like that, as that’s when you make mistakes. I crashed but still got third, so I’m happy for the team and I. We’re already in a better position than where we were last year points-wise, the bike is really good and I felt at home on it straight away. It turns unbelievably well and is very nimble. We’ve got four weeks to work on our set-up before Newcastle, but it all comes down to me in the end. It’s up to me to put my head down, work hard and beat the guys in front of me.”

Josh Hill and Luke Clout completed the top five, with CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team capturing fourth through six.

Josh Hill – P4

“It was an ok ride, I didn’t quite have the pace to match the top three and I’m not sure where they were able edge away from me. In the heat of the battle, its hard to spot where those extra tenths of a second are coming from so I will go back and look at the race and see where they were putting some time on me. It’s awesome to be racing back in Australia again and I love working with the CDR Yamaha team and spending time down here. We have about a month before the next round so we can get back to work on a couple of things and be out for a better result in Newcastle.”

Luke Clout – P5

“It’s so good to be back racing supercross as it’s always been my favourite style of racing. It took a bit to get back into being on such a small track but that’s the nature of an indoor venue and it’s the same for everyone. I felt rusty in the first practice, but things got better with each session, and we made some adjustments to the bike that really helped. In the main event, I just didn’t get the start I needed and was caught up in too much bar banging at the back of the pack. It turns into a hectic race back there while the leaders are able to open the track up and break away so my focus on the next couple of rounds will be about getting better track position early in the race.”

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They were followed by Aaron Tanti, Kyle Webster, Luke Zielinski, Jackson Richardson and Bailey Malkiewicz, rounding out the finishers in the final.

Aaron Tanti – P6

“It was an up and down day for me as I was able to put in some good laps in each of the sessions and races, but not enough to really threaten the best guys on the night. My start wasn’t great in the main event and its so easy to get shuffled around as there are bikes and riders going everyone for the first few laps until things settled down. We are back to a regular size track and the next round so looking forward to that and getting back on the podium where I should be.”

Kyle Webster – P7

“Seventh in the main isn’t where I wanted to be. I got t-boned hard by another rider and fell in the main. I dusted myself off and charged through the pack but it was a challenge. I know I can be on the podium and I will regroup and focus on round 2.”

Bailey Malkiewicz – P10

“I would have liked to have finished slightly better in the main event, but a crash just took the wind out of my sails, and I couldn’t get back up to full speed again. My gaol was to get into the final, so it was good to tick that off, but now I know I can achieve more than that, so I will be looking to take some steps forward at round two and see if I can climb up a few positions there. Thank you to everyone on the WBR Yamaha team as it was a busy day under the truck with all three riders in action.”

Points were also awarded down to 20th place for those those who missed out on competing the final.

SX1 Final Results/Standings

SX2

Reigning SX2 Australian Supercross Champion, Max Anstie took out the SX2 honours. American Robbie Wageman riding for WBR Yamaha placed second, while Australian Wilson Todd was third on his Honda CRF250.

Max Anstie – P1

“It was a great night; the team is working well and my bike feels so strong. The crowd was really in to it and my family and I have enjoyed being in Adelaide.”

Robbie Wageman – P2

“I’m so thankful to get the opportunity to come to Australia and do the national Supercross Championship. Travis and the entire WBR Yamaha team have been awesome to deal with and it’s cool to reward them with a podium result on the first night. The track is a lot smaller than I’m used to back in the States, but it does make for some close racing and staying clear of the mayhem off the start is part of the battle. Thankfully, I was able to stay out of trouble in both the heat and the main event and happy to finish second at round one and now look forward to Newcastle and Melbourne.”

Wilson Todd – P3

“These small indoor arenas are like a fishing expedition, you can have all of the equipment, the right bait and catch nothing. One small mistake can ruin your night. I rode to the conditions and got out safe with a decent bag of points. The bikes are great, the team and I are working well and I am already turning my attention to round 2.”

Cole Thompson – P4

“I wanted to finish on the podium as that was my goal tonight, but just took too long to find my flow on the track. I felt better as the race went on and I think my best lap was late in the race, but it was too little, too late and I couldn’t make up any ground to challenge for third. The lack of races shows in this situation as you just don’t have that race intensity right from the start. But this race will be of benefit to get back into the swing of things and we can aim for the podium at round two.”

Jayce Cosford – P5

“Top five was the plan for the night and it was good to be able to get that done, although I didmake it harder than it needed to be. I think it was important to get the day off to a good start in practice, so I focused and get the track dialled as fast as possible and putting in a lot of good laps to unsure I felt comfortable. My starts weren’t great in the heat or final, but I was able to make some passed move forward on both occasions. I had to be aggressive as the heat was only a few minutes long and the main event goes by fast as well, so there is no time to waste following anyone, you just have to make it happen right away. So a good start to the championship and hoping to take another step forward at Newcastle.”

Ryder Kingsford – P7

“It felt good to be back on a supercross track and ride in front of a big crowd. I enjoy riding supercross and feel it comes a little more naturally to me. The night went well although I’m a little frustrated with how things ended in the main. I just had a couple of lapses of concentration and let a few guys passed me that I shouldn’t. I just need to stay aggressive on the track and not get pushed around in the final few laps. Still, it was a good start to the championship and I think things will continue to improve from here.”

Ferguson missed the mark as the gates dropped for the main event, which set up for a difficult final encounter for the number 29. A spirited ride saw him make moves throughout the race and cross the line in P8.

Noah Ferguson – P8

“Tough night in Adelaide for the Australian Supercross opener, I just didn’t have the starts I needed and that’s what this track was all about. Happy to come away from the event healthy and with points on the board, so we’ll work hard from now until the next round and come out swinging in Newcastle. Big thank you to the GASGAS Racing Team for all the work we’ve done in the lead up to the championship and throughout the opening round.”

After missing a direct transfer through the heat race by one spot in P3, Crawford raced to victory in the night’s LCQ, and took to the outer-side of the start gates when the main event arrived. A poor launch and further troubles saw him playing catch-up for the entirety of the final, with the number 199 powering his 250 SX-F into a ninth-place result by race’s end.

Nathan Crawford – P9

“Not a lot to say on my end from round one of the AUSX championship – I didn’t get the start and that sort of dictated how my main event played out. We showed plenty of speed today in qualifying and the LCQ, although it’s tough to have a ninth-place finish in such a short championship. We’ll put our heads down, run through some starts with the team, and make sure we arrive on our game for the next two rounds.”

Rhys Budd – P11

“I’m just so disappointed. I was riding well and feeling so good on the bike all day but as I just found out, if you don’t have a good track position on the opening laps, it’s difficult to use any speed you might have as the track is so tight and hard to pass. Even so, I should have made the final and not let that last corner move happen in the LCQ. I will learn from it and that situation won’t be happening to me again.”

SX2 Final Results/Standings

SX3

The SX3 final was full of drama with intense bar-banging riding and a frantic finish with Parker Ross sealing a victory. GYTR Yamaha’s Koby Drew took second and Empire Kawasaki’s Cambell William’s rounded out the podium.

Parker Ross – P1

“This has been a supercool experience and the win is a bonus. The team has been very welcoming and I was blown away by the bike, the team’s facility and the people. I cant wait for round 2.”

Kobe Drew – P2

“Awesome first round of Australian Supercross finishing P2 in SX3. Speed wasn’t all there but I rode smart, stayed out of the carnage and got the job done. Massive thanks to all my sponsors for making it possible.”

Cambell Williams – P3

“I came into the weekend without a lot of preparation as I had arm-pump surgery the week after Coolum. It took a couple weeks to recover from that. As a result we haven’t done a lot of testing, so it was a good result to come away with third. It was a tight-racing track and we got good points going into Newcastle. We’ll do some more testing over the next month to get ready for the next two rounds.”

Unfortunately, Mather struck trouble early in the main event, costing him any chance of a podium. While sitting in third during the early laps, a crash in the whoops resulted in damage to his front brake and footpeg, which unfortunately gave him no option but to retire from the evening.

Jack Mather – P10

“The day started off great for us, winning qualifying and our heat race, but unfortunately, in the final I was sitting in third and a rider made a mistake in the whoops, which took me out. When I remounted, I realised the front brake was stuck on and I’d snapped a footpeg, so there was no chance of me continuing. It wasn’t the way I wanted to go, but it’s racing, and all we can do is come out at the next two rounds and give it all we’ve got. I knew the competition was going to be tough, so I wanted to dominate today. I felt like I was one of the fastest riders here, so I’m taking that as a positive into Newcastle next month.”

SX3 Final Results/Standings

CR22 85cc Cup

In a fantastic night of racing for the 12 to 14-year-olds in the first ever CR22 85cc Cup, 14-year-old rising star Jack Nunn took out the inaugural podium in a convincing win on his GasGas MC 85, over Lachlan Allen and Dejan Sankovic both riding KTM SX 85s.

CR22 85cc Final Results/Standings

Tickets are still available for the final two rounds of the 2023 Fox Australian Supercross.

• Round 2 – 11th of November – McDonald Jones Stadium Newcastle
• Round 3 – 24th of November – Marvel Stadium Melbourne