Moto News Wrap Weekly
August 4, 2015 by Darren Smart
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Australasian News
The Biggest Motocross Race In Australia: Ok, it is on THIS WEEKEND and it has the biggest line-up of Past Champions and ‘would-be-if-they-could-be’ motocrossers ever put together at one race meeting – that’s right, the Conondale Classic is on this weekend at the famous Green Park facility up on the Sunshine Coast hinterland and at the time of writing Craig Anderson, Shayne King, Daryl King, Kim Ashkenazi, Glenn Bell, Andrew Bailey, Jim Drysdale, Andy Dykes, Steve Freiberg, Yarrive Konsky, Glen Poole, Geoff Udy, Brad Van Barello and Luke Wilson (to name a few) have all committed to racing the Pro Class as well as several support classes over the weekend.
And for those who don’t want to compete come along and you will not only see the best racing on these shores for years you will hear Popeye, a commentator who offers more than just race coverage, he knows more about the bikes and who is racing them than the riders themselves and shares it all with the fans. Be there or be square……
How Did NRGTV Go? I worked my freckle off at the Toowoomba Caravan and Camping Show all weekend then drove home Sunday night to watch a replay of NRGTV’s coverage of the Nowra round of the MX Nationals. With some trepidation I got the ball rolling to watch the opening MX2 moto and right from the Get-Go I could see that the camera angles were giving a good view of the track layout, much better than the limited coverage shown from Shepparton, making it much easier to pick where the riders where throughout the race so over the next couple of hours I watched every minute feeling I was getting a good feel for what went down on race day. Congrats to WEM and the NRGTV crew.
MXD Series Tightens Up: The MXD class at the Nowra round of the MX Nationals saw Jayden Rykers take maximum points over championship leader Wilson Todd bringing Todd’s points lead back to 18 with two rounds remaining.
Brown Takes WMX Title: Despite taking a back seat to Meghan Rutledge at the final round of the Australian Women’s Motocross Championships held at Nowra last weekend, Maddy Brown has won the title by seven points over arch rival Tayla Jones.
Townley Injured: With a vision of doing all of the remaining rounds, Ben Townley returned to action at the Nowra round of the Australian MX Nationals last weekend as a lead up and preparation for the 2015 Motocross of Nations where he will once again represent New Zealand. Unfortunately the former World Champ hit the deck during practice and was forced out of the day’s proceedings with an injured shoulder and at the time of writing there was nothing forthcoming regarding the extent of the injury and how long he may be off the bike.
A Good Influence: The on-track success of many motocrossers can be tracked back to their coach and that is very evident in the way Jay Wilson is hammering his way around a motocross track under the tutelage of Josh Coppins while Nowra round winners Luke Clout, Meghan Rutledge and Jayden Rykers are all tasting success thanks to the coaching of Greg Moss.
Want to Ride a 2016 KTM? KTM’s Dirt Days are roaring back into life across five states with five dates set for September and October where riders over the age of 16 will have the opportunity to sample the latest and greatest models from the KTM SX 2016 Range at some of the nation’s favourite venues.
With the focus this year on KTM’s SX and SX-F models, there will be five models to ride at each Dirt Day, KTM’s two-stroke 125 SX and 250 SX, and four-stroke 250 SX-F, 350 SX-F and 450 SX-F models. For more information on KTM Motorcycles, visit www.ktm.com.au
KTM Dirt Days, SX Edition – Dates and Venues
- September 13 – South Coast MX Club, Murray Bridge, SA
- September 20 – McAdam Park, Barrabool, VIC
- September 27 – Oakdale MX Club, Oakdale, NSW
- October 4 – Green Park, Conondale, QLD
- October 25 – Coastal MC Club, Henderson, WA
Smith Wins Yellow Mountain: The 440 km long Yellow Mountain Cross Country is a two day event that consists of racing between the townships of Condobolin and Tottenham in western NSW and this year we saw Honda’s Jacob Smith take the win while defending champion Broc Grabham scored a solid third in his first ride back from injury.
American News
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BIG NEWS for Millsaps!! BTO Sports/WPS KTM has announced the signing of Davi Millsaps for the 2016 season. Millsaps will make his debut with the team at the 2015 Monster Energy Cup in October, where he looks to defend his 2014 win. Current team members, Justin Brayton and Andrew Short, will also return to the team in 2016.
Seely OUT for Rest of Nationals: Team Honda HRC rider Cole Seely is now in recovery after undergoing a successful operation to his right shoulder. The injury was sustained during a dislocation that occurred in a July 18 practice crash at the Spring Creek MX round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship in Millville, Minnesota. Seely will be sidelined for the remaining three rounds of the series, and his return to action will depend on his recovery process over the coming months.
Forkner Stays Green for Pro Debut: Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. and Missouri native Austin Forkner has agreed to a multi-year contract that will see him transition from Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green to the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team. Forkner has been a part of Team Green since 2011 and has claimed six AMA National Championships at Loretta Lynn’s during that period. Before his pro debut Forkner will continue to race with Team Green through the Monster Energy Cup and the Spring AMA amateur nationals before lining up on the gate for the 2016 AMA Pro Motocross season.
Tricker Wins at Loretta’s: The 2015 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by AMSOIL (Loretta) crowned the inaugural Women All-Star (16+) division champion and it was Aussie Mackenzie Tricker who took the title with 1-2-2 finishes.
Renner Beats Tortelli who Beats Reynard: Husqvarna mounted Ricky Renner took out three clean wins ahead of former World Champion Sebastian Tortelli in the 25+ class at Loretta’s but Tortelli got his revenge in the 35+ class to take the win ahead of former factory star Robbie Reynard.
Simpson and Unadilla: The script couldn’t be written better, Shaun Simpson dominates the toughest GP of the season in Lommel then flies straight to the States where he will race Dean Wilson’s factory KTM alongside Ryan Dungey at the Unadilla round of the AMA Motocross Championships – mouth-watering stuff.
Metcalfe’s Canadian Championship Derailed: Aussie Brett Metcalfe’s assault on the MX1 class in the Canadian Motocross championship took a hit last weekend with the Aussie finishing back in 14th outright with DNF-5 finishes over the two motos.
Local Colton Facciotti won the day while championship points leader Matt Goerke finish in third and now has a 23 points lead over Facciotti with Metcalfe in third, some 52 points back.
Kaven Benoit continued his dominance of the MX2 class in Canada and is now a massive 82 points clear of Yank Jimmy Decotis.
Russell Wins WORCS: Ricky Russell has won round seven of the 2015 Rocky Mountain MC World Off-Road Championship Series held at Straddleline ORV Park in Washington last weekend. Russell took the win over KTM’s Gary Sutherlin and Jacob Argubright while KTM’s Eric Yorba claimed the Pro win Saturday night in the WORCS X event.
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Euro News
BRUTAL MXGP!!: The Lommel GP in Belgium was the toughest race of the year with the track making the world’s best racers look like a bunch of wobblers. HUGE ruts, massive braking bumps and g-outs that would swallow a jumbo jet were littered around the track and much to my surprise two poms dominated the MXGP and MX2 classes. That’s right, Shaun Simpson and Max Anstie won all of MXGP and MX2 motos respectively while the rest of the riders spent the day soil testing.
Here is what former World Champion Tyla Rattray had to say about Lommel: “Man, I never rode on such a demanding track in my career, even if I came here in Lommel many times to practice during the winter time! Lommel is always a special place and that’s why we spend some time here to train, but today it took a lot out of us, and I think that all the MXGP riders will sleep well tonight! There were deep ruts, long holes, the track was really rough and it’s good to have a break now to prepare the final four GPs.”
Aussies at Lommel: Todd Waters had a great day finishing eighth in the opening moto before improving to sixth in moto two on his way to securing seventh overall for the round while Dean Ferris finished a disappointing 15th in the opening race after crashing out of the front pack early in the race but the plucky Aussie rebounded in the second race to finish in eighth position for 11th overall for the round. Waters and Ferris are now 11th and 12th respectively in the championship points chase. See the full report and race results below.
Kiwi Close to EMX125 World Championship Lead: Belgian Cyril Genot wrapped up his first ever EMX125 race win and overall victory in front of his home crowd at Lommel while Jago Geerts made for two Belgian’s on the podium with second. Jorge Prado ended up doing enough for third and has taken the championship lead by one point over KTM Factory Junior’s teammate Josiah Natzke who went 6-3 on the day.
Gajser Stays RED Till 2020: Honda Racing Corporation and Tim Gajser, the 18-year-old Slovenian MX2 star, have signed a multi-year agreement that will see Gajser stay with Honda until at least 2020.
Desalle OUT for the rest of 2015: Clement Desalle will join Ryan Villopoto and Antonio Cairoli on the couch for the remainder of the 2015 season after taking a rough landing during timed practice at Lommel and injuring his right shoulder. The Belgian has now been forced to take the heavy decision to have an operation to stabilise and fix the joint and the recuperation period means that he is highly unlikely to see competitive action again in 2015.
Van Horebeek Stays Blue for 2016: Yamaha Motor Europe is pleased to announce that Jeremy Van Horebeek will remain a works rider for the Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube team for the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship.
Herlings Up-Date: KTM Racing has announced that Red Bull KTM Factory MX2 rider Jeffrey Herlings has undergone successful surgery to repair the injury he sustained in a crash in MX2 qualifying at the Loket circuit in the Czech Republic on Saturday. Jeffrey dislocated his hip during the crash, and as already confirmed by his team manager Dirk Groebel after Sunday’s MXGP of Czech Republic, the Dutch rider and two-time MX2 World Champion will not ride again in 2015.
Awesome French MXoN Team: France has named Marvin Musquin (MX2), Gautier Paulin (MX1) and Romain Febvre (Open) for the 2015 Motocross of Nations which will take place at Ernee, France on the weekend of September 27. They will be hard to beat in front of their local fans.
MXGP’s return to Switzerland for 2016: Following a press conference at the MXGP of Belgium, Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo, FIM Europe President Dr. Wolfgang Srb, FIM/CMS Director Mr. Tony Skillington and Mr. Willy Laderach and Mrs Andrea Laderach put pen to paper for MXGP’s return to Switzerland which is scheduled to take place on the weekend of August 7th in Frauenfeld/Gahnang.
Russia to Host World Junior Motocross Champs: During a second press conference at the MXGP of Belgium, Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo, FIM Europe President Dr. Wolfgang Srb, FIM/CMS Director Mr. Tony Skillington, the president of the Russian Motorcycling Federation Mr. Alexander Dzheus and the Russian organizer Mr. Evgeny Parshin came together to sign the contract for Russia to host the 2016 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship in Orlyonok.
Smarty’s Race Reports and Official Results from last Weekend
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World Motocross Championships – Round 14 – Lommel, Belgium
MX1 Race Report
On the toughest track on the GP calendar Shaun Simpson dominate both motos with a ruthless display of riding that will put him in good stead when he lines up for the Unadilla round of the AMA Nationals next weekend. “This has been a long time coming. I got close back in 2009 in the sand in Valkenswaard and I burned out in the second moto. I had a small injury before and it cost me a lot. I think about that day when it should have been perfect and I don’t get them very often. I wanted to grab this opportunity with both hands. There was no way I was going to let it slip today. The first moto went to plan. The second one – I maybe wasn’t the fastest guy out there but I definitely planned it well – I knew I could last the distance. What wasn’t in the script was the crash; I just landed in some soft sand and high-sided. I don’t think I have ever got off the ground and on the bike so quickly. I did the last two laps with my peak in front of my goggles so I felt like a right goon but managed to get it done.”
Gautier Paulin gained a measly four points on championship leader Romain Febre this weekend after his 2-2 results “I gave 100 per cent today, not one little bit less. With the situation with the knee, this feels as good as the win in Valkenswaard and I’m really happy. We’re always training here, but the track was pretty tough. I hurt my right knee in the first moto in Loket, so yesterday the qualifying was tough. I woke this morning more tired than if I made two GPs. I like to push my body to the limit, and this morning I said: ‘ok, now you have to get the job done so just push’. I want to thank HRC Honda because they have been working hard to make a big step with the engine which helped me a lot also today. I was really enjoying the track and feeling good on it with my riding. I needed to push 100 per cent today right to the end, and I did it but I had to dig deep in my mind to overcome the pain. I’m really happy with this second, and now we’ll go and rest a bit and be back at full fitness for the next race.”
Febvre hit the deck several times over the two GP races but he bounced back for 3-3 race results and still has a massive 84 point lead in the championship. “I’m happy with the day overall. In the first moto I felt really good and I was very close to Shaun at one moment but I crashed and I lost the ‘feeling’. It came back after a couple of laps but then I crashed again in the waves section. I think I used a lot of energy to get back on the bike and charge again. I wanted to catch Gautier but I pushed myself for nothing because I couldn’t pass him. I got another holeshot in the second moto but I could feel my legs [getting tired] and it was very difficult. To be third twice is a positive weekend for the team and myself.”
Like most riders, Team HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev had a tough day fighting the track but still finished both races inside the top five for fourth overall while the Belgians Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP’s Kevin Strijbos and Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube’s Jeremy Van Horebeek tied on points for fifth.
Todd Waters had this to say after the GP: “I guess conditions don’t get much rougher and tougher than they did today – it was brutal. I was happy with the way my qualifying race went, so I went for it at the start of the first moto. I was battling hard and put up a big fight, right to the end of the moto. I got onto the back of Van Horebeek and gave everything. It was obvious the second moto would be tough, so I tried to be smart. I dropped it once, but was pleased with my fitness. I pushed hard to fifth, then dropped one spot to Strijbos.”
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 34:36.275; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:04.580; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:30.238; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.372; 5. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:53.607; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Suzuki), +0:59.721; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +1:15.111; 8. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:26.047; 9. Gert Krestinov (EST, Honda), +1:36.244; 10. Filip Bengtsson (SWE, Honda), +1:39.797. 15. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna).
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 35:02.032; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:06.005; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:24.685; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:54.696; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +1:22.952; 6. Todd Waters (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:27.898; 7. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Kawasaki), +1:53.573; 8. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:58.778; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +2:01.731; 10. Gert Krestinov (EST, Honda), +2:03.900.
MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 50 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 44 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 34 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 30 p.; 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 28 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 24 p.; 9. Tyla Rattray (RSA, KAW), 23 p.; 10. Gert Krestinov (EST, HON), 23 p. 11. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna).
MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 547 points; 2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 463 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 423 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 416 p.; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 360 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 356 p.; 7. Clement Desalle (BEL, SUZ), 331 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 324 p.; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, SUZ), 290 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 287 p. Todd Waters (AUS, HUS), 278 p.; 12. Dean Ferris (AUS, Husqvarna), 208 p.
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MX2 Race Report
Max Anstie was absolutely unstoppable on his way to his second perfect grand prix of the season. “It’s awesome to win again here in Lommel; it was a great day for British motocross with this win and Shaun’s win in the MXGP! The fans were great today. The track was demanding physically but I think that the way they prepared the track made it even more difficult. Last week I wasn’t very happy with my crash, so I just made sure that it wouldn’t happen again and, even if I never rode here since the GP last year, I showed this weekend what I can do in the sand. We’ll continue to give our best, and we’ll see at the end of the series where we’ll be in the standings!”
To everyone’s surprise the red plate will be mounted on Pauls Jonass’ KTM after the Latvian rode beyond his years today for two second place finishes for second overall and the championship lead. ““It was a tough race, really tough, but I’m a quite good sand racer so the main thing was not to be over-confident. I felt good all weekend and I was twice second behind Max (Anstie) and he was really fast this weekend. To have the red plate is something unbelievable. I didn’t expect this would happen for at least two years.”
Petar Petrov put in two solid and consistent performances for third overall. “It was a great feeling to be on the podium, my first ever and the first one of a Bulgarian rider for almost thirty years! It’s a great feeling and I hope that it’s just the first one of many. The track was really tough and rough, but that makes the difference between the riders and I really like these conditions even if I’m very tired now. I think that they did a good job on the track, there were many different lines, it was possible to pass and we could make some good races.”
So, what happened to the two riders who entered Lommel with the championship in their grasp? Tim Gajser struggled all day in the sand to finish with just 30 points for sixth overall but more importantly is only four points back from Jonass in the championship points while Valentin Guillod could only manage 12th in the opening moto before a DNF in race two after landing on Belgian Brent Van Doninck who had crashed on the blindside of a jump.
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 34:55.901; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:24.619; 3. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +0:35.480; 4. Harri Kullas (FIN, Husqvarna), +0:38.503; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:41.961; 6. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +0:51.635; 7. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:57.168; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:08.248; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +1:20.572; 10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:30.448.
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: Max Anstie (GBR, Kawasaki), 35:42.426; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:25.396; 3. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +0:51.575; 4. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +1:01.671; 5. Harri Kullas (FIN, Husqvarna), +1:04.599; 6. Davy Pootjes (NED, KTM), +1:10.159; 7. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:16.493; 8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +1:29.739; 9. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:40.929; 10. Thomas Covington (USA, Kawasaki), +1:49.133
MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Max Anstie (GBR, KAW), 50 points; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 38 p.; 4. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 35 p.; 5. Harri Kullas (FIN, HUS), 34 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 30 p.; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 26 p.; 8. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 23 p.; 9. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 23 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), 18 p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 433 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 429 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 423 p.; 4. Valentin Guillod (SUI, YAM), 408 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 395 p.; 6. Jordi Tixier (FRA, KAW), 393 p.; 7. Max Anstie (GBR, KAW), 387 p.; 8. Julien Lieber (BEL, YAM), 340 p.; 9. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 262 p.; 10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 259 p.
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Australian MX Nationals – Round 8 – Nowra, NSW
MX1 Race Report
On a track that offered plenty as far as air time and blasting berms yet little in the way of passing, CDR Yamaha’s Dan Reardon was able to secure his first overall win with 1-2 results over the two motos and it wasn’t done with any ease with the Queenslander having to ride his arse off all day to get the win.
Reardon took the early lead in moto one and had to keep Adam Monea and later Kade Mosig at bay to take a narrow win then in moto two Reardon had to make a few critical passes before sliding into second place for a well-earned overall. “Well, I’m glad to get that monkey off my back,” Reardon said. “I have really enjoyed my return to racing but some of my results have been frustrating as I knew I was capable of winning but I just wasn’t getting it done. After I won the first race, I was so determined not to let this one go, so when I got to where I needed to be I settled down, put in solid laps and made sure I secured the round win.”
“It’s been a while coming so thank you to everyone that has helped me get this far. CDR Yamaha and all the team have been amazing and I hope this really kicks me on for the final couple of rounds,” Reardon ended.
Kawasaki’s fill-in rider Dylan Long managed second overall on the day thanks to a convincing win in the second moto. “It’s amazing! It’s one of the best feelings. I’ve been wanting to get this for so long and to finally get on the podium is awesome,” said Dylan who didn’t get off to a great start in the first moto yet managed to cross the line in 7th before his wire to wire race win in moto two. “The last race was perfect and I was riding as solid as I could in the last four laps, just hanging out to see the last lap board. The NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team have been amazing. They have given me all the support I have needed to win so there isn’t any reason why I shouldn’t have won today and in the next rounds.”
Shepparton round winner Kade Mosig gave CDR Yamaha another podium with 2-5 finishes on the day. “All up things went pretty well. They only thing I could ask for from today was maybe some better starts as they were so important on a track like this but my speed was pretty good and I felt good on the bike. It’s good to be able to string a few rounds together now and standing up on the podium at the end of each round is always the goal so I’m glad to be finally getting that sorted,” Kade said.
KTM Riders Luke Styke and Kirk Gibbs had a day that showed signs of promise but when the points we tallied the factory stars ended with the overall places in 4th and 6th respectively yet Gibbs still has a convincing 65 point lead over Styke in the series with two round remaining. In saying that, Stykes second place in the series is under fire with Mosig now just nine points back with Adam Monea only a further seven points adrift.
MX1 Moto 1 Top Ten: 1. Dan Reardon – 35 Pts. 2. Kade Mosig – 32 Pts. 3. Adam Monea – 30 Pts. 4. Lawson Bopping – 28 Pts. 5. Kirk Gibbs – 26 Pts. 6. Luke Styke- 25 Pts. 7. Dylan Long – 24 Pts. 8. Jesse Dobson – 23 Pts. 9. Kale Makeham – 22 Pts. 10. Cody Cooper – 21 Pts.
MX1 Moto 2 Top Ten: 1. Dylan Long – 35 Pts. 2. Dan Reardon – 32 Pts. 3. Luke Styke – 30 Pts. 4. Kirk Gibbs – 28 Pts. 5. Kade Mosig – 26 Pts. 6. Adam Monea – 25 Pts. 7. Cody Cooper – 24 Pts. 8. Lawson Bopping – 23 Pts. 9. Kale Makeham – 22 Pts. 10. Jesse Dobson – 21 Pts.
MX1 Top Ten Overall: 1. Dan Reardon – 67 Pts. 2. Dylan Long – 59 Pts. 3. Kade Mosig – 58 Pts. 4. Luke Styke – 55 Pts. 5. Adam Monea – 55 Pts. 6. Kirk Gibbs – 54 Pts. 7. Lawson Bopping – 51 Pts. 8. Cody Cooper – 45 Pts. 9. Kale Makeham – 44 Pts. 10. Jesse Dobson – 44 Pts.
MX1 Points after 8 of 10 Rounds: 1. Kirk Gibbs – 530 Pts. 2. Luke Styke – 465 Pts. 3. Kade Mosig – 456 Pts. 4. Adam Monea – 449 Pts. 5. Lawson Bopping – 429 Pts. 6. Daniel Reardon – 411 Pts. 7. Dylan Long – 390 Pts. 8. Jesse Dobson – 382 Pts. 9. Cody Cooper – 358 Pts. 10. Kale Makeham – 306 Pts.
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MX2 Race Report
There is no stopping Jay Wilson or Luke Clout taking this championship down to the wire. At the Shepparton round Clout crashed in the opening moto but blasted his way up to fifth by moto end to only lose a few points to Wilson then at Nowra Wilson crashed in the first corner in the opening moto but by the time the chequered flag dropped the Josh Coppins trained rider was in third place. Clout and Wilson really know how to plough through a field of hard charging MX2 punters.
Clout’s 1-3 results gave him the round win added another chapter to an enthralling championship chase. “Good day, that should have been a bit better,” Clout said. “Race one went well and we got the win and I put myself in good position for the second race but those guys were able to get by me which I’m not happy about. My arms pumped up a bit during the race as I was riding a bit tight but that’s no excuse and I need to get that out of my system for the final two rounds,” he said.
Wilson came from last to third in the opening moto and tenth to second in the second moto behind young up-start Dylan Willis who rode the race of his life in the second moto to take the win and earn third overall on the day.
Multi round winner Caleb Ward had one of those days. “Just wasn’t a good day today, bad starts in both races and just struggled in the first moto then rode better in the second race but I still sucked. Fixed my riding on the tracks where I struggled last year so I’ll do the same with this and make sure next year I’m fast on that kind of track!! Gotta take the positives and keep learning, motivated even more now wanna get back on that top step!!”
MX2 Moto 1 Top Ten: 1. Luke Clout. 2. Nathan Crawford. 3. Jay Wilson. 4. Geran Stapleton. 5. Dylan Wills. 6. Keiron Hall. 7. Joel Wightman. 8. Takeshi Katsuya. 9. Jack Simpson. 10. Jed Beaton.
MX2 Moto 2 Top Ten: 1. Dylan Wills. 2. Jay Wilson. 3. Luke Clout. 4. Takeshi Katsuya. 5. Keiron Hall. 6. Jed Beaton. 7. Caleb Ward. 8. Wade Hunter. 9. Nathan Crawford. 10. Jack Simpson.
MX2 Top Ten Overall: 1. Luke Clout – 65. 2. Jay Wilson – 62. 3. Dylan Wills – 61. 4. Nathan Crawford – 54. 5. Takeshi Katsuya – 51. 6. Keiron Hall – 51. 7. Geran Stapleton – 47. 8. Jed Beaton – 46. 9. Joel Wightman – 44. 10. Jack Simpson – 43.
MX1 Points after 8 of 10 Rounds: 1. Jay Wilson – 465. 2. Luke Clout – 462. 3. Takeshi Katsuya – 435. 4. Jed Beaton – 395. 5. Wade Hunter – 362. 6. Caleb Ward – 353. 7. Nathan Crawford – 346. 8. Dylan Wills – 334. 9. Luke Arbon – 327. 10. Geran Stapleton – 324
