Brayton wins 2022 Australian Supercross opener in Melbourne

 2022 Australian Supercross Championship Round 1 – Melbourne

Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, was a sea of red when it came to Round One of the Australian Supercross Championship, with the Honda Racing Australia CRF450R and CRF250R machines proving impossible to beat.

Equipped with a number one plate as reigning champion, Justin Brayton returned to the top step of the podium in the SX1 class.

The Melbourne layout was deteriorating rapidly by the time that the premier-class final commenced – Brayton used his experience to methodically make his way through the field after starting on the cusp of the top five.

After taking the lead on lap fourteen, he hit the checkered flag with a seven-second advantage.

Justin Brayton – SX1 P1

“It was a game of chess out there. The track was really, really challenging. The priority was just finding smooth lines and putting my CRF450R where it needed to be. It is just amazing to be back here in Australia. I love racing here and spending time with the team.”

Aaron Tanti took the second step on the podium, ahead of Dean Wilson who posted the quickest lap time in qualifying and then climbed from fifth to third in the final.

Aaron Tanti – P2

“That’s all I had, I wanted to charge as hard as I could for as long as I could and I did that, but Justin was just that bit better than me tonight, so congratulations to him. I’m pretty happy with how the night went and it gives me some confidence knowing that I can put up a good fight against some of the most experienced and professional supercross riders in the world. I did run out of gas towards the end, but I think if I can just keep a little more composure in the early stages and manage my breathing a little better, I can stay in it for longer. Thanks to the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team for getting us up to speed and the crowd for having my back all weekend. I could hear them all round the track and its awesome to have so much support here In Melbourne.”

GASGAS Racing Team’s Hayden Mellross rode to a gritty fourth-place result, ahead of Matt Moss.

Hayden Mellross – SX1 P4

“Being the first round of supercross that we’ve raced in a few years, I had a lot of nerves early today, but I gradually got more comfortable and confident as the day progressed. I rode quite well in my heat race to finish third and I thought we were in for a good show in the main event. I didn’t get as good a start as I would’ve hoped and I tightened up early on. The track was deceptively slippery, but I was able to hang on and take advantage of the guys who made mistakes in front of me to finish fourth! It wasn’t a pretty fourth, but it was a good result and I’m happy to walk away healthy and get the first round under the belt.”

Husqvarna Racing Team’s new SX1 racer Dylan Wills finished a satisfying sixth-place in his debut aboard the FC 450. Wills found himself in seventh on the opening lap and worked his way into the top-five through the early stages of the 20-lap encounter. As the track became rougher and more technical, Wills made a small error with just three laps remaining and dropped a position to eventually finish the final in sixth position.

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Dylan Wills – SX1 P6

“To finish sixth in the main and third in my heat race was more than I expected out of myself and I’m really happy with the result. I felt like I rode well at the start of the final, but I got tired due to the limited laps I’ve done on a 450, the first-round nerves and the pressure I’d put on myself. I’m really glad to get the first round of the championship out of the way and it’s a good feeling to know that I belong up there with those guys, plus that my early pace was really good. I’m going to take a lot of confidence from tonight as we head to Adelaide.”

Kyle Webster, Jackson Richardson, Dylan Wood and Joel Cigliano completed the top-ten.

Jackson Richardson – P8

“It felt so good to get back behind the gate and race supercross again. The results themselves weren’t anything to write home about and I tightened up towards the end of the race, but considering the short time I’ve been on the bike, it was a positive night. We learnt heaps and I’m excited to see what we can do at round two.”

KTM Racing Team signing Brett Metcalfe unfortunately crashed in his heat race and sat out the main event as he underwent medical evaluations, having held third in his heat until then.

 2022 Australian Supercross SX1 – Round Overall/Standings

SX2

Max Anstie was at one with his CRF250R from the second that the event started. Taking the win in the first SX2 heat race of the night set the tone, as he carried that form into the fifteen-lap final.

Although he missed out on the holeshot by the slimmest of margins, he moved into the lead immediately and was unchallenged from that moment on.

Max Anstie – SX2 P1

“I loved it today! I cannot thank the boys at Honda Racing Australia enough for getting me into this championship. Getting the win at round one was a great way to repay them and it was also important for me to blow the cobwebs off, after that long flight over to Melbourne!”

Runner up was Col Thompson, while KTM Racing Team contender Nathan Crawford claimed his first-career podium in the ASX after qualifying sixth. The Queenslander launched to a strong start in the 250 class main event and settled into second place.

Several laps later he dropped one position to P3, but continued to clock consistent lap-times for the remainder of the race, as multiple riders made errors throughout the 15-lap main event and that’s where he would take the chequered flag.

Nathan Crawford – SX2 P3

“I’ve spent six or seven weeks on the new 2023 model KTM preparing for supercross and I’m feeling very comfortable on it. I honestly didn’t know where I’d fit into the SX2 class, so it feels awesome to get my first-ever supercross podium and get that monkey off my back! I’m not super-satisfied with how I rode tonight… we can always be better, but I know the areas I need to work on and what I can improve before next weekend. The first round is always tough as everyone comes out guns blazing and there’s often a bit of carnage, but I tried to minimise my mistakes, stay out of trouble and pick up some good points on what was a deceptively slippery track. I’m definitely happy to start the season with this result!”

Kaleb Barham was fourth, ahead of Jai Constantinou and Rhys Budd, while Noah Ferguson banked solid points in the four-round championship by finishing seventh at his first-ever supercross race.

Jai Constantinou – SX2 P5

“The track was tricky tonight and it caught a lot of riders out with how slippery it was,” said Constantinou. “I got caught in a crash early in my heat and didn’t get a good jump out of the gate in the main, but I focused on staying upright and letting the race come to me. I’m stoked to finish the night with a top five, and I know we can improve from here over the next three rounds.”

Noah Ferguson – SX2 P7

“A seventh-place result isn’t quite what I was aiming for, but I’m happy to walk away from my first-ever supercross with that result. It was exciting and a lot happening, but it was really well done and the crowd was amazing. I was pretty nervous throughout the day as I’ve never ridden anything this big, plus I’d never raced supercross before! P5 was my goal, but I’m happy with seventh, and will look to improve next weekend at Adelaide.”

Jy Roberts, Geran Stapleton and Tomas Ravenhorst completed the top-ten.

Wilson Todd was in fine form all day, winning his heat race (SX2 heat two) and had high hopes going into the final. The dragon’s back caught him out on lap one and he had to retire prematurely, however.

Haruki Yokoyama’s night would end soon after when he crashed hard at the end of the whoop section and DNF’d the race with a dislocated shoulder.

Haruki Yokoyama – DNF

“It was a tough night, but there were lots of positives. My starts were really good and I was able to holeshot both my races. A third in the heat had me excited for the main and I was placed well early in that race, but I had a big crash at the end of the whoops and dislocated my shoulder. It was a disappointing end to what had been a good day, but I’m hopeful I will still line up for Adelaide next weekend.”

The second round of the 2022 Australian Supercross Championship is scheduled for October 29.

2022 Australian Supercross SX2 – Round Overall/Standings