Callum Norton wins Nowra Pirelli MXD – Jett Burgess-Stevens wins the Yamaha 85cc Cup
KTM mounted Callum Norton proved that consistency is the key to success, racing to two third place finishes to collect the Pirelli MXD round victory at Nowra in New South Wales.
Following a productive mid-season break, the Pirelli MXD class were impressive from the get go at Nowra yesterday morning, heading out for practice and qualifying in chilly conditions to determine their gate picks for when racing commenced later in the day.
At the conclusion of the qualifying session it was SD3 Husqvarna’s Kaleb Barham who was fastest on track, throwing down a 1:46.747 ahead of series points leader Jy Roberts (Husqvarna) who clocked in a 1:46.959, while Riley Dukes secured third pick of the grid with a 1:46.970 lap time.
Moto 1
When bikes lined up for the Pirelli MXD class’s first race of the day, spectators watched on in anticipation, eager to see which riders could use the mid-season break to their advantage. And when gates dropped it was Yamalube Yamaha Racing Team’s Cooper Pozniak who took the Raceline holeshot, while Bulk Nutrients WBR Yamaha’s Hugh McKay slotted in behind him.
Unfortunately for fastest qualifier Barham, moto one was cut short – suffering what appeared to be a mechanical issue, the Husqvarna rider forced to walk his bike back to the pits after only a lap.
After only two laps on track, Pozniak, McKay, Cody Dyce and Isaac Ferguson bunched up, treating spectators to an all out battle for the lead, and with the Pirelli MXD class well-known for it’s unpredictability, all eyes were on the front runners who were battling harder than ever around the tight and technical Nowra circuit.
Dyce dropped the pace after four laps and slipped back to sixth position, which relieved the pressure on Pozniak and McKay who continued to maintain first and second places.
By the halfway point in moto one, Pozniak began to feel the pressure from McKay who had found his rear wheel, and all it took was Pozniak to take an incorrect line, and the Bulk Nutrients WBR Yamaha rider snatched up the lead.
Back in third position was KTM’s Callum Norton, while Ferguson maintained fourth. Third fastest qualifier Dukes was in fifth, followed by Roberts, Raceline Pirelli KTM’s Morgan Fogarty and Jye Dickson.
As moto one progressed the surface began to get rougher, and riders were getting caught out by the hidden square edges, but one rider who found his flow early was McKay – the Yamaha rider holding off Pozniak who continued to chase his tail in second, while Norton remained in third.
Despite a poor start, red plate holder Roberts had made his way through the pack and with only a handful of laps remaining, maintained fourth position.
But it was the consistency of McKay that paid off at the conclusion of moto one, who crossed the finish line to collect his first race win of the season from Pozniak and KTM’s Norton who finished in second and third respectively. Roberts concluded race one in fourth followed by Ferguson in fifth.
Yamalube Yamaha Racing Team’s Dyce finished in sixth, followed by Dukes, Fogarty, Dickson and Maximus Purvis who completed the top ten.
Moto 2
In the final Pirelli MXD moto it was KTM mounted Ferguson who took the second Raceline holeshot and shot off into the race lead, followed by Purvis in second and Yamalube Yamaha Racing Team’s Dyce in third.
Surprisingly, little known Purvis made the move on Ferguson after only three laps, and despite not being the most experienced rider on track, captured the crowd’s attention for all the right reasons.
With only 20 minutes to run in the final moto for the Pirelli MXD category, after only a handful of laps riders had settled in to their positions. The running order by the ten-minute mark, saw Purvis continue to lead from Ferguson in second, while Dyce maintained third. Behind the top three, SD3 Husqvarna’s Barham was having a far more positive ride in fourth, followed by McKay and Roberts in fifth and sixth.
But after registering a DNF in moto one, Barham was on a charge in race two, and by the five lap mark the Husqvarna rider made the move on Dyce, snatching away third position.
Despite finishing in tenth in moto one, Purvis was unstoppable on the Nowra circuit in the second moto this afternoon, continuing to fight off Ferguson and Barham in second and third behind him.
As the Pirelli MXD class reached the final stages of their second race at Nowra, Purvis was in the box seat to take his first ever MXD race victory, meanwhile both Roberts and Dyce fell victim to the challenging Nowra circuit, making costly mistakes that saw the pair slip down the standings.
But when the chequered flag flew it was an impressive performance from Purvis which saw him take the final Pirelli MXD victory at Nowra, second place went to KTM’s Ferguson while KTM’s Norton finished in third. Fourth place went to Husqvarna mounted Dukes, while Fogarty, Roberts, McKay, Barham, Dyce and Pozniak completed the top ten in race two.
When the points were tallied from both motos yesterday it was the consistency of Norton which awarded him the Pirelli MXD round victory at Nowra, second place went to Bulk Nutrients WBR Yamaha’s McKay, while third went to Ferguson (KTM).
Callum Norton – KTM Australia – Round 6 Winner
“Today was awesome – I had two consistent motos and finished on the box both races so I’ve come away with the overall so it’s awesome. I can’t thank Dad enough for getting me up here – without him it wouldn’t have happened. The boys produced some great racing today, it’s probably the best racing I’ve ever had, so to finish up here is awesome, I couldn’t be happier.”
Pirelli MXD Round 6 Results
- Callum Norton – 60 points – KTM
- Hugh Mckay – 59 points – Yamaha
- Isaac Ferguson – 58 points – KTM
- Maximus Purvis – 56 points – Yamaha
- Jy Roberts – 53 points – Husqvarna
- Cooper Pozniak – 53 points – Yamaha
- Riley Dukes – 52 points – Husqvarna
- Morgan Fogarty – 49 points – KTM
- Cody Dyce – 47 points – Yamaha
- Jye Dickson – 41 points – KTM
Pirelli MXD Championship Standings
- Jy Roberts – 352 points – Husqvarna
- Cody Dyce – 340 points – Yamaha
- Morgan Fogarty – 308 points – KTM
- Isaac Ferguson – 298 points – KTM
- Hugh McKay – 285 points – Yamaha
- Cooper Pozniak – 278 points – Yamaha
- Kaleb Barham – 264 points – Husqvarna
- Brodie Ellis – 238 points – Yamaha
- Jai Constantinou – 231 points – Honda
- Callum Norton – 227 points – KTM
Yamaha 85cc Cup
For the first and only time this season the Yamaha 85cc Cup class which fields competitors from 9-12 years or age had the rare opportunity to line up on a national spec track at Round 6 of the Motul MX Nationals at Nowra yesterday.
With Junior categories featuring at numerous rounds of the Motul MX Nationals so far this season, it was the 85cc Cup class’s time to hit the track at Nowra yesterday, with Burgess-Stevens showcasing plenty of talent across two exciting motos.
In the 85cc qualifying session GYTR Yamaha’s Ryder Kingsford topped the time sheets and secured first pick of the grid with a 2:01.395 lap time. Second fastest was Connor Towill (KTM), while Cambell Williams (KTM) wrapped up the timed session in third.
When race one kicked off, the youngsters were treated to conditions that could only be described as ‘pro level challenging’. Having had three motos from the championship classes already yesterday morning, the 85cc Cup category had their work cut out for them in their first race of the season.
It was fastest qualifier Kingsford who impressed in race one on Sunday, leading from the gate drop all the way to the chequered flag aboard his GYTR Yamaha. Second place was awarded to TM mounted Burgess-Stevens, while Towill wrapped up the first 15 minute moto for the 85cc category in third.
Cambell Williams impressed in his first race finishing in an impressive fourth, while Brodie Petschauer completed the top five. Mason Hills, Koby Hantis, Cooper Dudley, Nate Thompson and Jack Bates finished race one for the Yamaha 85cc Cup class inside the top ten.
Moto two for the 85cc Cup class marked the final race at Round 6, and given that, competitors were faced with the toughest track conditions of the day.
But one rider who adapted to the rough surface like a pro was Burgess-Stevens. The TM rider battled hard with Yamaha’s Kingsford to eventually cross the line victorious.
GYTR Yamaha rider Kingsford concluded race two in second, followed by KTM mounted Towill who finished the final race of Round 6 in third. Dudley and Williams wrapped up race two in fourth and fifth places respectively, while Petschauer, Thompson, Hills, Hantis and young Seth Burchell completed the top ten.
Despite both Kingsford and Burgess-Stevens finishing on equal points after two epic races at Nowra, it was the TM rider Burgess-Stevens who was awarded the Yamaha 85cc Cup victory thanks to a countback. Second spot on the podium went to Kingsford, while two third place finishes saw Towill awarded with third place at Nowra.
Yamaha 85cc Cup Round Results
- Jett Burgess-Stevens – 67 points – TM
- Ryder Kingsford – 67 points – Yamaha
- Connor Towill – 60 points – KTM
- Cambell Williams – 54 points – KTM
- Cooper Dudley – 51 points – KTM
- Brodie Petschauer – 51 points – KTM
- Mason Hills – 48 points – Yamaha
- Nate Thompson – 46 points – KTM
- Koby Hantis – 46 points – Kawasaki
- Jack Bates – 41 points – KTM
The 2017 Motul MX Nationals will continue, with Round 7 set to be held at Shepparton in Victoria on Sunday July 16, 2017.
