Comprehensive ProMX MX1 round up from Gillman

2022 Penrite ProMX Championship
Round Four – Gillman, South Australia

With Mark Bracks – Images RbMotoLens

The off-road community converged on the superbly prepared Gillman (SA) motocross track on the weekend of May 28-29 for the fourth round of the Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by MX Superstores, and what a welcome return to the venue it was. 

Over the decades the arena has hosted the Australian Motocross Championships in its various guises; from the halcyon day of the “Mr Motocross” series to one-round Australian Championships. It’s a challenging track lay-out with every feature required for a national event. The lay-out allows competition to be run in both directions, which has been done over the years. 

Last year, the Gillman event was supposed to be the second round of the new look title but was postponed at the 11^th hour when the dreaded plague raised its ugly nose, and subsequently the on-going, “the border is open, yeah nah, the border is closed” situations, saw the Adelaide venue eventually abandoned. 

Heading to Gillman for the championship’s first visit in three years there was much excitement in the paddock as the venue has always been popular with the riders as well the fans. 

With such a time gap and the fact that two of South Australia’s favourite MX sons, Brett Metcalfe (GO24 KTM) and Kirk Gibbs (Team HRC Honda Racing) are front line contenders for the 2022 crown, there was sure to be a healthy crowd. The one ingredient for a bumper crowd was good weather. 

The two days before race day didn’t instil confidence in clear skies as consistent showers had turned parts of the track and the surrounding areas into a mix of quagmire and slippery mud but thankfully Sunday dawned fine and sunny. The recipe was set and as such a bumper crowd turned out to witness Australia’s best – including the ladies who had their second round of the EZILift MXW class.

The Motocross Riders Assoc. of SA crafted an excellent well-prepped track. The club brought in a heap of sand to combine with the existing dirt to provide a sand and loam base and that combined with the showers provided an excellent playing field. The surface rutted up early in the practice qualifying sessions – where the majority of the fields used paddle tyres  – but once it packed down it was back to conventional motocross rubber and a surface that was perfect to test the mettle, judgement and talent of all competitors.  

The passion and attention to detail of the host club, the racing in all classes, the smiles on the riders’ faces, their comments and a large enthusiastic crowd cemented the place as one of the favoured venues on the calendar. 

Heading into the fourth round of the Thor Pro MX 450 Open class, Todd Waters (Husqvarna Australia) held a solitary point lead over Aaron Tanti (Monster CDR Yamaha) with Dean Ferris’ stellar run of three wins on the trot bumping him up to third spot a further 10-points behind, with Metcalfe four-points adrift for a 15-point spread over the top four. 

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It was Tanti who was fastest in practice/qualifying, and the AMX Superstores Top 10 shootout featuring the same quartet (Gibbs, Tanti, Metcalfe, Waters) that grabbed the top spots at the previous round. However this time Tanti backed up his fastest qualifying time with the top time in the eight-minute dash from the locals Metcalfe and Gibbs, with Waters again in fourth spot.

Obviously, Metcalfe and Gibbs were fired up to perform in front of their local fans and they didn’t disappoint. The first moto flowed on from where we had left off at Wodonga a month ago. 

Thor MX1 Race One

In the opening moto, Metcalfe grabbed the holeshot and the $250 bonus from 100% to lead the first half of the lap from Ferris, Tanti and Gibbs, Metty fired up the crowd as he leapt over a table-top on the opening lap, punching the air as he flew about four storeys above looking down at the crowd. Extremely cool!

Ferris grabbed the lead soon after, to end the first lap up front, but Metcalfe on his ducktail wasn’t having a bar of that and in a slick, long way round move, took the lead to have Ferris right on his tail for the next lap before Tanti relegated the three-times champ down to third. Gibbs did the same to Ferris soon after and that saw the chance of Ferris winning four motos in a row evaporate. 

Metty built up a three-second lead after four laps and as hard as the following trio tried, it was the closest the rest got. The 39-year-old veteran put on a stylish controlled and confident display to thoroughly entertain the crowd, riding as well as he ever has. 

Precision was the key and any slight misjudgement was punished and penalised. Ferris made a mistake allowing Tanti to take advantage of the error and move into second to give chase to Metcalfe, with Gibbs fourth and closing in on Ferris.

Fired up for the win and urged on by the roar of the crowd, Metcalfe was never headed as he extended his lead although those chasing argued the point for a few laps before it came down to a battle for second between Tanti and Gibbs as Ferris faded in the latter stages. .

Metcalfe’s increasing gap didn’t detract from the action. It was so impressive to witness his dominance, the large crowd yelling its encouragement as Tanti, Ferris and Gibbs were all over each other, trying various lines to seek any increment of advantage in order to line up a move.

Metcalfe steadily increased his lead to over 11-seconds. Todd Waters had clawed his way back from a mediocre start to close down the gap to the lads in front and by lap 10 was right in the hunt for second place, the quartet running basically line-astern.  Waters managed to relegate a fading Ferris to fifth with a couple of laps to go.

Tanti finished second ahead of Gibbs in third and fourth placed Waters, that trio just two-seconds apart when the chequered flag was waved. Ferris held on to fifth with the rest of the field about half-a-minute behind.

Metty’s win was one for the ages and a vcitory the crowd really appreciated as the local climbed to the top step of the podium for the first time since the brutal opening round at Wonthaggi in 2021.

Thor MX1 Race One Results

Thor MX1 Race Two Report

With the appetite suitably whetted after leg one, the crowd was anticipating another dynamite race with hopes that Metcalfe could make it a double with Gibbs also right up there to fly the flag for the croweaters. 

They were not disappointed. It was an absolute belter of a contest.

Ferris stormed to the holeshot, but Tanti was through and into the lead before the end of the opening lap. Local stars Metcalfe and Gibbs were split by Waters and it was game on.

Ferris remained in second until just after half-race distance, with Metcalfe trying everything to try and find a way through on the Honda man.

At one stage, Metcalfe tagged the rear wheel of Ferris’ Honda and oh-so-nearly went down before getting the bike back under control. However, that hiccup had allowed Gibbs to pull alongside. Metty managed to gas it up and get out of trouble to hold on to third, but not for long…

Dean Ferris had been within a second of leader Aaron Tanti through these opening laps, but at just over half-race distance Metcalfe relegated Ferris back to third and then set off after the leader, determined to make it a double. 

Metty closed in on Tanti and the pair were basically duct-taped together at the front of the field as Metcalfe was so tantalisingly close to Tanti, but the CDR rider was in superb form and was not to be ruffled. A little further back Gibbs passed Ferris for third. 

The top two were strong in various places of the extremely challenging track that by this time had really rutted up. As the invisible elastic band between the two stretched and shrunk, Metcalfe tried everything to upset his much younger rival, but Tanti would not be denied, taking his first win in the premier class.   Metcalfe second and Gibbs third. 

Ferris faded off the back of the leading trio to finish fourth but way off the pace.  The reason for his late race pace drop in both motos only became evident after the event, when it was revealed to this scribe that Ferris had a massive training accident only a couple of days before race day, and was experiencing intense pain and discomfort.  Motorcycle racers have a decent pain threshold and determination that us mortals can only admire, it made his efforts all the more impressive that he could be competitive for so long while being in that much pain. Respect. 

The crowd were ecstatic and were extremely vocal at the podium with Tanti, Metcalfe and Gibbs. They certainly got their money’s worth out of the two motos. 

Tanti and Metcalfe both finished with 1-2 results with Tanti taking the round win courtesy of the leg two victory, despite both riders scoring equal points. Gibbs third overall for the day.

Tanti moved through to the championship lead and will take the red plate in to the next round. 

With the absence of defending champion Luke Clout, team-mate Tanti has really stepped up. After a couple of minor setbacks at Mackay and Wodonga, and no doubt feeling the pressure from himself to perform for the CDR squad, Tanti came of age in the Open class at Gillman. Tanti takes a 12-point lead over Waters to the next round at Maitland at the end of June.

Metcalfe moves up to third, just two-points behind Waters, while relegating a sore and sorry Ferris to fourth. Kirk Gibbs ranked fifth and that quintet separated by 34 points. At half-season distance it is still anyone’s title to win – and lose. 

When Clout and Kyle Webster (Team HRC Honda Racing) were forced out of the year’s title with injury many thought that it would lose some sparkle. How wrong that theory is as the rest of the field has stepped up the intensity and lifted to another level. Webster was in attendance stating that it is better to be trackside than sitting around at home, of which he has done plenty lately. 

If given the all clear in a check-up this week, Webster aims to be back for the final two rounds in Queensland in August. As for CDR’s Clout, there has been no news of when he may return but when they both do, they will receive a warm welcome! On and off the track.

Thor MX1 Race Two Results

Thor MX1 Points