Dean Ferris dominates MX Nationals Round 2
In MX2 Mitchell Evans walked away with the win, while MXD saw Cody Dyce take a narrow victory
Thor MX1
The second round of the 2017 Motul MX Nationals took place at Appin in New South Wales, and once again CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris took no prisoners, catapulting to his second Thor MX1 round victory so far this season on the deep and technical circuit.
The Thor MX1 class delivered world class racing from the first gate drop at Appin, with Ferris forced to contend with tough competition and the weather, eventually fighting all the way to the final finish line to leave with another round victory to celebrate.
It was late in the qualifying session that CDR Yamaha’s Ferris set the fastest lap time, a 1:44.696, while despite holding the quickest lap for a good portion of the session, KTM’s Kirk Gibbs was pushed down to second with a 1:44.984.
Mega Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Nathan Crawford had his first taste of running with the top guys this morning qualifying in third, while Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki’s Kyle Peters, and SD3 Husqvarna’s Brett Metcalfe finished fourth and fifth, and were the final two riders to progress to GoPro Superpole alongside the top three.
But it was Ferris who made it two GoPro Superpole victories in a row at Appin, throwing down a lighting fast 1:42.478 lap time, handing him additional championship points and first gate pick for the round – setting himself up for another close to perfect day at the races.
Thor MX1 Moto 1
When bikes lined up for moto one, all eyes were on Ferris’ number 1 machine, but when gates dropped it was Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki’s Peters who collected the Raceline holeshot, but Ferris was once again right on his rear wheel.
After only two laps, KTM’s Gibbs joined the battle at the front, with Peters, Ferris and Gibbs only separated by the smallest of margins, ensuring that the crowd was left well and truly on the edge of their seats. Behind the top three was SD3 Husqvarna’s Metcalfe, and DPH Motorsport’s Mosig, while MX1 rookie Crawford was back in sixth position.
But it was Gibbs who was a man on a mission in moto one, and after only a few turns had made the pass on Ferris for second where he began to eye off Peters. And by lap five, Gibbs had asserted his authority, flying past Peters and slotting up into the lead position for the first time this season.
Surprisingly, it was round one winner Ferris who continued to come under fire from other riders, and before long SD3 Husqvarna’s Metcalfe had also made the pass on 2016 champ to slot into third. Thankfully it wasn’t long before a mistake from Metcalfe and Peters allowed Ferris to move back into second position.
By just over the halfway point in race one, Gibbs had a healthy five second lead on Ferris in second. Peters continued to maintain third ahead of Metcalfe who had made his way past Mosig in fifth. Crankt Protein Honda Racing’s Todd Waters appeared to be having a tough ride in sixth position, followed by Crawford, KTM’s Luke Styke, Luke Clout (Honda) and Keiron Hall, who all occupied positions inside the top ten.
As moto one reached it’s closing stages, Metcalfe showed off his experience on his Husqvarna machine launching up to third place, while Peters and Mosig both slipped down to sixth and seventh places.
But it was Gibbs who simply ran away with it in race one, putting in consistent, clean laps to take his first race win for the year. Despite posing a threat to the lead earlier in the moto, Ferris crossed the line in second, followed by MX1 veteran Metcalfe in third.
Kawasaki’s Crawford collected his best finish so far this season, a fourth, while Mosig recovered from a handful of mistakes to finish in fifth. Waters, Peters, Styke, Clout and Russian Aleksandr Tonkov all completed the MX1 top ten in race one.
Thor MX1 Moto 2
Riders were met with drastically different weather conditions when the second moto got underway during the afternoon – a huge black cloud covering the circuit and threating the class with rain. When gates dropped it was Ferris who fired off the start and collected the second Raceline holeshot of the day followed by Waters and Styke. Surprisingly Gibbs and Peters who were impressive in race one were back outside the top ten setting up the final moto as a dash to the finish line.
With the rain well and truly beginning to fall after only one lap, riders were forced to adapt to the conditions, but Ferris got better as the weather got worse, and by lap two had stretched out his lead four seconds.
With Ferris and Waters checked out, Metcalfe once again slotted in to third position ahead of KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Styke and Mosig. Mega Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Tonkov looked comfortable as the rain set in in sixth, while teammate Crawford held down seventh.
With the track deteriorating by the minute, the lap times dropped by more than two seconds, and by the seven lap mark Ferris was the only rider on track clocking times under two minutes – an impressive six seconds a lap faster than any of his competitors.
By the halfway point in the final moto, Gibbs had made his way from outside the top ten into seventh, while Peters who had been close to dead last after lap one had found his way back to tenth.
As race two began to wrap up, Ferris looked at one with his CDR Yamaha machine, adapting like a true professional to the drastically changing surface conditions. Behind him, Waters continued to maintain second position, followed by Gibbs who had incredibly clawed his way up to third.
But in the pouring rain this afternoon it was Ferris who once again proved why he’s the reigning MX1 champ, celebrating and taking the final moto win by a remarkable 35 seconds. Waters finished the final MX1 moto in second position, while KTM’s Styke was handed third thanks to a late mistake from teammate Gibbs.
DPH Motorsport’s Mosig wrapped up moto two in fourth, followed by SD3 Husqvarna’s Metcalfe and Gibbs who finished in fifth and sixth places respectively. Tonkov, Crawford, Clout and Peters wrapped up the top ten in moto two.
With 2,1 results CDR Yamaha’s Ferris finished on the MX1 podium top step this afternoon, extending his points lead and maintaining the red plate. Second overall was collected by KTM’s Gibbs while Crankt Protein Honda Racing’s Waters completed the MX1 Round 2 podium.
Dean Ferris
“Another round win and a good day for myself and the team. We had two vastly different track conditions today, and they were much different from the opening round so it’s good to be able to perform on all surfaces and in all conditions. The first moto was tough – I didn’t really find my rhythm and Kirk (Gibbs) was riding really well, so I got a bit lucky with a few riders making mistakes but we got solid points in that moto. In the second moto I got the holeshot and that was important with it starting to rain but I just got through the race and didn’t do anything crazy. I actually felt more comfortable in the second race in all the slippery stuff. It was a really solid day, and we got the GoPro Superpole win again which was nice. We have a good flow going with the team, so we’re really happy. We are off to a great start in the series but it’s just two of 10 rounds and we all have a long way to go. Thank you to the CDR Yamaha team for their continued support and belief and we can now prepare for the next round at Conondale which is one of my favourite tracks.”
Kirk Gibbs
“I didn’t feel like I rode very well at the first round, so to come here and ride well was great. I’m happy with my speed, but that second race was just tough. Anything that could go wrong did. I did a lot of damage control, and then gave it away at the end. I know it’s only round two but to give someone of Dean’s calibre that sort of a points lead this early makes it tough. I have a lot of confidence in myself and I knew what to work on after last round so to get a race win is awesome. I’ll never give up in a race and obviously that shows, but it is frustrating when you’ve earned a good position and then you lose it in the last two laps.”
Brett Metcalfe
“I struggled a little bit in practice with some settings, but we made huge headway with chassis/suspension relation before that first moto and we got out there and were running good track speed. I worked my way up into third and unfortunately crashed and dropped a few spots, but I was able to charge back through by the end and pick up a podium. In the second we ran the same setup and didn’t have as good a start but actually salvaged it pretty good, worked through a few spots and got up to third. I had an issue with water getting into the lens of the goggles, and after I finally threw them about half way, I instantly crashed. It was just a mistake on my behalf. I lost a lot of spots, and after that I was just trying to dodge roost and not take an eye out. It was disappointing – I felt like there was another third there that I let slip away, but anyhow…
Thor MX1 Round 2 Results
- Dean Ferris – 67 points
- Kirk Gibbs – 60 points
- Todd Waters – 57 points
- Brett Metcalfe – 56 points
- Kade Mosig – 54 points
- Luke Styke – 53 points
- Nathan Crawford – 51 points
- Aleksandr Tonkov – 45 points
- Kyle Peters – 45 points
- Luke Clout – 44 points
Thor MX1 Championship Standings
- Dean Ferris – 143 points
- Kirk Gibbs – 120 points
- Kade Mosig – 118 points
- Todd Waters – 108 points
- Luke Styke – 107 points
- Nathan Crawford – 97 points
- Luke Clout – 95 points
- Kyle Peters – 93 points
- Aleksandr Tonkov – 85 points
- Brett Metcalfe – 83 points
Motul MX2
Serco Yamaha’s Mitchell Evans impressed in both Motul MX2 motos to collect a maiden overall win at Round 2 of the Motul MX Nationals. With plenty of championship points up for grabs at Appin, Evans capitalised on the opportunity, on what was one of the most technically challenging Appin circuits the series has seen in years.
It was round one winner DPH Motorsport’s Wilson Todd who set up his day perfectly, setting the fastest time in qualifying (1:44.590) while behind him Serco Yamaha team mates Evans (1:44.646) and Jackson Richardson (1:45.567) completed the top three times qualifying times. But when racing got underway it was a calm and calculated Evans who showed impressive and mature form.
Motul MX2 Moto 1
The Motul MX2 class were the first category to take to the track at Appin, and in a stark contrast to previous years, the track was rutted all the way from one side to the other after only the morning’s qualifying sessions.
When gates dropped, Serco Yamaha duo Evans and Richardson shot out into the top two positions, followed by KTM two-stroke rider Egan Mastin (Davey Motorsports) and red plate holder Todd. By only the second lap, Richardson made up significant ground on his teammate, and managed to secure a pass for the lead as riders headed in to lap three.
But Richardson’s lead was somewhat short lived – KTM mounted Mastin who was the fastest man on track by lap three, accelerated from third and passed both Evans and Richardson to snatch up the top spot. However, Evans retaliated and within half a lap blew past Mastin to reclaim the lead position.
Richardson then continued to fall victim to his competitors, with DPH Motorsport’s Todd making his way up to third relegating his fellow Yamaha rider Richardson to fourth.
By the halfway point in moto one, the running order saw Evans continuing to maintain the race lead from Mastin, Todd, and Richardson, while behind the top four, privateer Richie Evans occupied fifth position ahead of Kiwi Hamish Harwood and CRF Honda Racing’s Kyle Webster.
After 20 minutes on track, Evans had well and truly settled in to the top spot and looked super comfortable controlling the race – and with six laps remaining, was the fastest rider on the circuit.
When the chequered flag flew on the first 30-minute moto it was Serco Yamaha’s Evans who collected a maiden Motul MX2 race victory, ahead of Mastin and DPH Motorsport’s Todd who crossed the line in second and third respectively. Richardson held on to finish in fourth ahead of New Zealander Harwood in fifth. Webster, Richie Evans, Ricky Latimer, Synep Racing’s Dylan Wills and Joel Evans all completed the top ten in moto one.
Motul MX2 Moto 2
With the MX2 championship tightening up after the opening moto at Appin, when race two kicked off it was an all out battle for points. When the gate dropped for the second time it was DPH Motorsport’s Todd who took the Raceline holeshot, but Serco Yamaha’s Richardson was not letting the Yamaha rider out of his sights.
After only a single lap, Northern Queenslander Richardson made the pass on Todd for the lead, where he stretched out the gap to a healthy couple of seconds after only a few turns. Race one winner Evans also joined in on the battle for the top spot, tagging on to the rear end of Todd, providing spectators with a three-way battle for the lead.
Behind the top three, Mastin spearheaded his own fight for positions, with Aaron Tanti, and Wills all within striking distance of the fourth placed rider. But it was heading in to lap three that the brutality of the Appin circuit became realised – Richardson getting caught in a rut and slipping from first to third within seconds, allowing Todd to inherit the lead position.
With only 20 minutes on the clock in the second moto, by the half way point, riders had settled in to their race positions. Todd continuing to lead the way from Evans, and Richardson, while Mastin managed to hold off Tanti, Wills and Harwood in fifth, sixth and seventh places.
By the time MX2 competitors received the last lap board, the leaders were well and truly into lapped traffic, and to the surprise of the crowd it was Serco Yamaha’s Evans who led the way in to the final lap after inheriting the top spot thanks to a mistake from Todd.
Despite a challenge from Todd to reclaim the race lead in the final few turns, it was Evans who crossed the finish line with a perfect score card. Todd was forced to settle for second place in race two, followed by Richardson who finished in third. Mastin wrapped up race two in fourth followed by Tanti, Wills, Harwood, Rykers, Latimer and Evans who completed the top ten.
With 1,1 moto finishes however it was Evans who had reason to celebrate at the conclusion of today, taking his first ever Motul MX2 round win at Appin. Second overall was taken by Todd while Mastin rounded out the MX2 podium.
Mitchell Evans
“It was pretty much a perfect day for me here at Appin, I couldn’t really be happier with how I rode and how my starts were today. The track was really technical today, you had to look ahead to pick your lines and there wasn’t many out there because the track was so rough. You had to go slower to go faster – almost like a trail ride. It was physically demanding but I really couldn’t be happier with the result we got. I made some pretty big changes to my approach to racing at the end of last year and to see it all starting to pay off is unreal and I can’t thank everyone around me who keeps encouraging me and working with me so I can achieve these results. The first race was just perfect. When I dropped back to third, I was able to see where those guys were a little better than me, learn from it and then get back to the front. It felt unreal to go over the finish line and win that race. Race two I was a bit lucky with Wilson going down right at the end but that still wouldn’t have changed the result for the round and I was also able to put myself in position to capitalise on his mistake. Thank you to the Serco Yamaha team and my mechanic Adam for his hard work. I also want to thank my family who have supported me and have put in so many hours back at home. This makes it all worth it.”
Dylan Wills
“Ninth in the first race was definitely not what I was looking for; I felt I was a top-four guy in that race, it’s just that two mistakes cost me on a very gnarly track. In the second I just toned it down a little, rode my own race, didn’t worry about anyone, and rolled into sixth. There were a lot of positives to take. Right now, I’m just trying to get my racing right. There’s no issue when I practice, I’ve just got to bring that over to the races. I’m riding with some fast guys and I’m on the pace, so, I’ve just got to keep working and keep my chin up, and I’ll be there.”
Motul MX2 Round 2 Results
- Mitchell Evans – 70 points
- Wilson Todd – 62 points
- Egan Mastin – 60 points
- Jackson Richardson – 58 points
- Hamish Harwood – 50 points
- Dylan Wills – 47 points
- Ricky Latimer – 45 points
- Richie Evans – 45 points
- Kyle Webster – 45 points
- Aaron Tanti – 44 points
Motul MX2 Championship Standings
- Wilson Todd – 129 points
- Mitchell Evans – 126 points
- Egan Mastin – 117 points
- Jackson Richardson – 114 points
- Hamish Harwood – 102 points
- Kyle Webster – 98 points
- Jayden Rykers – 97 points
- Dylan Wills – 92 points
- Richie Evans – 91 points
- Aaron Tanti – 88 points
Pirelli MXD
The Appin Motocross Track roared to life at the second round the MX Nationals, with the Pirelli MXD class treating spectators to bar to bar racing where Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Cody Dyce edged out his competition to take the Round 2 Motul MX Nationals victory.
With racing commencing in perfect conditions, and finishing in the afternoon with heavy rain, the Pirelli MXD class were forced to adapt on track, but it was Dyce’s consistency when it counted that paid dividends at the conclusion of the round.
During the morning Husqvarna’s Justin Hart surprised the competition with an impressive 1:48.894 lap time during qualifying – the fastest of the session and more than a second quicker than his competitors.
KTM’s Callum Norton and SD3 Husqvarna’s Kaleb Barham were second and third quickest on track, while round one winner Cooper Pozniak (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) qualified in fifth. But despite absent from the top times in qualifying, it was Dyce who fought hard to finish on the podium.
Pirelli MXD Moto 1
When race one got underway this morning it wasn’t without carnage. Morgan Fogarty collected the Raceline holeshot but went down just a second later, handing the lead to fastest qualifier Hart. The drama on track didn’t stop there, and only a few turns later red plate holder Pozniak went down hard, and was forced to re-join the race at the rear of the pack.
Unfortunately for Hart, he also lost the front of his number 27 machine in a rut and lost two positions on lap two, allowing Riley Dukes to inherit the lead while Norton slotted up in to second place.
Behind the top two riders, Hart maintained third position ahead of Jy Roberts and Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Dyce, while SD3 Husqvarna’s Barham looked strong at the mid way point in the moto in sixth position.
Despite Dyce making his way up to fifth after a tough start, by lap nine the Yamaha rider had made a costly mistake seeing him slip back to seventh. Incredibly it was teammate Pozniak who put in one of the best rides so far this season, and by lap ten had fought his way back from 26th to inside the top five.
By the time riders received the last lap board Dukes looked ready to wrap up his first race win. Norton continued to look strong in third, followed by Hart, Roberts, and red plate holder Pozniak.
And it was in those positions that the Pirelli MXD riders finished – Husqvarna’s Dukes collecting the moto victory from Norton (KTM), followed by Hart who crossed the line in third. Roberts and Pozniak concluded the Pirelli MXD class’s first moto in fourth and fifth positions, while Barham, Dyce, Brodie Ellis, Isaac Ferguson and Jye Dickson rounded out the top ten.
Pirelli MXD Moto 2
Race two took place late in the afternoon and despite the rain subsiding, the water had done the damage and the Pirelli MXD class was forced to contend with one of the most difficult circuits the MX Nationals had seen in years.
When gates dropped for the second time it was Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Dyce who secured the Raceline holeshot and moved in to the lead – doing his best to stay out of the carnage with riders going down left right and centre.
With Dyce through the mess the Yamaha rider checked out, and Isaac Ferguson (KTM) then slotted in to second position ahead of Pozniak in third. But just as Dyce had made up ground he lost it again, going down on lap two allowing Ferguson to close in on the MXD race leader.
The same fortune was also handed to Pozniak on the same lap, and despite holding third for the first two rotations, the Yamaha rider slipped back to fifth and was forced to make up time in order to protect his championship lead.
With the circuit testing even the most experienced riders in the premier class, the MXD competitors had their work cut out for them, and by the halfway point in the final moto Dyce continued to showcase plenty of maturity, leading from Roberts who had made the pass on Ferguson for second.
With only a handful of laps remaining, the running order saw Dyce out in front of Ferguson who had passed Roberts back once again. Fourth place was held by race one runner up Norton, while Raceline Pirelli KTM’s Fogarty occupied fifth.
But it was Dyce who led race two from the gate drop all the way to the chequered flag. Second place was collected by Ferguson who held off Roberts in third. Fogarty and Pozniak wrapped up race two in fourth and fifth places respectively, while Norton, Bulk Nutrients Yamaha’s Hugh McKay, Benjamin Broad, Alex Watt and Jai Constantinou completed the top ten.
When the points were tallied from both motos Dyce’s 7,1 race results were enough to hand him the round two victory – his first of 2017. Second on the Pirelli MXD podium was taken by Jy Roberts, while Norton finished in third at Appin this afternoon.
Cody Dyce
“With a win in the last race, I was thinking I was probably going to be third for the day but happy to ride well in race two but when they told me I won, I couldn’t believe it. I’m stoked about that! Race one wasn’t good. I corked my leg in the crash, ride like a madman for two laps and then an idiot for another 10 laps so I was pretty determined to finish on a good note in race two. When I saw the rain came in, it didn’t both me as I don’t mind racing in those conditions so I just got out there and went for it. It’s awesome to win a round so early in the season and a huge thanks goes to Cory and Mike who busted their but all day keeping our bikes in great shape,”
Callum Norton
“Not too bad today. A couple of little fall-overs in the last moto that cost me a bit but I still got third overall so it was a pretty solid day. I came off really big at the last round and bruised some ribs so I haven’t been able to ride for the last week and a half, so I wasn’t sure how I would be here. I had a really good battle with Riley Dukes in the first one, got second. In the second I got an okay start but it was fairly wet and muddy so I got held up there in the first couple of turns. I had a little fall running fourth ion the first moto and went back to eighth or ninth and got back to fourth again. I think it was two turns to go I dropped it in a rut and ended up sixth. One point off the top step of podium. So I was spewing about that, but it happens I guess.”
Kaleb Barham
“It wasn’t a good round for me here; I got off to bad starts in both races which got me fighting from the back. I had a solid first moto, and me and Cooper ended up coming through together like a freight train through the pack on the way to fifth and sixth. The pace was good. Then in the second it started raining and two or three little crashes earned me 11th. Still, the points are important for the championship. We’re back up to Conondale in Queensland next, so we’ll look forward to that.”
Cooper Pozniak
“I’m just frustrated at myself. Every race I was in the top three and I threw it away trying to make things happen when I just needed to be patent, consolidate my position and let the race come to me. If I’m ever in the same position again, I won’t let that happen as today was a steep learning curve for me and one that I will never forget. The team had my back all day and thanks to them for the huge amount of work they had to do to keep us going. If Conondale was tomorrow, I am ready to go and I want to redeem myself as fast as possible.”
Pirelli MXD Round 2 Results
- Cody Dyce – 59 points
- Jy Roberts – 58 points
- Callum Norton – 57 points
- Isaac Ferguson – 54 points
- Cooper Pozniak – 52 points
- Morgan Fogarty – 45 points
- Kaleb Barham – 45 points
- Benjamin Broad – 43 points
- Brodie Ellis – 39 points
- Hugh McKay – 36 points
Pirelli MXD Championship Standings
- Cooper Pozniak – 122 points
- Jy Roberts – 120 points
- Cody Dyce – 119 points
- Kaleb Barham – 100 points
- Morgan Fogarty – 97 points
- Benjamin Broad – 96 points
- Isaac Ferguson – 94 points
- Hugh McKay – 79 points
- Riley Dukes – 78 points
- Justin Hart – 40 points
Yamaha 250cc Junior Cup
The youngsters of the sport had the chance to show the professional factory teams what they may be working with in the years to come yesterday, going head to head across two motos with KTM’s Mason Semmens eventually taking the Yamaha 250cc Junior Cup class honours.
After qualifying in first position with a 1:51.152 lap time, Semmens was the man to beat in the feature class on Sunday, and when racing got underway the KTM rider proved to his competition that he was at Appin for business.
In race one, Semmens took the Raceline holeshot and led for the entire 15 minutes, crossing the finish line a comfortable 20.561 seconds ahead of KTM’s Regan Duffy and Bailey Malkiewicz (Husqvarna) who finished in second and third places respectively.
Honda rider Rhys Budd concluded the opening junior moto in fourth followed by Korey McMahon in fifth. Jack Kukas, Connor McNamara, Mason Rowe, Mat Fabry and Cody Cheers completed the top ten in the class for the first moto.
In race two it was a familiar sight at Appin with Semmens once again putting his number 18 KTM machine up the front – leading from the gate drop to the chequered flag for the second time at Round 2. Second position in race two went to Budd aboard the Honda, followed by Malkiewicz, Kukas and Hayden Matterson who all finished inside the top five.
Duffy, Fabry, McNamara, John Bova and Hyam completed the top ten positions in the race two for the Yamaha 250cc Junior Cup class.
With a flawless score card after two motos yesterday, Semmens was rewarded with the top step of the podium at Appin, while Budd’s 4-2 results handed him second overall, followed by Husqvarna mounted Malkiewicz who took the third step on the Yamaha Junior 250cc Cup podium.
Mason Semmens
“It’s awesome, it’s definitely good to get a win. I won qualifying so that gave me a lot of confidence going into the first race. I got off to the holeshot, put down some good laps and led every lap. Then in the second I got the holeshot again, crashed I don’t know how many times, about four or something ridiculous, but tried to put my head down, get a good lap in and ended up better than the previous race so it was a great day for me and the team. I couldn’t be happier.”
Yamaha 250cc Junior Cup Round Results
- Mason Semmens – 70 points
- Rhys Budd – 60 points
- Bailey Malkiewicz – 60 points
- Regan Duffy – 57 points
- Jack Kukas – 53 points
- Connor McNamara – 47 points
- Mat Fabry – 46 points
- Hayden Matterson – 44 points
- Dante Hyam – 41 points
- Mason Rowe – 41 points
The third round of the 2017 Motul MX Nationals will be held at Conondale in Queensland on Sunday May 7, 2017.
