2018 Australian MotoStars Series
The 2018 Australian MotoStars Series ended on a high note, with the final round Double Header at Port Macquarie producing some brilliant racing across all of the classes.
Saturday’s regular practice and coaching format was turned on its head to accommodate some extra races and qualifying sessions. The new two-day format, which included 64 events during Saturday and Sunday truly tested the MotoStars crew, however, the program never missed a beat.
Perfect weather put everyone in the mood for some great racing and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Damian Cudlin – MotoStars Founder
“It certainly was a big weekend of racing, but it couldn’t have gone any better. The weather was fantastic, the track was awesome and some of those races were absolute crackers! The 64 event program over two days was ambitious, but the MotoStars staff stepped it up and ran the entire meeting without a hitch. I’ve got to thank our team for that. The presentation night at Black Duck Brewery was great fun too and it made me realize how lucky we’ve been to be surrounded by good people. MotoStars has come a long way two short years, and we’re all excited for the future.”
2018’s Champions
In Saxby’s MotoStars 2 Stroke Class 13 year old Jacob Roulstone took a clean sweep on his Moriwaki 80cc machine to take five wins ahead of young Max Gibbons, who did what he needed to do in order to take his first MotoStars Championship. Josh Hall filled the podium in the class with some solid and consistent rides, climbing up the championship ladder to 3rd overall behind Roulstone and series champion, Gibbons.
In the WRP Bridgestone MotoStars 150 Production Class, championship leader Zylas Bunting was too strong for the competition and proved why he’s now a MotoStars Champion- winning all five races to take the round and championship win.
Impressive rides also came from Jedd Randall this weekend who was fast and consistent on his Yamaha R15 to finish 2nd for the round. Thomas Brown rounded out the podium on his Suzuki GSXR125, doing enough to secure 2nd in the championship- 4 points clear of Randall who was 3rd.
In the Motul Oils MotoStars Junior Class, reigning MotoStars Junior Champion Marianos Nikolis rode with calculating precision to secure a second consecutive MotoStars Championship. It was the improving young road racer Carter Thompson who stole the spotlight in Port Macquarie however, winning the final round in fine style and securing the runner up spot in the championship- all in his first year of road racing. Another solid performance came from Cameron Swain who took the final place on the podium and 3rd overall in the 2018 standings.
In the Jack Miller MotoStars Youth Class, Max Gibbons won the event using the speed and the race craft he’s becoming known for. James Jacobs had a breakthrough weekend in Port Macquarie – leading races for the first time and missing out on his first win by inches, in what was his finest performance on the tarmac so far.
Josh Hall found himself in the mix too at times, but a DNS in race 4 due to a technical issue, cost him overall – losing out to Jack McKarthy, who didn’t let a hard fall in practice slow him down in the races. In the season standings however, it was Gibbons who took the championship- his second of the year, ahead of Jacobs and Hall.
In the AGV MotoStars 300 Production Class a highly anticipated battle between Zylas Bunting and Thomas Brown didn’t disappoint as the pair went bar to bar in all five races, each claiming race wins. Brown was the overall winner on his Kawasaki Ninja 300- taking the win in the last race with a sensational last lap pass on Bunting.
Third for the round went to Jacob Roulstone although there were others who achieved podium places during the weekend including Benny Baker and Taree’s John Blenkin, who made a fantastic racing debut.
Bunting was crowned champion of the series, making it two championships in the one year for the talented kid from Crescent Head.
In the Kayo GP Australia MotoStars Senior Class some of the finest racing you’ll see on these little bikes took place, with Jacob Roulstone and Benny Baker going at it from start to finish. Seperated by inches most of the time, each rider claimed wins however it was Roulstone who won the overall. Championship leader Tom Brown collected solid points in 3rd which was enough to secure his first MotoStars Championship- going one better than he did in 2017.
The Watson Demolition Supermoto class was a tale of two days. On Saturday, competitors were joined by recent BoldOr 24hour winner and Endurance World Champion, Josh Hook. Taking delivery of his husky 450 just the day before, Hook impressed onlookers with his knee out road race style – winning the second race of the day on Saturday. It was former Aussie Supermoto Champion Aaron Watson who came out on top overall though, beating Hook in race one on Saturday, and winning all races on Sunday, making the tricky dirt section look easy.
Championship leader and reigning champ Jarrod Wilson was fighting on despite his injured hand, doing all he could to retain his title. While a fall in race three had everyone nervous, nothing would stop him, and his points haul was enough to win the 2018 MotoStars Championship. Brady Rodwell finished 2nd in standings in his first season of MotoStars competition, ahead of Newcastle’s Brent Rowe.
Nobody could stop Tony Vella in the MiniMotoStars class and the reigning MotoStars Champion remained undefeated in 2018 making it two titles in a row. A fine achievement and a credit to both his riding and tuning capabilities.
Robbie Martins was 2nd overall for the round, ahead of Christopher Law. Law’s consistency paid off in the championship, securing the runner-up spot to Vella. Daniel Berestov rounded out the top 3 in the 2018 standings.
The season was celebrated in style on Sunday evening at the Black Duck Brewery, where riders, parents and friends all came together to recognize series champions and special award winners. A brand new Kayo MR150 was also given away, thanks to Dave Stone, and Shaun Wiechern’s name was drawn from hundreds of competitors who’d pre-booked MotoStars events this year. The Supermoto competitor may now be adding some MotoStars Senior races to his program in 2019!
The 2019 Australian MotoStars Series calendar featuring the new Australian Junior Road Racing Championships, will be announced soon.
MotoStars is proudly supported by Watson Demolition & Earthworks, Jack Miller, Motul, AGV Helmets, Link International, Saxby’s Soft Drinks, Black Duck Brewery, Russell Symes and Company, Greg Inglis plumbing, Shark Motorcycle Leathers & Accessories, West Sliders, Kayo GP Australia, Bikebiz, Fine Line Motorcycles, and Bridgestone.
