CDR Yamaha’s Reardon returns to the podium at Nowra MX Nationals
CDR Yamaha’s Daniel Reardon has returned to his pre – retirement winning ways today, taking the top step on the Monster MX1 podium for the first time this year, in a fairytale ending to round eight of the MX Nationals.
With the round kicking off in close to perfect conditions at the Nowra Motoplex today, the venue provided the perfect stage for thrills, spills and excitement in the Monster Energy MX1 Class.
After the morning’s 15 minute qualifying session, and Go Pro Super Pole, KTM Motocross Racing’s Kirk Gibbs took the number one qualifying position with a 1:42.306 lap time, while teammate and Nowra local Luke Styke had his first ever SuperPole experience, finishing his first hit out with third pick of the grid.
In the biggest upset from the qualifying session, Penrite Honda Racing Team’s Ben Townley was ruled out of racing for the remainder of the day after going down during the session and injuring his shoulder, in a disappointing beginning to the former World Champ’s MX Nationals campaign.
In moto one, CDR Yamaha returned to the dominating form the team is renowned for. Former retiree Reardon took the first hole shot of the day, with NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Monea following closely behind him.
Depsite Monea holding second position for the majority of the 30-minute moto, a late charge from Reardon’s teammate Mosig (CDR Yamaha) saw Monea relegated to third, and Reardon under pressure for the lead.
When the chequered flag flew, it was Reardon who had the strength to hold off the force of his team mate, taking the race one win ahead of Mosig, followed by NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Monea who collected third.
In moto two, it was nothing short of a fairy tale ending for NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Long. After holding second position in the earlier stages of the race, Long launched himself into the race lead ahead of Penrite Honda’s Cody Cooper.
Despite the pair sticking together for a period of time, Long was able to extend his lead and allow Cooper to battle with Reardon for second place.
When the chequered flag flew, it was the Kawasaki machine of Long who took his first ever MX1 race win, ahead of CDR Yamaha’s Reardon in second, while KTM’s Styke collected third.
At the conclusion of the round, breakthrough results were handed to not only Long but Reardon alike. With one – two results Reardon took his first round overall since returning from retirement, while Long also found himself on the podium for the first time in second position.
CDR Yamaha’s success at round eight flowed on to third overall for the round, with Mosig completing the final position on the MX1 podium.
Monster Energy MX1 round eight overall winner – Daniel Reardon – CDR Yamaha (1st, 2nd – 67 Points) – “Well, I’m glad to get that monkey off my back, I have really enjoyed my return to racing but some of my results have been frustrating as I knew I was capable of winning but I just wasn’t getting it done. After I won the first race, I was so determined not to let this one go, so when I got to where I needed to be I settled down, put in solid laps and made sure I secured the round win. It’s been a while coming so thank you to everyone that has helped me get this far. CDR Yamaha and all the team have been amazing and I hope this really kicks me on for the final couple of rounds,” Reardon ended.
Kade Mosig backed up his round win at Shepparton just two weeks earlier with another podium performance at round eight in Nowra taking third place. Mosig has been building consistency into his racing the past few rounds and his combination of speed, fitness and now common sense race smarts is showing on the score board as he is closing in on second place in the championship. Mosig finished the day with 2-5 results for his third overall and satisfied with a solid day at Nowra.
“All up things went pretty well. They only thing I could ask for from today was maybe some better starts as they were so important on a track like this but my speed was pretty good and I felt good on the bike. It’s good to be able to string a few rounds together now and standing up on the podium at the end of each round is always the goal so I’m glad to be finally getting that sorted,” Kade said.
Luke Styke – 4th -“I went 6-3 for fourth on the day. I got taken out again at the start of the first moto and I was way back. It was a real hard track to pass on, real one-lined, and we struggled a bit in that first one. In the second we got a better start, and starts were a bit key today. I felt like I was the fastest on the track most of the time, putting in good times, but it’s hard to come from behind when the track is so one-lined. It really wasn’t prepped the best – it was pretty much a case of whoever got the holeshot one.”
Kirk Gibbs – 6th – Just a lack of bike time and silly mistakes cost me today. It was great to get fastest Super Pole lap, but in the first moto I was sitting fourth and after the rain and just struggling a little bit with water behind my tearoffs. I had a little crash, regrouped, then had another crash so two crashes really set me back. In the second I got a good start and was sitting third and felt like I could win, but made another little mistake and went down. I was coming back through again and then stalled it! I’m looking forward to getting some good bike time in over the next couple of weeks and getting back to where I know I can be.”
Monster Energy MX1 round eight overall points
1) Daniel Reardon 67
2) Dylan Long 59
3) Kade Mosig 58
4) Luke Styke 55
5) Adam Monea 55
6) Kirk Gibbs 54
7) Lawson Bopping 51
8) Cody Cooper 45
9) Kale Makeham 44
10) Jesse Dobson 44
Monster Energy MX1 championship points
1) Kirk Gibbs 530
2) Luke Styke 465
3) Kade Mosig 456
4) Adam Monea 449
5) Lawson Bopping 429
6) Daniel Reardon 411
7) Dylan Long 390
8) Jesse Dobson 382
9) Cody Cooper 358
10) Kale Makeham 306
Clout secures round eight win, and keeps championship hopes alive
Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout has kept his MX2 Championship hopes alive, after round eight of the MX Nationals at the Nowra Motoplex today, narrowing his former team mate Jay Wilson’s (JCR Yamaha) lead to a mere three points.
The day kicked off with just a touch of moisture thanks to overnight rain at the Nowra Motoplex, setting the Motul MX2 riders up for a day of action packed racing.
In moto one, Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout proved his chase for a 2015 title is far from over. Despite taking only a top five start, Clout launched himself into the race lead, and by the half waypoint had more than two seconds separating him from his competitors.
With Clout in the lead, the performance that also turned heads was that of Yamaha’s Wilson. After crashing after the first turn, the series point’s leader picked off rider after rider, charging from last all the way to an outstanding third place. Husqvarna’s Nathan Crawford claimed second, while Wilson’s former teammate Clout claimed first, narrowing the championship points margin to a single point after the opening moto.
In moto two, Serco Yamaha’s Clout took the early race lead, however the lead was short lived.
KTM mounted and Nowra local Dylan Wills, took control of moto two after just two or three laps, and launched himself to a commanding race lead.
With local Wills out in front, the battles for podium positions in race two were left to happen behind. And Battle they did.
With an MX2 Championship on the line, Clout and Wilson battled for second position, knowing that the result from moto two would determine not only the result for the round, but the championship lead.
With Wilson having made his way through the pack, the JCR supported rider passed his closest competition (Clout) in the later stages of the moto, eventually crossing the line in second position behind Wills, while Clout claimed third.
When points were tallied at the conclusion of racing, Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout not only claimed the round overall, but also broke the four round winning streak of KTM’s Caleb Ward.
With Clout on top, Wilson secured second for the round and managed to retain the red plate leading into the final two rounds. Wills once again returned to the podium in third position, putting on one hell of a show for family and friends.
Motul MX2 round eight overall winner –Luke Clout – Serco Yamaha (1st, 3rd – 65 Points) – “It was a good day today. I closed the points lead and got the overall, so I was glad to be back on the podium. We also managed to break Caleb Ward’s winning streak which was pretty cool, and it felt great to be back on that top step. My starts today helped a lot, they really important and the bike handled the conditions perfectly. We have a three week break now before the final couple of rounds, so I’m just going to work hard, and come out for those last two rounds swinging.”
Motul MX2 round eight overall points
1) Luke Clout 65
2) Jay Wilson 62
3) Dylan Wills 61
4) Nathan Crawford 54
5) Takeshi Katsuya 51
6) Keiron Hall 51
7) Geran Stapleton 47
8) Jed Beaton 46
9) Joel Wightman 44
10) Jack Simpson 43
Motul MX2 championship standings
1) Jay Wilson 465
2) Luke Clout 462
3) Takeshi Katsuya 435
4) Jed Beaton 395
5) Wade Hunter 362
6) Caleb Ward 353
7) Nathan Crawford 346
8) Dylan Wills 334
9) Luke Arbon 327
10) Geran Stapleton 324
MXD – KTM’s Rykers unbeatable once again at round eight
KTM mounted Jayden Rykers has taken a clean sweep once again in Nowra today, proving not only that he is a serious contender for the Pirelli MXD championship, but also cementing that he is a force to be reckoned with.
With the Pirelli MXD Championships beginning to tighten up, round eight of the series got to a flying start at the Nowra Motoplex today, and with a title on the line, racing was tough, fierce, and action packed.
In moto one, the form of KTM Australia’s Rykers continued to flow into round eight. After taking the first hole shot of the day, Rykers fought off red plate holder Wilson Todd (GYTR Yamaha) to take the moto one race win, ahead of Todd, and Raceline Pirelli Suzuki’s Jesse Madden who took second and third respectively.
A notable absentee from the podium positions in race one, was Craig Anderson Husqvarna’s Connor Tierney. Rumored to have crashed in the lead up to round eight, Tierney fought through back pain, to finish in fifth place in moto one.
In moto two, Todd got to business early. After two laps the GYTR Yamaha machine moved into first place ahead of KTM’s Rykers. However with Rykers carrying serious momentum into round eight, the race two win was not to be taken without a fight.
Rykers, who was determined to record yet another round of flawless results, took the race lead from Todd on lap nine, rocketing him to yet another race win ahead of Todd, followed by Husqvarna’s Zak Small who claimed third.
When points were tallied, it was Rykers who once again scored the top step on the Pirelli MXD podium. While GYTR Yamaha’s Todd collected second for the round and maintained his championship points lead.
Husqvarna’s Small completed the round in third, making his first ever podium appearance for 2015.
Pirelli MXD round eight overall winner – Jayden Rykers – KTM Australia – (1st, 1st – 70 Points) – “I was carrying a lot of confidence into this round. I qualified second, but that last moto on the two stroke was tough. I was just trying to carry some momentum, and it’s one of those tracks that you have to put it up the inside, which I don’t like to do too much. At the end of the day, I want to win and I want to be on top, so you have to do what you have to do. There’s a big group of people behind me, and a lot of people who have put in a lot to get me up here so it’s good to get the job done once again for them.”
Pirelli MXD round eight overall results
1) Jayden Rykers 70
2) Wilson Todd 64
3) Zak Small 54
4) Mitchell Evans 54
5) Jesse Madden 54
6) Connor Tierney 51
7) Jordan Hill 49
8) Bailey Coxon 43
9) Lochie Latimer 39
10) Trent Wheatley 38
Pirelli MXD championship points
1) Wilson Todd 451
2) Jayden Rykers 433
3) Connor Tierney 428
4) Jesse Madden 374
5) Bailey Coxon 354
6) Jordan Hill 303
7) Lachlan Davis 295
8) Zak Small 284
9) Kaleb Barham 280
10) Toby Stevens 277
Rutledge with the speed, but Brown the 2015 ladies champ
The final round of the Yamaha Australian Women’s Motocross Championship was run and won at the Nowra Motoplex today, with new faces on the overall round podium, as well as an Australian title awarded to this year’s female champion.
With the return of Kawasaki Australia’s Meghan Rutledge at Nowra, results were set to be shaken up, and with a championship on the line, every point proved to be critical.
In moto one, Rutledge proved that she is back in the game. After taking the first hole shot of the day, Rutledge schooled her competitors taking a huge race one win ahead of DPH Motorsport’s Maddy Brown who claimed second, while Yamaha mounted Tayla Jones took third.
In moto two, Brown launched off the start and secured the second hole shot of the day, however her lead was short lived – unable to hold off the force of Rutledge, Brown was relegated to second position.
When the chequered flag flew on race two, Rutledge scored her second race win for the day ahead of Brown in second, followed by Jones in third, seeing a complete repeat of race one results.
With two race win’s, Rutledge took a clean sweep, and secured the round win at Nowra ahead of Brown, followed by Jones who completed the round overall in third.
However, with Rutledge out of the chase for the title due to missing the first round of the Women’s Championship, second place for the round proved to be more than enough for DPH’s Brown to take her second consecutive Australian title.
Yamaha’s Jones collected second in the championship, while fellow Yamaha mounted rider Emelie Karlsson claimed third in the 2015 Yamaha Australian Women’s Motocross Championship.
2015 Yamaha Australian Women’s Motocross Champion – Maddy Brown – DPH Peter Stevens Yamaha Racing Team – “It’s an awesome feeling backing it up two years in a row and I really couldn’t be happier. The competition overseas for the women is really good, and I had the best experience over there and I’m very thankful to everyone who got me there, because it has definitely made a difference to my results here in Australia. I’ve struggled a little bit to get back into my grove since being overseas, but I’m just trying to give everything 100 per cent, and hopefully I can just keep moving forward. I have to give a big thanks to Ray Howard and DPH Peter Stevens Yamaha Racing Team for the opportunity this year – you don’t see a lot of girls on race teams these days so it’s awesome to have their support. It’s been an awesome year, and I couldn’t be happier so I’m just very grateful to everyone that’s behind me.”
Yamaha Australian Women’s Motocross Championship round overall
1) Meghan Rutledge – 70
2) Maddy Brown – 64
3) Tayla Jones – 60
4) Emelie Karlsson – 56
5) Courtney Whyte-Dennis – 51
6) Ashleigh McCormick – 51
7) Josie Griffin– 48
8) Tanah Airey – 46
9) Jenna Lupo – 44
10) Jennifer Hogan – 41
Yamaha Australian Women’s Motocross Championship results
1) Maddy Brown – 129
2) Tayla Jones – 122
3) Emelie Karlsson– 109
4) Courtney Whyte-Dennis – 105
5) Jenna Lupo – 76
6) Megan Rutledge – 70
7) Samantha Beecroft – 68
8) Emma Milesevic – 67
9) Ashleigh McCormick– 51
10) Jozee Adamson – 51
