ProMX Round Four Maxxis MX3 recap from Gillman

2022 Penrite ProMX Championship
Round Four – Gillman, South Australia

With Mark Bracks – Images RbMotoLens

Maxxis MX3

The Maxxis MX3 class lifted to another level at Gillman with the title tightening due to contrasting fortunes between the top three in the championship.

Pacesetter, Cambell Williams (Team HRC Honda Racing) came into the round with a handy 21-point lead over Ryan Alexanderson (KTM Racing). Anderson had moved into second place at Wodonga after an uncharacteristically lacklustre weekend from Kayden Minear (KTM Junior Team)

The first drama for the championship front runners came before the event; Alexanderson was forced to withdraw after injuring his collarbone in a practice crash. On the weekend it was Williams’ turn to do it tough with 6-10 placings, while Minear had the perfect weekend with two convincing victories. Minear will head to Maitland back in second place in the title, a solitary point in arrears to Williams.

Minear made his intentions clear from the outset, fastest in qualifying from Connor Towill (KTM Newcastle), Williams third.

Maxxis MX3 Moto One

The MX3 kids had the first race of the day, so they had the best track conditions, after the four qualifying sessions though the surface already had ruts that were deepening at every pass.

Towill grabbed the holeshot from Minear, Williams and Minear’s team-mate, Jet Alsop. The ever-consistent Jack Mather (Husky Aust) leading the rest. Towill ended the first lap a few bike lengths in front of Minear, and that pair had already gapped the field. 

By the end of the fifth lap, Towill had nearly four-seconds on Minear, but the track soon let everyone know who was the boss for the day. Towill got crossed up in a rut and the front washed out, ejecting him over the bars in a slow speed crash. That allowed Minear to grab the lead. 

Such was the gap to the rest of the field by this stage, that Towill remounted still in second to again give chase to Minear. However, the gap by now was too big and Minear was already gone. The 15-year-old West Australian, who now resides in Wonthaggi, didn’t look back as he knew this was the opportunity he needed and steadily increased the lead in a fine riding display that belied his young years. 

Behind the front pair, Williams had lost third spot on the fourth lap to Mather.   Alsop then closed them down, taking seconds out of the pair to eventually relegate Williams to fifth at just after half-race distance. 

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Meanwhile Minear was lapping at least two-seconds quicker than everyone else and by the end of the 20min+1 lap, crossed the finish line 23-seconds in from of Towill. Mather scored yet another third spot a further 12-seconds adrift.  Alsop fourth,  Flynn fifth with Cambell sixth, a very uncharacteristic 50-seconds behind the winner.

The quiet achiever in all this was another Sandgroper, Brock Flynn. Flynn was getting back to full fitness after his massive get-off during the first sighting lap at Mackay where he snapped a few ribs and subsequently was still suffering the effects at the last round, but at Gillman that was all just a painful memory.

Flynn didn’t post a time in qualifying so had the worst of the gate picks, right on the very outside of the gates, so had to go the long way around but was up to eighth after the opening lap. He remained in seventh until the last two laps and passed Williams on the last lap to claim an impressive fifth spot.

Maxxis MX3 Moto One Results

Maxxis MX3 Moto Two

The second moto was held straight after the opening MX1 race, as such the track was now extremely gnarly, providing a real challenge for the teenagers who range from 14-18 years old in the development class. 

Minear continued from where he left off in the opening race to grab the holeshot and lead all the way to the flag. Mather slotted into second to keep Minear in check. 

Mather had finished third at least once at every round and he was determined to add a second place to his resumé for the year, but Thynan Kean (Honda) hounded him for six-laps. Mather then made a mistake that let Kean overtake and gap him by five-seconds, he then slowly increased that margin as the laps unfolded. 

Championship leader Williams was having a hell of a time, dropping to 12th after the opening lap and definitely didn’t look comfortable in the conditions. He clawed his way back to seventh after four laps, but that was the closest his challenge was to get. 

Minear’s maturity in riding to the conditions to keep the opposition at bay was impressive as he didn’t overstep the mark. Once he achieved a lead of around five to six-seconds, he maintained the gap and the pace accordingly.

After 11 laps the chequered flag came out with Minear over six-seconds in front of Kean. Mather claimed yet another third place, albeit a further 19-seconds behind Kean.

An entertaining duel for fourth between had been unfolding behind that leading trio and it was Alsop that score that fourth place ahead of fellow protagonists Flynn and Ryley Fitzpatrick.

As for championship leader Williams, he was obviously struggling and carded his worst result of the year in 10^th spot, over a minute behind Minear. His fastest lap over five-seconds off Minear’s benchmark. 

Like Ferris in the premier class, it was revealed after the event that Williams carried an injury into the meeting after he tore a ligament in his right ankle a couple of days before the event.

No doubt at Maitland we will see Williams return to be up the front again but after the confidence inspiring rides from Minear et al, the opposition knows he is only human and will be all out to contain the talented Honda rider.

After four rounds, Minear is now just one point behind Williams in the points-table. Mather’s consistency has seen him move up to third overall, 25-points behind Minear. 

Minear turned 15 a week before the event but if you didn’t know his age you would think he had many years of experience in the top grades. His execution of the task at hand was precision personified and he thrived in the sandy conditions. 

Maxxis MX3 Moto Two Results

Maxxis MX3 Points