— Monster Energy MX Nationals – Round Three – Wonthaggi
— KTM Report
Another great day for the Motorex KTM team as riders Todd Waters and Kirk Gibbs performed to maximum level in chilly conditions at the third round of the MX Nationals at the Victorian Wonthaggi circuit.
Waters missed out on being the fastest qualifier for the first time in the championship, but came back with his second double-moto win of the series. The KTM ace won the first moto from Cody Cooper and Lawson Bopping, then took the second ahead of Adam Monea and Matt Moss.
Gibbs posted seventh and fifth placings to register his highest overall placing in the championship to date (sixth), breaking into the top 10 in what is his first year in MX1.
Winning the overall extended Waters’ early season championship lead to a handy 44 points over Moss and Monea, with Bopping, Cooper and KTM team mate Gibbs rounding out the top six.
Rob Twyerould, Team Manager – “Another great day of motocross, we thought it would get rougher than it did but it got more square-edgey bumps that really kept us on our toes with settings and tyre choice.
“Todd rode really good today but didn’t get all three today – he was still very competitive in Super Pole but was third fastest as one of only three to break into the 42s. He managed to grab three points there which was handy. In Race 1 Todd got a top five start and got through to the lead pretty quick, and then it was like New Zealand with him and Cooper streaking away. Cooper applied a bit of pressure for eight minutes, Todd made a few mistakes which allowed the gap to close then in the lappers he re-focussed and found some new lines and pulled out a three or four second lead to win by two. Kirk started just outside the top five but got stuck behind McCoy and suffered some arm pump which dropped him back.
“In the second Todd came through from a top five start to the lead pretty quickly, but Monea, who knows the track well kept Todd honest and stayed with him until the last ten minutes when Todd lit the afterburners and powered away to win by six or eight seconds.
“Kirk started around eighth and came right through fifth, passing Mackenzie and Cooper, then Marmont closed, but he was able to pull away. He just needs to work on his intensity in that first two or three sprint laps at the start but that will come. He’s cracked the top ten now and the good thing is there’s a lot of points on offer.”
Todd Waters #47 – “We got two from two today which was great and third in the Super Pole got us some solid points. The track was pretty good for us – it got choppy in the hard pack and more rolly in the sandy sort of soil so it was like riding two different disciplines which always makes things a challenge. I had Coops tag along with me for a while in the first moto and Monea in the second which kept me honest and gives me something to work towards coming out for the next round. The points I know are important but I’m not really worried about them to tell you the truth – that’s Rob’s job, I’m just out to do the best I can do and wherever that lands me it lands me.”
Kirk Gibbs #5 – “I qualified alright today, I really want to get into the Super Pole and I’m getting pretty close. We’ll keep at it. The first race I was working towards a fourth or fifth and I felt good but I got some arm pump, faded back to 9th , then found my feet in the last couple of laps and worked my way back to seventh. The second moto I thought I rode well; I was ninth off the start and I struggled with the intensity early, but once it settled I moved forward pretty well. I got by Mackenzie in a pretty aggressive pass, then Lawson who was riding really well took me and I passed Cooper – not sure what happened to him. Toward the end I had Jay on my back, but I held my own. So that wasn’t too bad, but I’ve got to keep moving forward. I’m lucky there’s not a great deal of pressure on me with Todd doing really well but it’s a really big learning year for me, I knew if I keep at it and stay fit and healthy, I’ll be chasing podiums.”
In the MX2 class, KTM’s Kale Makeham and Brock Winston maintained third and fourth in the championship with third and fifth on the day (respectively) on their KTM250SX machines.
MX1 overall results Rd.3:
1. Todd Waters 73
2. Matt Moss 63
3. Adam Monea 62
4. Lawson Bopping 59 
5. Cody Cooper 55
6. Kirk Gibbs 50
7. Ford Dale 48
8. Daniel McCoy 44
9. Tye Simmonds 42
10. Robbie Marshall 41
MX1 championship standings (after three of 10 rounds):
1. Todd Waters 214
2. Matt Moss 170
3. Lawson Bopping 168
4. Cody Cooper 160
5. Billy Mackenzie 157
6. Tye Simmonds 140
7. Adam Monea 133
8. Ford Dale 133
9. Kirk Gibbs 126
10. Jake Moss 124
MX2 overall results:
1. Luke Styke 67
2. Luke Clout 62
3. Kale Makeham 58
4. Josh Cachia 57
5. Brock Winston 51
6. Matt Ryan 47
7. Rhys Carter 46
8. Kayne Lamont 44
9. Dylan Long 43
10. Geran Stapleton 41
MX2 championship standings (after three of 10 rounds):
1. Luke Styke 202
2. Luke Clout 184
3. Kale Makeham 170
4. Brock Winston 160
5. Josh Cachia 145
6. Matt Ryan 137
7. Kayne Lamont 134
8. Geran Stapleton 131
9. Takeshi Katsuya 120
10. Rhys Carter 111
11. Dylan Long 109
— Calrton Dry Honda Report
Carlton Dry Honda Racing’s Josh Cachia has finished the third round of the MX Nationals at Wonthaggi Motocross track one point shy of a podium result despite storming to a dominating victory in the final 30-minute MX2 moto.
The 21 year old, who is carrying a niggling nerve injury, bounced back from a first lap crash in the opening MX2 race to lead the final moto from start to finish.
Taking the chequered flag over 10 seconds ahead of Luke Styke, Cachia said he was out to prove a point in today’s second race.
“In the first race I didn’t get the best start then I pushed it too hard into the corner and went down with a few others. It was a rookie mistake and unfortunately when I picked my bike up I didn’t have a clutch adjuster so it was hard going, but I got back up to ninth,” Cachia explained.
“I got a good start in the second moto and pretty much led from start to finish which really felt good. To stamp my authority on something like that lets me know that I can still do it, even when I am injured.
“I finished fourth for the day and missed the podium by a point, but I can’t complain after going down in the first race. I got some good points today and as a result I have moved up to fifth in the championship standings,” Cachia continued.
Carlton Dry Honda Racing’s MX1 pilots Ford Dale and Daniel McCoy both had their work cut out for them at today’s event.
Dale qualified second and was fourth in the Superpole but ended the day seventh overall after finishing the two MX1 motos ninth and seventh.
“It was an up and down day today,” Dale said. “I started off really well with second place in qualifying but a couple of crashes in the first moto made it a tough day. 
“in the first race I didn’t get the best start but worked my way to fifth then I crashed twice and ended up finishing ninth. In the second moto I got a bad start and made my way up to seventh.
“It’s back to the drawing board this week, we have a little bit of work to do on the bike. We will do some more testing with suspension and see if we can improve it for Broadford,” Dale continued.
Teammate Daniel McCoy went down in both races but ended the day eighth with two, top-ten race finishes.
“I got an awesome start in Race 1 and was circulating in the top four but going into a turn, I hit neutral and crashed. I got back up and finished eighth,” McCoy said.
“In the second race I crashed on the start as the gate dropped. We always start with a brand new clutch and I usually do a practice start on the sighting lap but there was a machine working in front of the gates so I rolled out.
“I was waiting for the start and the bike started rolling forward, I tried to pull back so I didn’t hit the gate but it took off and I looped out on the start. To come from dead last to 10th is a pretty good recovery,” McCoy added.
The next event will see the Carlton Dry Honda Racing Team head to Victoria’s Broadford Motorcycle Complex in a fortnights time.
— Serco Yamaha
Serco Yamaha continue to ride the wave of momentum flowing over them with another sensational result at round three of the MX Nationals held at the Wonthaggi circuit in Victoria.
The pairing of Luke Styke and Luke Clout in the MX2 division has proven to be a stroke of genius for the Serco Yamaha team as the pair racked up their second consecutive 1-2 round result in the championship.
Luke Styke returned to the winners circle, taking the round win with 1-2 results in the two motos raced. In the six races contested so far in the season, Styke has had four race wins and two second places in a consistent and well thought-out championship so far.
Styke took control of moto one just after the 10 minute mark and then managed to keep his team mate Clout at arm’s length to win the race. Moto two had Styke in second place early but he admitted struggling to find the smooth lines to realise his full race pace and finished the race in second place.
“I wasn’t able to ride at all this week after my crash last week at Murray Bridge so it was good to be able to come away with a win despite not getting a full week of training in,” Styke explains.
“Race one was good and my teammate kept the pressure on the whole race which was great for the team, then race two wasn’t quite as good as I didn’t change my lines on the track from moto one and as a result, could generate the speed I needed to win the race.
“The team again but in a huge effort and the 1-2 result again this weekend has as much to do their hard work during the week as the racing we do on the track,” he ends.
Luke Clout continues to impress with his speed and fitness. Each and every round ran so far has seen Clout edge closer to the lead and his fitness is right there with the best in class. Clout took a second in moto one and a third in moto two, both times shadowing his more experienced team mate.
With round overalls of 4-1-2, Clout consolidates his second place in the championship and has been the revelation of the 2013 season so far.
“I’m pretty happy with how things went today. I might not have won, but I felt that I rode as good as I could and put in two good motos. My speed has been pretty good, my fitness is there and my consistency is improving so it’s all heading in the right direction,” Clout said.
The Serco Yamaha team now sit 1-2 in the MX2 championship and continue to prove the YZ250F is a great race bike. The team will now focus their attention towards round four of the championship to be held at Broadford in Victoria on May 19.
— Suzuki Report
Second overall at Wonthaggi’s third round of the Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, has helped Matt Moss climb to second in the MX1 championship standings aboard the Motul Pirelli Suzuki RM-Z450.
The multiple-time national MX2 champion enjoyed his best round of the season on a chilly day in southern Victoria on Sunday, 5 May, qualifying on Super Pole to commence the round and taking home the five points that went with it.
From there he soldiered on to fourth in moto one and third in the second for the runner-up position overall, moving from fifth in the standings to second after three of 10 rounds. After claiming fifth at the opening two stops, Moss has momentum on his side as the halfway point approaches.
“Today went good from the start, we qualified good in the session and then managed to convert that to Super Pole, which was nice,” Moss reflected. “I’ve been practicing that a lot, trying to get my single laps fast without making mistakes and it played into my favour today. Results like this gets the whole team going and it’s a boost.
“In the first race I just got a terrible start and was around 15th when I crossed the line on the first lap, but I got all the way back to fourth and I was happy with that. In the last race I holeshotted, and just concentrated on riding smoothly for the whole race. All in all, the ball’s rolling and we’re moving forward – I’m happy. I’ve been trying to hold myself back, making sure I can go the distance on the 450, so we’ll keep building from here.”
Motul Pirelli Suzuki teammate Cody Cooper endured another mixed round on board his factory RM-Z450, qualifying eighth before racing to a solid second in the opening moto. Eighth in moto two was a frustrating finish to the round for the two-time New Zealand champion, resulting in fifth for the round. He now sits fourth overall in the championship.
It was another promising performance for Cooper, however he’s motivated to improve his qualifying and moto two performances in the lead-up to round four in a fortnight’s time. The opening moto also saw Cooper pocket the $100 Suzuki Holeshot Award – a new incentive across all categories in the MX Nationals for 2013.
“The day started off slow, but we changed the fork setting and it was awesome for moto one. I was able to start strong and finished second, so that was a positive start to the round,” Cooper said. “I got another good start in the second moto and went backwards. The track changed a lot between motos, but I don’t want to make excuses – I just didn’t ride well in that race. From here we need to improve for Broadford and get some momentum back.”
Team manager Jay Foreman was satisfied with landing two riders inside the top five, a credible result in the hotly contested premier class of Australian Motocross. His focus at this point is to maintain consistency while applying added pressure on the fellow championship title threats.
“Matt was really impressive in qualifying and those points he picked up in Super Pole were what sealed him second overall,” Foreman explained. “He was also consistent in both motos and will gain a lot of confidence from this weekend. Cody was also strong in moto one, but we just need to keep that form going through the day to get him back on the podium. Overall we are happy with this round.”
The MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, will now take a single weekend off before resuming at Broadford’s State Motorcycle Sport Complex in Victoria on Sunday, 19 May.
