— 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship – Round Four – Broadford, VIC
Monster Energy MX Nationals MX1 Overall Results:
1. Matt Moss 73
2. Billy Mackenzie 67
3. Kirk Gibbs 57
4. Jake Moss 56
5. Todd Waters 55
6. Adam Monea 52
7. Tye Simmonds 49
8. Lawson Bopping 49
9. Daniel McCoy 42
10. Cody Cooper 41
Monster Energy MX Nationals MX1 Championship Standings (after Rd 4 of 10 rounds)
1. Todd Waters 269
2. Matt Moss 242
3. Billy Mackenzie 226
4. Lawson Bopping 217
5. Cody Cooper 202
6. Tye Simmonds 189
7. Adam Monea 185
8. Kirk Gibbs 183
9. Jake Moss 177
10. Daniel McCoy 164
Monster Energy MX Nationals MX2 Overall Result – Round 4 – Broadford, VIC
1. Luke Styke 67
2. Josh Cachia 67
3. Luke Clout 55
4. Brock Winston 54
5. Ryan Marmont 54
6. Kayne Lamont 49
7. Rhys Carter 48
8. Dylan Peterson 45
9. Kieran Scheele 44
10. Takeshi Katsuya 43
Monster Energy MX Nationals MX2 Championship Standings (after Rd 4 of 10):
1. Luke Styke 269
2. Luke Clout 239
3. Brock Winston 214
4. Josh Cachia 212
5. Kale Makeham 199
6. Kayne Lamont 183
7. Geran Stapleton 170
8. Takeshi Katsuya 164
9. Matt Ryan 160
10. Rhys Carter 159
— Suzuki Report
Team Motul Pirelli Suzuki rider Matt Moss claimed a stunning first overall MX1 class victory of the 2013 MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, on Sunday 19 May at Broadford State Motorcycle Sport Complex in Victoria.
The multiple-time MX2 champion inched closer to the championship lead after four of 10 rounds to be contested this season, claiming his second Super Pole in succession before winning the opening moto in a hard-fought performance.
Moto two saw Moss slice his way to second in an inspired ride aboard the RM-Z450, clinching the round victory with 73 points. This now boosts Moss to within 27 points of the championship lead and he’s excited to keep the ball rolling at this point.
“My day started off good and we were able to comfortably qualify first in Super Pole,” Moss reflected. “That really boosted my confidence, the bike was working great and I felt good on the track. I didn’t get a good start in moto one, I crashed myself, but was able to chase down the leader and win.
“We made some changes in between motos that I was confident would work and I’ve never felt so good. It was one of those motos that was effortless. Unfortunately Billy [Mackenzie] was too far ahead to chase down by the time I got into second, but all in all it was good and I really need to thank my team at Motul Pirelli Suzuki.”
Kiwi teammate Cody Cooper had a mixed round on the second of the Motul Pirelli Suzuki RM-Z450s, finishing 14th in moto one before recovering to ninth in the second. It wasn’t a true indication of Cooper’s speed however, qualifying third in the morning’s Super Pole proceedings. He finished 10th overall for the weekend and sits fifth in the standings.
“My starts were pretty good, but yeah it was one-lined out there and I didn’t really ride how I should,” Cooper said. “I almost holeshot the last race, but I was getting really bad arm pump so I couldn’t hold on – it was difficult to get in a flow. Today was difficult in both motos, it’s been hard, but I can’t complain and we’ll try to improve for the next round.”
Motul Pirelli Suzuki team manager Jay Foreman was thrilled with Moss’ result to mark the team’s first victory in the year and now looking to continue progress with both riders as the championship approaches the halfway stage.
“I’m really happy for Matt and also the team to win this round and continue our positive steps forward,” Foreman said. “It was really difficult conditions out there today, extremely rough, but Matt made the most of it and really stood up to the challenge. 
“Cody had a tough day and that’s been the case over the past few rounds, however we plan to keep working and making progress so I’m confident he will bounce back in the upcoming rounds. It’s a long series and especially with Matt we are improving with every round.”
— Carlton Dry Honda Report
It was a day of highs and lows for the Carlton Dry Honda Racing team at the fourth round of the MX Nationals at Broadford Motorcycle Complex today.
The team celebrated a return to the podium wit hJosh Cachia, who took second overall in the MX2 class, but were left rueing, when Ford Dale tweaked his knee in Superpole and was forced to retire from the event.
The #41 rider will undergo scans tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury. Dale’s teammate Daniel McCoy finished the weekend ninth overall with two solid, top ten race finishes.
Today’s result shot Cachia back into championship contention, the Carlton Dry Honda rider tied for points with round winner Luke Styke, after winning the opening race and finishing second in Moto 2.
Cachia is now fourth in the championship standings on 212 points, just two points behind third placed Brock Winston.
“I had a really good first race with a clean win,” Cachia said. “Luke (Styke) and I were going for it throughout the first half of the race, he made a mistake and I got around him, I was then able to pull away.
“The second race I didn’t quite get the jump I wanted to, I had quite a lot of wheel spin off the start. I took my time and picked my places to pass. It wasn’t a first but I was quite happy with how I rode and how I got through traffic.
“I am happy with second overall, I have moved up again in the championship standings so overall it was a good day,” Cachia continued.
As the lone representative for the Carlton Dry Honda Racing team in the MX1 class, Mc Coy continued to edge his way up towards the front-runners.
The New South Welshman finished today’s moto’s ninth and tenth and sits tenth in the championship standings.
“I got a reasonable start in the first race and I was sitting up around sixth during the first half of the race,” McCoy explained. “I fell back to ninth but I was really happy with the motor and suspension package this weekend.
“In the second moto I spun off the start and then once I got into tenth that was where I stayed. The track conditions were really rough and pretty much one lined.
“When the track is like this you need to get good starts and my starts just weren’t good enough today,” McCoy added.
The next round of the 2013 MX Nationals will be held at Conondale on Sunday June 2.
— KTM Report
MX Nationals championship leader and Motorex KTM team racer Todd Waters completed an amazing recovery ride after serious head injury to salvage fifth from today’s fourth round of the series at Broadford.
And while the team’s lead rider was being heroic, the ‘rookie’ MX1 rider in the team buried that tag for good with a maiden fourth place finish and a stunning overall podium.
Waters sustained the injury in a heavy crash at a Sunny Series round in Queensland a week earlier, and as late as Saturday had only received ‘provisional’ clearance to race, dependent upon satisfactory testing and continuous monitoring from the Racesafe motorsport safety service.
With the safety of its rider foremost in mind, the Motorex KTM team stringently adhered to its medical advice, and with determination and his superb fitness on his side, Waters cleared each hurdle in time to complete the race program and reduce the damage to his championship lead.
Rob Twyerould – “The whole week was pretty eventful with Todd getting a “provisional” clearance, meaning they’d reassess him after practice and qualifying. His reflex action was quite slow but then he doubled it Saturday, and the decision came to let him ride, and he’s done very well. Due to a mix up we didn’t time our run properly in SuperPole and he dropped out of contention on the final minutes.
“Kirk timed his run perfectly and did very well indeed. Over the last couple of weeks and since the last race at Murray Bridge his confidence has grown and grown and he really believes in himself now. In the first moto they both managed top-five starts, and Todd worked through to the lead half way through, but then Moss charged and passed him with about five minutes to go. Kirk started fourth but then dropped back to sixth, then put his head down and, managing his arm pump quite cleverly he charged up to fourth.
“Both riders got very average starts in the second with Kirk in 10th and Todd way back in 18th. Todd said it was the toughest race he’d ever done. The Racesafe guys warned him his brain was going to be tired after concentrating so hard, and it really hit him but he did a really fantastic job. Gibbsy had a bit of a flat patch in the middle but then with five to go he hooked onto Simmonds and they caught right up to third and fourth on the line. For him to be so strong at the end of the moto is very impressive. I really want to thank the Racesafe guys again because they’ve gone above and beyond in their monitoring of him through the day. They’ve just been unreal.
Kirk Gibbs – “You train so hard and put the time and effort in, so days like today are really good and I’m stoked with it. I just want to keep moving forward with it now. We started off great with second in SuperPole, then in that first race I got a little arm pump and got fourth. The gate dropped real quick in the second and I blew the start, but I had a good battle with Tye and we had a nice pace going, we were actually catching the front boys on the last few laps.
I’ve got a Sunny State race this weekend at Coolum then we’re off to Connondale. I did well there last year; it’s pretty different to most tracks – sort of like a big grassy paddock up on a hill with a few jumps in it. Pretty open which is good, a bit more like the tracks in New Zealand.”
Todd Waters – Right now I have this real tired, slack feeling, like if you lay down and close your eyes you’ll sleep for a couple of hours. 
“I had a big crash last weekend and was out for 40 seconds and had a brain bleed. A couple of doctors said to sit out for two months but Race Safe said they’d look into some specific testing. On Friday I failed on reflexes, then then they tested me on Saturday and I showed 60% which since I’m a smooth rider and not an out-of-control rider, was a pass.
“Simon said at some stage I’ll fall in a heap and it will either be after practice or during the day, or maybe on Monday. Unfortunately for me it was after the first race. That second moto was the toughest race I’ve ever done in my life but I just had to finish.
“It’s tough, I’m a racer and coming from winning all the time to eighth place hurts but I’m not 100 per cent and I got around best I could to minimise the damage and I owe that to the team and everyone that’s there backing me. You need good support to cope with situations like that and that’s what I’ve got this year.”
— Serco Yamaha Report
The Serco Yamaha pairing of Luke Styke and Luke Clout continued to hog the podium limelight after another successful round at the MX Nationals over the weekend.
Championship leader Luke Styke won the round while team mate Clout slotted into third place on the day after facing a tough, wet, rutted and challenging Broadford circuit in Victoria.
Styke made it three round wins out of four so far this year with another impressive performance at Broadford. He was a man on a mission and took control of race one early and broke out to a comfortable lead by the midway point, only to make a mistake and stall the bike, dropping him back to second. He was then unable to make up the lost time and took second for the moto.
But there were to be no mistakes in moto two and Styke hit the front from the get go and simply never let it go. He again raced away out front and rode a flawless race to take a confidence boosting victory and with it, the overall round victory.
“I was so angry after moto one,” fumed Styke. “Professional racers don’t stall bikes and I was so angry at myself for making such a stupid mistake. So, I gave myself no option but to win moto two and with the help of the Serco Yamaha team and Rab, my mechanic, we got it done and gained a few more points lead in the championship chase,” Styke signs off.
Luke Clout also battled bravely to finish third for the round. His day didn’t start off that well as he collided with another rider in the opening laps of race one and damaged his wheel with a handful of spokes being ripped out. The wobbly front wheel meant Clout had to proceed with caution as he couldn’t jump the bike aggressively or hit big braking bumps. He nursed the bike home for a respectable sixth place.
Moto two was better and he had a clear run and was able to finish the race in third and his combined scores of 6-3 gave him third overall for the round and cemented his second place running in the championship.
“All things considered, today was pretty good. Nothing could be done about the front wheel issue in race one and I just had to keep circulating as fast as I could without causing any more damage, while race two was pretty uneventful as I wasn’t able to get onto the two guys ahead of me and just rode around in third,” Clout said.
The Serco Yamaha team now turn their attention to round five of the MX Nationals to be held at the Conondale Circuit on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, in two weeks’ time.
— GYTR Yamaha
GYTR Yamaha racer Joel Dinsdale broke through for his first round win in the MXD category with an emphatic victory at round four of the MX Nationals hosted by the Broadford Circuit in Victoria.
Dinsdale signalled his intentions with a race win at the previous round at Wonthaggi, a fortnight ago, and that confidence boosting result had him primed and ready for bigger things in the coming rounds.
On the wet, challenging and hilly Broadford track, Dinsdale settled into fourth place in the early laps of race one. He moved to third and then pounced on a mistake by the leaders and hit the front just past half race distance. From then on, he was able to put in some fast clean laps and break clear of his rivals to rack up the race win in moto one.
Moto two saw the 16 year old from Mackay hit the lead by the second corner. He put his head down and got to work, managing to stretch out his lead as the race progressed. The gap was big enough to handle a small fall on the final lap when he collided with a lapped rider as he was able to regather his machine, get going and cross the finish line with time to spare.
The 1-1 result now sees Dinsdale sit in fourth place in the standings with five rounds to come. He is slowly but surely digging his way out of the hole he put himself in after the opening round.
“Today was awesome and the best feeling to win at a high profile event like the MX Nationals. The track was tough to ride and it could hurt you if you tried to be too aggressive or over- rode it.”
“We have a bit of a plan going and when it all goes right and I carry it out, the results seem to come, so I reckon we will stick with it and try and keep this momentum going for the remainder of the championship,” Dinsdale explains.
It was a trying day for Jay Wilson who entered the round battered and bruised after a huge practice crash during the week. Wilson fronted the start line and was well inside the top 10 in moto one before attempting a pass on the wet and sloppy track only to fall and lose valuable time. He managed to climb back to seventh place by the end of the moto.
Race two and things looked brighter in the early going with Wilson in fourth and pressuring the two riders directly ahead of him. That all came unstuck when he got cross rutted and fell from his bike and took considerable time to get up and rolling again. He battled on to the finish but was well down the field and he rounded the day out in 11th overall and slipped to seventh in the championship.
“It was a frustrating day and I can’t seem to get any momentum going this year. But, I’m going to keep working hard, keep trying to be a better and faster racer and I will turn my year around.”
“There is a bit of a break in the racing soon, so I will take a look at a few things, get refreshed and come out swinging before this championship is over,” he says.
Billy Mackenzie finally got the monkey off his back and took a much needed moto win and an important second overall at round four of the MX Nationals on board his factory YZ450F.
Competing in the premier MX1 division, Mackenzie was out to make amends for his round three performance and determined to leave the Broadford circuit satisfied with his racing. He started the day off well making the all-important top five Superpole shootout and felt good heading into the two points paying races.
Moto one saw Mackenzie in a tight battle for positions 2-3-4 and as he was moving forward he tagged the bike of the rider in front of him sending him to the dirt and back a few positions. He was able to remount and get back into the race quickly and then set off in pursuit of the leaders. He managed to pass his way back into third spot as the race drew to a close.
Then the second and final MX1 race saw Mackenzie burst from the starting gates and hit the front in the opening stages of the race. From then on, he was never headed and took a commanding moto victory, his first MX Nationals race win with CDR Yamaha.
“Today was really important to me and the team to get back on track and bounce back from the terrible day at Wonthaggi,” Mackenzie explains. “I felt really good in the first moto and thought I could challenge for the lead towards the end of the race but I clipped the back of Jake Moss and fell over just past the pitboard area.”
“Moto two was better as I got a better start, made some quick passes early and was then able to ride my own race. It was a good feeling to get that race win and nice reward for everyone at CDR who has worked hard to get me the setup I wanted.”
Lawson Bopping faced his toughest day so far this year and struggled on the technical track. Bopping has shown great speed all year but couldn’t find his comfort zone over the weekend and finished the round in eighth place.
Despite the tough day, Bopping maintained fourth in the championship, just behind team mate Mackenzie in third.
“I just couldn’t really race the track the way I wanted to,” Bopping offers. “There would be laps where I would be going ok and other laps I would struggle to hit my lines and couldn’t flow with the bike. I might just put this one behind me and move onto the Conondale round looking for a better result.”
Team Owner, Craig Dack had this to say about his teams’ day.
“With Billy, it has taken some time for him to adjust to the bike and for us to understand what he expects from the motorcycle, but I thing we found the sweet spot leading up to the Broadford round. He looked far more comfortable on the bike all weekend and I really feel we made some good progress with him this week.”
“For Lawson, I was disappointed for him as I know how hard he has been working and today just wasn’t his day. His speed has been exceptional all year so I think he just had a tough time with the conditions and I’m sure he will bounce back at the next round.”
The MX Nationals now heads for the green rolling fields of Conondale on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast where the CDR Yamaha team will again take up the battle in pursuit of the Australian Motocross Championship.
