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2023 Casey Stoner Cup Report

With Peter Baker

The weather was as hot as the on-track action when the Kurri Kurri Junior Motor Cycle Club staged their annual Casey Stoner Cup meeting at the Loxford Park Raceway, on the weekend of March 18 and 19.

Harry Ryan took the honours in the Senior Casey Stoner Cup, while Lachlan Russell emerged as the newest winner of the Junior Cup.

Earlier in the meeting Ryan had a fall in a round of both the Pro 450 and Pro Open classes which kept him out of the overall placings in those classes.

But when it came to the one-off six-lap senior Cup final Ryan dominated from the start to back up his 2022 victory and on top of his Junior Cup win in 2019.

Cody Lewis, also a former Junior Cup winner, finished second in the Senior Cup with the 2020 winner Boyd Hollis third ahead of Over 35s winner Danny Anderson who beat a number of younger riders home.

Consistency rewarded the same trio of riders with a spot on the rostrum for on both the Pro 450 and Pro Open classes, albeit with a different finishing order.

Jake Richardson topped Cody Lewis in the Pro 450, the positions were reversed in the Pro Open with Boyd Hollis third in both classes.

Danny Anderson winning the Over 35s was not as surprise, but he did have a tough battle with Josh McCosker in several rounds.

The other senior class was for Pre 1995 machines where Ross Merrick was most successful as a small group of older riders enjoyed themselves.

Unfortunately numbers in the oldest age bracket for the juniors fell away leaving Lachlan Russell of Penrith and Jayden Holder of Kempsey to match-race each other.

Both took a class win, before Russell was awarded the victory after an extremely close finish in the one-off Junior Cup race.

Among the other junior classes there was plenty to like from some impressive performers, and they were not just the class winners.

Max Earl is a newcomer to dirt track coming from a motocross background but he dominated his class with an unbeaten run, including several rounds where he had to come from behind.

Albury-Wodonga duo Cooper Antone and Jed Fyffe stood out in the 9 – U/13s where Antone won four of the five rounds to take the 65cc class and he looked set to make it a double in the final of the 85cc 2str / 150cc 4str Big Wheel class until Fyffe passed him within metres of the finish line.

Other junior winners were Danny Anderson’s son Brax Anderson, Cohen McCosker and Lockie Duggan.

2023 Casey Stoner Cup Results

Riders talk AMA SX Round 10 – Ford Field

For the full round report and results see:
The 450 Main in Detroit had it all… Hunter dominates 250

Hunter Lawrence – P1

“I’ve had two healthy years of compounding work to get to where I am now. There were days where a night like tonight felt a lifetime away. I’m glad now that I don’t have to step out of my comfort zone too often, and now I know the right opportunity to do it. I’m really happy with the bike and myself at the moment, and glad to see all that hard work paying off.”

Nate Thrasher – P2

“It was a good main event. I got a solid start, but just wish I could’ve been a little better there in that area. Once we got around J Mart (Jeremy Martin), the gap was already pretty big. I got it down to three or four seconds, but that was all we could do. We started hitting the lappers, so I just kind of settled into a pace and then had to pick it up at the end a little bit. It was a good race. We’re just going to keep striving for more.”

Haiden Deegan – P3

“Today was pretty good. It’s the best I’ve ever qualified, and we’re making improvements by having these races every weekend. My heat race was good, and I ended up finishing second. The main event was good as well. I got a great start and had to pass Jeremy (Martin) for third. Once I made the pass, I just kept charging, trying to catch Nate a little bit, but those guys were running really well up front. I’m excited to get back up on the podium.”

Chris Blose – P5

“The support of the Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team has been awesome as we’ve focused on building with each week of racing. I’ve improved my main event finish by one position at each of the last three races, so I’d say that process has been going really well. It was great to break into the top-five and show the hard work of this whole squad. Now, with a few weeks to prepare for Atlanta, we should be even more ready to challenge at the front of the pack.”

Tom Vialle – P6

“Unfortunately I had a crash in practice and that was disappointing, but I actually had a good heat race in P3. I felt better in the night and had an okay start in the Main, around fifth or sixth, then finished really close to fifth in the end of the race. We were consistent, a little bit off in speed, but we will work hard over the next four weeks until the next round and try to improve my speed. The goal is to get closer to the top guys in front, so we will look forward to Atlanta.”

250 Main Results

250 East Championship Points (Top 10)

450s

Chase Sexton – P1

“I think starting towards the back actually helped me lock in, focus on just pushing forward and not worry about the race. After I made all those passes to second, I just tried to click off laps and get as close as I could to first. I definitely needed this after last weekend–especially with how I did it; this was what I needed to get momentum on my side. Hopefully, we can click a couple of these off and push towards the end.”

Cooper Webb – P2

“It was disappointing for Aaron, he deserved to win tonight, and it was a crazy race. There was a lot of battling, I was just being smart, riding my race and I’m excited. It was a great race to maximise some points and I want to give it up for the Red Bull KTM team. There were fast laps at the beginning, I went down the middle of the whoops during the race and dialled that in, so that helped. I ended up in a good groove, so finishing on the podium was a strong result. I was just clicking my laps and, at the end of the day, it was a great race. We did what we needed to do, for sure, moving forward. Thank you to the fans tonight, too, they were awesome!”

Eli Tomac – P3

“It was an okay night. Obviously, we want more than third, but it was a decent rebound from last week because I was definitely hurting in Indy. We had some good battles going on tonight. I made one mistake leaving the door open, so we’ll learn from that. We’re still close to the points lead, so we’ll keep pushing on.”

Justin Barcia – P4

“It was a pretty good day. In the heat race I worked through the pack and got up to second. I was chasing first but ran out of time. In the main event I got off to about a fourth or fifth place start. I was charging hard and made a couple mistakes, then rode a little bit tight after that. I was in fourth getting close to third but ran out of time and the race was over. I’m looking forward to Seattle, as it’ll be my birthday weekend. I’m getting old and having a good time.”

Christian Craig – P6

“It started off pretty good. I was gelling with the track and feeling good in practice but rode tight in the heat and made some mistakes,” Craig said. “I found my groove a little bit in the main after a mid-pack start. I came through the pack, clicked off my laps, and took advantage of mistakes. I didn’t ride my best but was consistent and able to work my way up to sixth. I need to work on attacking and being better.”

Adam Cianciarulo – P8

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m a little frustrated about my fall in the Main Event, but there are so many positives to focus on from the day that I know we’re making progress. This dirt was tricky to find comfort on, but I had a solid run in qualifying this morning and backed it up with a good ride in the Heat Race. In the Main, I led some laps early and, once I settled in behind Kenny (Roczen), I was able to stay right there with those guys. Unfortunately, that one mistake cost me a few positions, but we’ll focus forward to Seattle and aim to tie it at all together.”

Jason Anderson – P9

“My day started out strong with good times in qualifying and I knew my KX™450SR was in a good spot to be competitive on this track. I grabbed the holeshot in my Heat Race and led start to finish, so the goal was to carry that into the Main Event. I started a little further back in the top 10 and then, while trying to battle my way forward, I got close with Adam in the whoops and just lost it. After I got up from the crash everything was pretty tweaked, so I focused on making the most of it and salvaged what I could for a top-10.”

Aaron Plessinger – P13

“That one hurts, that one hurts a lot. I was riding so good and, man, I didn’t stand up in that rut the whole moto – I sat down and put my foot out… The one time I think it’s alright to stand up, it catches my foot and rips me right off the bike. I couldn’t believe it, flying through the air like that and I just tried to tuck, because it was a hard hit. I tried to get back up – I probably could have finished – but man, that hurts. You know, get back up on the saddle and I’ll get back up there in Seattle. I love it there, so don’t count me out, I’m not done yet. I was riding so good, I’m so proud of my riding and I love these fans. I could hear them the whole way! You know, it happens, we’ll be back with a vengeance. My starts are good, I’m good, my fitness is good… I’ve just gotta stay on the bike next time. Thank you to the fans, I wish I could have won it, but we’ll get them next year!”

450 Main Results

450 Championship Points (Top 10)

Konrad Dabrowski wins consecutive Qatar International Baja

The Qatar International Baja is renowned for its very precise navigation and Junior rider Konrad Dabrowski (KTM Duust) won the race for the second successive year.

While many riders got lost, Briton Robert Wallace (KTM) managed to maintain his focus to secure the second step of the podium. Mirjam Pol (KTM) has every right to be very proud of her performance, as she sailed through the field to secure the final place on the podium.

Coached by his father Marek for riding and by his former teammate Jacek Czachor to improve his navigation skills, the Konrad Dabrowski has made great progress and clinched victory by more than 38 minutes from Robert Wallace.

Konrad Dabrowski

“I like coming to Qatar because I have a lot of experience and I can work on my navigation and my riding there. I won the Prologue on Thursday and was able to choose the ninth starting position for SS2. It was a good position to catch the leaders and gain as much time as possible, which I managed to do before refuelling. I understood then that the result would be there. In the second part of the special, I opened the track and it was a very nice day. Today, I took the start not in good shape at all because I was sick after having slept with the air conditioning. It was really difficult to ride in the second part of the stage… I arrived very tired but happy to win this race!”

The nice surprise came when Mirjam Pol climbed on to the third step of the podium and obviously won the Women’s category.

Mirjam Pol

“I was very surprised to finish on the podium of the Qatar International Baja. Because, yesterday, I was eighth overall. But when I arrived in the dunes, I only had two tracks in front of me, whereas I had started the last selective section in seventh position. I had a good pace in the race but it is mainly thanks to my good navigation that I am in third position. For two days, I marked all the waypoints. In any case, it’s a nice surprise!”

Pol finished 1min 43sec ahead of Andrew Houlihan but the Australian had the consolation of winning the Veteran’s category and finishing in a fine fourth place.

A strong performance was expected from Paolo Lucci on this second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup, but the Italian rider withdrew on Friday because of an injury he had sustained on the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

Second overall after Friday’s stages, Australian rider Martin Chalmers retired on the final morning.

Mohammed Al-Rahmani climbed to fifth place at the expense of Canadian Jonathan Finn, who finished sixth.

Mohammed Al-Balooshi, the leader of the championship after the first round in Saudi Arabia, was seventh at the finish while his brother, Sultan, retired after problems on Friday.

Mirjam Pol won the Women’s category, ahead of Poland’s Joanna Modrzewska (KTM Duust) and Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet (KTM Duust). Dabrowski stormed to Junior success, ahead of Finn (Honda) and Alex McInnes (Husqvarna).

The Veteran’s category was won by Houlihan (Husqvarna) from Cesare Zacchetti (KTM) and the Norwegian Ole Floene (KTM Duust).

The next round of the FIM Bajas World Cup is the Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura that takes place in Spain from April 14-16.

2023 Qatar International Baja – Positions after stage 3

1. Konrad Dabrowski (POL) KTM 450 Rally 7hr 22min 09.3sec
2. Robert Wallace (GBR) KTM 450 RFR +38.04.8
3. Mirjam Pol (NLD) KTM +1.21.08.8
4. Andrew Houlihan (AUS) Husqvarna FR +1.22.15.2
5. Marwan Al-Rahmani (ARE) KTM 450 Rally +1.23.58.3
6. Jonathan Finn (CAN) Honda CRF 450 RL +1.25.38.2
7. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) KTM 450 Rally Replica +1.42.15.5
8. Cesare Zacchetti (ITA) KTM EXC 350F +1.44.00.2
9. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Husqvarna 450 Rally +1.47.58.9
10. Alex McInnes (GBR) Husqvarna FE450 +1.48.46.7
11. Ola Floene (NOR) KTM 450 Rally +1.50.45.2
12. Abdullah Lanjawi (ARE) Husqvarna FE450 +1.51.00.6
13. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) KTM 450 Rally +1.54.50.8
14. Simon Marcic (SVN) Husqvarna 450 Rally Replica +1.55.33.5
15. Oran O’Kelly (IRL) KTM 450 Rally +2.09.59.9
16. Ehab Al-Hakeem (LBN) Yamaha WR 450F +2.49.59.0

KLIM to support Hard Enduro Junior World Championship

Continuing to develop the young talent of Hard Enduro, the FIM and WESS Promotion GmbH, the promoter of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship have announced that the Junior class has been awarded full FIM world championship status for the coming season.

The championship will see renowned motorcycle apparel brand KLIM headline as the official class sponsor. KLIM are a global leader in designing, developing, and manufacturing the most advanced technical riding gear and motorsports apparel. Their robust, strong, and trusted riding gear, helmets, and protective equipment match perfectly with the unforgiving terrain and nature of Hard Enduro.

Building on its immediate success during 2022, the Junior category will continue to serve as an important platform for competitors aged between 16-22 years of age (on January 1) to showcase their skills.

For the coming season, the FIM Hard Enduro Junior World Championship supported by KLIM will be staged across four rounds of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship schedule. Xross Hard Enduro Challenge (Serbia), Red Bull Erzbergrodeo (Austria), Red Bull Abestone (Italy), and 24MX GetzenRodeo (Germany) will all offer point-scoring races for our Junior competitors.

Winfried Kerschhaggl – FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Manager

“We’re delighted to see the Junior category elevated to FIM world championship status for 2023. After launching the category in 2022, it was met with great interest and subsequently success. Serving as a platform to promote young talent within Hard Enduro, we witnessed some incredible battles throughout the season. We watched these young riders grow and as valuable experience was gained, they were also quickly pushing for top-10 results in the overall championship too. Now, with the class elevated to full FIM world championship status, we’re excited for the season ahead. Our sport is growing and this announcement will serve our future world champions well on their journey to the pinnacle of Hard Enduro.”

24MX Hixpania joins FIM Hard Enduro World Championship

The 2023 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship will see the 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro in Spain replace the Roof of Africa as the penultimate round of the series.

As an event that needs little introduction, the inclusion of the 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro is an exciting prospect for Hard Enduro competitors and fans the world over.

With its tried and trusted format, the Spanish event is certain to deliver many incredible moments in this year’s championship battle.

With uncertainty surrounding the event organisation at the Roof of Africa in Lesotho, FIM Hard Enduro World Championship promoters WESS GmbH have reluctantly been forced to remove the event from the 2023 schedule.

Although the decision to remove the Roof of Africa was not taken lightly by WESS GmbH, it’s hoped that the iconic South African Hard Enduro will debut in the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship in the very near future.

However, the event will be replaced by Spain’s infamous 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro on October 13-15 in Aguilar de Campoo, becoming the sixth and penultimate round of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship.

Winfried Kerschhaggl – FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Manager

“Firstly, we at WESS GmbH are disappointed that we had to drop the Roof of Africa from this year’s world championship calendar. Losing the trusted and planned organiser seven months ahead of the event, we simply ran out of avenues to ensure a successful running of the race. Hopefully, in the near future we will travel to Lesotho. Parallel to those discussions we were able to find a replacement to round six with the 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro. The event and the organising family have always been very close to us and proved a tremendous success in the world championship and the highlights of the 2022 season finale are still fresh in our minds. Initially we had intended to return to Aguilar de Campoo in 2024, but by bringing things forward 12 months it will further strengthen the 2023 championship with some incredible racing.”

The opening round of the 2023 championship takes place in just over two months’ time with the Xross Hard Enduro Challenge in Serbia on May 17-20.

2023 FIM SuperEnduro Round Five – Gliwice, Poland

The evening’s stakes were clear, to win the title Billy Bolt (GBR-Husqvarna) had to take the Akrapovic SuperPole and win the first race ahead of his season-long rival, Jonny Walker (GBR-Beta). By clocking an impressive 43.782, Bolt ticked off the final SuperPole of the season and placed himself in the ideal spot for the “main event”.

Once again, Jonny Walker was hot on his heels, with the hope of at least keeping his countryman on his toes. In the first race of the night, Billy Bolt started perfectly with the Airoh Holeshot, and he then set about quickly widening the gap to all his other competitors.

Back in the pack, one of the other focuses of the season finale was the fight for third in the championship standings between Cody Webb (USA-Sherco) and Taddy Blazusiak (POL-GASGAS). Three points separated the American from the Pole coming into Gliwice and the two men battled it out all evening, offering up some of the most thrilling head-to-head fights of the year.

In the first race, Blazusiak, supported by a fervent home crowd, snatched an all-important third ahead of Cody Webb – which left the pair level pegging in the points table. In the lead, Billy Bolt, no doubt feeling a little under pressure, made a mistake and went down in the large rock garden section.

Jonny Walker was ready to take his chance, keen to pass his friend and rival. However, Bolt managed to refocus himself and quickly gap the privateer Beta rider once again. Billy secured his 13th victory of the season, and won his third World Championship title while the evening had barely got underway. Jonny Walker took a strong second place.

With Billy Bolt having already wrapped up the crown, and Walker in a secure second in the standings, all attention turned to who else would be able to add ‘Top 3 in the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship’ to their CV. Blazusiak and Webb took this task seriously and engaged in battle royal.

At the start of the second race, the advantage was with the Pole who made an excellent start from the second row. The six-time World Champion was in the wake of Bolt when they attacked the tricky sand section of the demanding Polish track. Webb was running in fifth at this point but was starting a tremendous comeback.

Leading the race, Billy Bolt had already taken control ahead of a valiant Will HOARE (GBR-GAGAS). Pushing his way through the pack, Cody Webb managed to take 3rd place from Blazusiak, but he fell in the sand leaving the Pole to regain the advantage. The fight between the two men was far from over.

Webb stalled at the exit of the rock garden when he had just passed the factory GASGAS rider. Fast forward to the last lap and a charging Webb was trying everything against Blazusiak, to the dismay of the home fans, he managed to block the Pole in the small stone section and flew into second place, leaving the fans and their hero feeling a little despondent. Naturally, Bolt won this second race ahead of Webb and Walker. Blazusiak crossed the line in fourth place, but his world podium hopes seemed to be dwindling.

The last race of the night would be decisive between the factory Sherco and the factory GASGAS rider. The final race was unsurprisingly won by a flawless and effortless Bolt (4 hat-tricks in 5 GPs for #57!) but it was Blazusiak and Webb who set the place alight, Blazusiak was riding with a pace, precision, and passion not seen so far in this unlucky season for the Polish rider.

He claimed a fantastic second place in the last race at the expense of Jonny Walker. The tens of thousands of fans in the crowd were clearly thrilled as chants of “Taddy, Taddy, Taddy!” rang out. As Blazusiak was giving his all to keep his chances alive, Cody Webb was caught in an unfortunate collision with a tail-ender.

The American lost his rhythm in the race and tumbled down the order, Webb finally crossed the finish line in a distant sixth place, offering the last step on the 2023 season podium to an overjoyed Taddy Blazusiak.

This fanfare finale topped off a spectacular and successful 2023 season. Billy Bolt takes the world title ahead of Jonny Walker and Taddy Blazusiak. Thanks to Blazusiak’s last determined push, GASGAS also claimed the 2023 Constructors’ Title.

Billy Bolt – 2023 Champion

“What can I say, it’s been an incredible season! This is my third world title in a row, but with each one they get that little bit sweeter. Coming into the night, I knew I had a comfortable points lead to play with, but I wanted to go out there and give my best. Topping SuperPole helped the nerves and I rode hard in race one knowing that if I won I would also win the title. That felt so good. Race two was incredible too. Overall it’s been great, but hard fought at every round too. Naturally a big thank you goes to everyone involved in helping to achieve this. It’s a big team effort for sure.”

Jonny Walker – P2

“It was a good year, Billy’s on fire and I gave it my best to try and battle with him, but he’s just too good. I’m happy with second in the championship, because it means if Billy wasn’t here I would’ve won! My riding was pretty good this year, my time in America helped. I made good starts all year, quite a few holeshots, but in the end it wasn’t enough to convert to wins. I need to keep training, need more bike time, and let’s see where it gets us – maybe we can have a go at beating Billy! Massive congratulations to him and his team for what they’ve done.”

Taddy Blazusiak – P3

“What a night! It was a tough battle the whole way and I gave it everything I could. Coming into the final race it was tight on points for third overall in the championship and I knew I had to send it! I was riding well and managed to make some aggressive moves to get up to second position. It’s been so nice to get third overall in the championship in what’s been a hard season. I came in injured and on the back foot, but we never quit. To help GASGAS take the manufacturers’ award is pretty sweet too.”

Cody Webb – P4

“It was good to be here in Poland and trying to beat down Taddy on his home turf, we had so many good battles back and forth and switching places! In the end it didn’t work out, I was a bit unlucky in the last race and it just didn’t come together tonight. In the end, this season has gone much better than the last, even though I had a wrist injury and badly torn ligaments in my thumb. I feel like I did my best, so even though I’m disappointed not to get third in the standings it’s not the end of the world.”

Juniors

An incredible feat was accomplished in Gliwice by 18 year old Mitch BRIGHTMORE (GASGAS). The Brit won the World Champion title in the Junior category in his first season in the discipline.

Third overall on the night, Mitch suffered a lot with the chaotic races in his class, but he clearly has everything it takes to be a World Champion, impressing onlookers all season long with his style and speed.

With one overall victory and four podiums, the TTR Rigamonti rider won the title ahead of his younger brother Ashton, just 16 years old! Ashton came extremely close to taking the title himself, and although upset that he couldn’t quite manage it, he was extremely happy for his older brother and pleased with his performance over the course of his first season.

The youngest of the Brightmore boys has shown enormous potential which should stand him in very good stead for next year. The stunning talent of the two young Brits almost took the spotlight away from the winner on the night in Gliwice, a courageous and stubborn Milan Schmueser (GER-Sherco). The German forced the two GASGAS riders to fight until the last laps of a Junior class season which was always hotly contested. The Sherco rider finishes third in the standings behind the two Brightmore brothers.

Mitch Brightmore – Junior Champion

“I haven’t got words for anything that’s happened, it’s just unreal. My night went pretty much as planned and I’m just so happy, it’s awesome. What makes it even better is that my brother got second in the championship, we’re really close and riding in the same class and the same team is a good dynamic. I’m speechless really, just over the moon, it’s my first year in SuperEnduro and I’m a World Champion, just amazing.”

FIM SuperEnduro World Championship
Round Five Results

Prestige Overall Classification

1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 63pts
2. Jonny Walker (Beta) 49pts
3. Taddy Blazusiak (GASGAS) 45pts…

Final 2023 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship Points

1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 310pts
2. Jonny Walker (Beta) 260pts
3. Taddy Blazusiak (GASGAS) 194pts…

2023 Australian ProMX Round 2:  Appin, NSW

The second round of the 2023 ProMX Championship Presented by AMX Superstores was held over the weekend at Appin in NSW, with Aaron Tanti claiming the Thor MX1 over Dean Ferris despite the duo being tied on points, with Jed Beaton rounding out the top three.

Aaron Tanti – MX1 P1

“Getting the championship off to a positive start was the goal for me today and taking the win means we achieved that. We had a lot going on today as the track changed considerably from being wet and muddy in the morning to becoming dry and hard pack in the afternoon due to the heat, but the team did a great job, and we were able to get the win. The track was tough and even though we have raced here many times in the past, the new direction was a good change and the way the track shaped up was different. But overall, the day went well, the new YZ450F is awesome and I’m ready to get stuck into defending this championship.”

Jed Beaton – MX1 P3

“It was a tough day, it started well, I felt strong but a string of minor mistakes held us back. I am positive we will move forward as the series heads to Albury in a few weeks.”

Kirk Gibbs – MX1 P4

“Today was up-and-down because it started quite well in the Shootout with third, then I got into second quite quickly in moto one and pretty much rode my own race. I rode solid to come away with second, which I was happy with, but in the final moto I made an error in where I started, so that cost me two bad starts. On a track like that, with so many fast guys, it makes things tough. I felt like I rode well, I’m right there in the hunt and am super-keen for the next round. I want to come out and nail these starts, give them something to chase around.”

Luke Clout – MX1 P5

“On paper I would have liked a better result than fifth but that was the best I could do given the circumstances and I think that I made good progress throughout the day. It’s been nearly a year since I last raced a national motocross round and while you can practice and train all you like, its different when you are on the track and in a race environment. The heat was a killer but I stayed pretty strong all day and given my position in every race, I had to keep charging. In moto one, I just had to get as many points as I could so every position mattered, then in the short races, I was in a battle all the way. But it was awesome to be back racing again and the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team worked hard all day. I think the results will continue to improve from here as I race my way back to 100%”

Kyle Webster – MX1 P7

“I had a good start in moto 1 until I came together with another rider, before I knew it there was a few of us tangled up. I did the best I could given the challenging conditions. In moto 2 I felt solid and in moto 3 I suffered from another bad start. Its time to regroup and look forward. I know these results don’t reflect the work we have done, but I feel good and the bike is great”

Nathan Crawford took the Pirelli MX2 round overall with two race wins, Wilson Todd and Brodie Connolly second and third respectively. Ky Woods meanwhile won the Maxxis MX3, Liam Owens and Byron Dennis tied on 38-points, in second and third respectively.

Nathan Crawford – MX2 P1

“The track formed up really well today, it was super-technical and I gelled with the ruts quite well. I’ve got quite a good track record going here at Appin, so I like it here a lot and the results have been strong here. I feel like I let my riding do the talking today, put my head down, worked hard and now we’re here. We’re third in points now, which is really good at the moment, and now we look ahead to the next one!”

Wilson Todd – MX2 P2

“I did the best I could given the circumstances. I felt weak and tired. I have done very little riding since returning from America and I fractured some ribs in the crash I had in Round 1 only two weeks ago. I will rest up for a week or two before I go hard at it again.”

Brodie Connolly – MX2 P3

“I am happy I got on the podium. I crashed three times in race one and had a bad start in race two and had to ride to the conditions. I need to clean up my mistakes but I am still learning. This is my fourth ever national and I am pumped to be sitting in 2nd in the championship.”

Jesse Dobson – MX2 P4

“Not a real lot to say unfortunately. I just had an off day and couldn’t get comfortable on the track. I had speed at times but it wasn’t fast enough for long enough to get the result myself and the team deserve. I want to watch the video of the race to see what the other riders were doing and why I was struggling so much. You can still learn a lot from a tough day like this and I want to ensure I bounce back at the next round and give the Serco Yamaha team a result they can be proud of.”

Kayden Minear – MX2 P5

“Round two at Appin today, it was definitely a good day. The track was very tricky in the morning, which I really enjoyed. The team had the bikes dialled in and my mechanic did an absolutely amazing job keeping my bike light and not holding lots of mud, so going 5-8 for equal fifth overall. I’m very happy!”

Rhys Budd – MX2 P6

“We had to work hard for it today, the track was pretty wet and sloppy, and I didn’t get a great lap in qualifying in and not the best choice of gate. Then I was just smashed with mud in the first few turns and had to get some goggles as it was too dangerous to race with out them. I did what I could but the leaders were long gone. For race two, we just put a lot of focus on the start, and I was able to get the holeshot and lead for a couple of laps. Nathan and Wilson got past me and I had Alex Larwood right behind me so the pressure was on the whole race but I managed to stay in third and finish the day strongly. Thanks to the Serco Yamaha team and our sponsors for the support and things are starting to come around. I’m looking forward to the next round and keep fighting my way back into this championship.”

For the full round report see:
MX1/MX2/MX3 Race Reports, Results and ProMX points from Appin

Thor MX1 Round Points/Standings

Pirelli MX2 Round Points

Pirelli MX2 Championship Points

Maxxis MX3 Round Points/Standings