Inside Dirt - Issue 19: MX Nationals Round 5 by MX Nationals

THE SERIES SO FAR CHECK IN WITH US AS WE RECAP THE LAST 4 ROUNDS

INSIDE THE MECHANICS MIND EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

pg. 54

pg. 94

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT NEW PRODUCTS FROM LINK INTERNATIONAL

AORC RD5 RECAP REVISIT ALL THE ACTION FROM MIVA

pg. 72

pg. 159

BACK ON TRACK WE SPEAK WITH BRETT METCALFE ABOUT HIS RETURN TO RACING ON AUSTRALIAN SOIL

ROUND 5 M U R R AY B R I D G E

MX NATIONALS

ISSUE 19 24.05.2017

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MAGIC MOMENT

DEAN FERRIS Dean Ferris has shown why he is the defending champion, only falling short of a win on one occasion. Fellow riders in the MX1 class are becoming familiar with this view, but the season has only just begun. With such a stacked field, things will only get harder for Ferris as the series rolls on.

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MX2 START It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take Jeff Emig and Ricky Carmichael to tell you the keys to the race are to get the holeshot. Muddy conditions at Horsham meant it was crucial to get to the first corner first. Wilson Todd has no such issue, getting two great starts to take home an emphatic win for the round.

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Welcome to the 19th issue of Inside Dirt!

WHATS INSIDE

What a year it has been of racing so far in 2017, and we are so proud to have covered it all in Inside Dirt.

Behind the Gate

Team Talk

What’s Trending

MW Plug Chop - Brett Metcalfe

MotoOnline Race Recap - MX1

MotoOnline Race Recap - MX2

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross - Rd 1

Series So Far - Series recap

Also in the latest edition of Inside Dirt, we have interviews, feature stories, track break downs, updates from the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championships and more.

GoPro Gallery

Racing Run-Down

Product Spotlight - Link Int.

So if dirt bike riding is what you’re in to, then get your fix here – because we have nearly 100 pages that you won’t want to take your eyes off.

Virtual Series - Rd 3

Raceline Holeshot

Round 5 Schedule

Inside the Mechanics Mind

Round 4 Recap - MX1

The Motul MX Nationals is just one round away from reaching the halfway point in the championship, and boy has it been one hell of a season so far. In this issue we’re going to look at what happened at Horsham and what you can expect from Murray Bridge next Sunday.

128 Thor Off Track Gallery 134 Team Profiles and PR 159 AORC Rd5 Recap - Miva

ID ISSUE #19

TEAM TALK Joe Stevens gives us a rundown on what goes into operating a raceteam

Page 16

SERIES SO FAR Recap the season so far. Revisit the action. Page 54

88 MW PLUG CHOP WITH BRETT METCALFE We sit down and chat with Brett Metcalfe about his return to racing on Aussie soil! Page 30

+ ROUND 3 VIRTUAL SERIES RACE RECAP Read about all the action from Round 3 of the 2017 MX Nationals Virtual Series Page 78

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ROUND 4 VIRTUAL TRACK MAP RELEASED! Time to jump aboard and take a lap around Round 4 race circuit Horsham. Experience every scrub, jump, whip and turn in our official Thor Track Map.

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BEHIND THE GATES Here we are about to approach the halfway point in the championship and already we’re wondering where this year went! Over the weekend we experienced our first mud race of the season, and truth is we were all tested. Thankfully the weather itself at Horsham on Sunday was sunny and pleasant, however with so much rain in the lead up to the event, the damage had been done and the track was a complete mud bath. Riders did well to get through the conditions, and it put mechanics to work that’s for sure, but even though a mud race is rarely what we want, it really showcases which riders are the whole package. After the weekend there’s no denying

that CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris is the full package and more. He didn’t bat an eyelash at the conditions on Sunday, and as a result secured his fourth consecutive round victory and went undefeated for the third time this season. Another rider who was nothing short of impressive at Horsham was Wilson Todd. In the first moto for the MX2 class, Todd lapped every rider except Hamish Harwood, not only showcasing the difficulty in the track conditions, but proving that the boy from Cairns is more than capable of rising to the occasion. The mud at Horsham was a game changer and not only did it test the riders, but

it made for some awesome photos. Already our media team have circulated some story telling images from the event, so keep an eye on our social platforms this week for more. Now with the fourth round of the championship behind us, we are full steam ahead and will roll into Murray Bridge in just a few days. The red soil of Murray Bridge always dishes out some of the best racing of the series, and with the mid-season break commencing directly after this weekend, riders are going to be doing all they can to bring home as many championship points as possible. For us, this week is one of the busiest of the year. We are trekking over to Murray

“After the weekend there’s no denying that CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris is the full package and more.” _________ DEAN FERRIS CLAIMS HIS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE ROUND VICTORY

Bridge as we speak and at the same time, getting hundreds of flags and pieces of signage washed, finalising rider lists, entries and more. Back to back rounds are a challenge for everyone, especially after a mudder, so its going to be a test for everyone this week to get things ready while they’re on the road. The fifth round of the MX Nationals at Murray Bridge will mark the sixth consecutive year that we have visited the venue, and in my opinion every season it just gets better

– we’ve had highs and lows at the Monarto track in South Australia, and this weekend we get to make more memories once again. This season has been a great success so far. There is a renewed energy in the pits and every weekend I’m as excited to go racing as I was running our first ever event. I’ll keep things short and sweet this issue and sign off now, because I’m tipping that after this round we are all going to have plenty to talk about!

“....THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF YET ANOTHER REWARDING AND EXCITING YEAR AT THE HELM. ”

TEAM TALK GET AN INSIGHT AS TO WHAT GOES ON AS A TEAM OWNER AT THE MX NATIONALS Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a little crazy to think we are nearing the half way point in the 2017 MX Nationals series. There is so much time invested into preparation for the series, testing, development of bikes and riders During my first season as team manager for the MAD Peter Stevens race team I have learned a lot over these first five rounds that we can apply to the second half of the series and better not just our riders performances but the teams functioning on race day. Take a read below of the points Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made so far of this seasons learning curve and my transition from Motocross coach and commentator to Team manager in 2017;

Story By: Joe Stevens

LOGISTICS Having been spoiled for many years and flown around the country on a schedule set either by the MXN team or the riders I have been working with in previous years, let’s just say it was a little shock to the system to be organizing flights, trucking routes, hotels, bike parts and fresh riding gear to name a few things for every round. I have run our MAD coaching events for years so the process wasn’t totally foreign to me, however race teams have a lot of moving parts and luckily we have great people both in the team and our sponsors who make everything possible. Half way into the year and the systems and processes are becoming easier to implement with travel and time management to have everything ready without me having to pull out what’s left of my hair on a mid-week interstate travel round.

PROGRESS In years past as a coach you always stress to your riders that progressing at a sustainable and measureable rate is key to developing as a racer. Even when Dad is throwing T bars around and losing his cool because the young rider maybe didn’t perform to his potential, it’s the coaches job to be objective as to how and why that happened and how we can improve. However as team manager you are exposed to both sides of the fence where you see the time, money and investment that go’s into our team program. The riders, mechanics, myself and all our sponsors want only the best for our riders results and the teams goal of being a rider development race team program. So sometimes when the results you are aiming for don’t happen right away, it can be testing with patience and keeping the team moral on track. Our results so far this year have

â&#x20AC;&#x153;...race teams have a lot of moving parts and luckily we have great people both in the team and our sponsors who make everything possible.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The riders, mechanics, myself and all our sponsors want only the best for our riders results and the teams goal of being a rider development race team program.â&#x20AC;?

not been stand out, nor have they been disappointing, it has been a learning curve with great potential, some crashes, mechanical issues and everything else along the way that leads to the imminent frustration that racing can sometimes bring. But we are staying focused and learning every weekend confident in the end goal of career best performances for all of our riders by the second half of the season leading to Coolum and the end of a long MX nationals season in 2017.

THE FANS Probably one side of the team manager and racing experience that I overlooked was engaging with the race fans. As a coach at lunchtime I was always looking at lap times, feeding my riders before moto two or taking a quick look to see how the track has changed. I’m still doing that stuff nowadays however during the lunch break we have our scheduled autograph session where the kids and their parents get to meet our riders, get a poster and a photo on our race bikes if they like. Seeing how excited the kids get to be around the sport and receive a signed poster that will hang on their bedroom walls for many years to come reminds us all of why we got into the sport in the first place. The passion for racing and how lucky we are to be around this sport to call it a job is something that you can never loose seeing the smile on the young race fans faces on every Sunday of the series. That’s it for this article as I am writing this on the fly between rounds in a very busy time of year! Check back after Murray Bridge round five for more insight from myself and the “Team Talk” articles for 2017. Make sure if you are at the MX Nationals in person you come past the MAD Peter Stevens team truck for a poster and chat, I look forward to meeting some new faces at Murray Bridge in SA.

C O

A C H I N G

WITH JOE STEVENS AND #TEAMMAD PRIVATE TUITION AND GROUP COACHING / SCHOOL HOLIDAY CAMPS. ALL LEVELS OF RIDERS CATERED FOR: PRO RACERS TO BEGINNER RIDERS. CONTACT JOE STEVENS P: 0404059168 E: JOE@MADSPTC.COM

what’s

TRENDING

LAWRENCE CLEANS UP AT ADAC MX MASTERS Team Suzuki World MX2 riders Jeremy Seewer and Hunter Lawrence dominated the third round of the ADAC MX Masters series in Mölln, Germany while Jett Lawrence made a clean-sweep of the Junior class. Source: http://adbmag.com.au

DUNGEY ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Ryan Dungey today announced his retirement from professional racing at a press conference held inside Anaheim’s Angel Stadium in California. The announcement came within weeks of securing the 2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, his fourth 450SX title, and will take effect immediately placing him out of this year’s Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Source: motoonline.com.au

Fuel-injected 250 and 300 twostrokes officially uncovered. Following on from the lighter, stronger and faster all-new generation of EXC models released for this year, KTM is now offering the world’s first production fuel-injected two-stroke off-road motorcycle range with the EXC TPI (Transfer Port Injection) models for 2018. ANDERSON CONFIRMED FOR FIRST AUS-X OPEN APPEARANCE Rockstar Energy Husqvarna hard-charger heading to Sydney. Source: http://motoonline.com.au

Source: motoonline.com.au

PRODUCT: SCOTT LE LOGGER GOGGLE Reintroducing Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Logger MX Goggle. This is a special revisit to the first and most revered Limited Edition MX goggle from SCOTT. The original Logger not only provided a level of performance a Scott Goggle can achieve but for the first time, became a statement of individuality. After 10 years of continued goggle innovation, this lasting design can now be appreciated on their most technically advanced MX goggle to date, the Prospect. Source: transmoto.com.au MILNER MASTERFUL AT MIVA AORC KTM Enduro Racing Team rider Daniel Milner and his KTM450 EXC-F are rapidly becoming established as the benchmark in the Australian Off-Road Championship after the Victorian held a masterclass at the championshipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third and fourth round at Miva in Queensland. Source: dirtaction.com.au

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TA R G E T B R E T T M E TC A L F E Brett Metcalfe is undoubtedly one of the most successful Australian motocross riders of our time. Racing everything from the World Championship circuit, the American outdoors and most recently the Canadian MX Nationals, the South Australian has done it all. This year, Metcalfe has returned home, and despite being one of the fastest riders on track at round one, its been a rocky start to the season for the man with the most experience on the track. Arguably one of our greatest exports Brett Metcalfe opens up on a range of topics including his season so far, parting ways with SD3 Husqvarna only three rounds into the series, and what he really thinks of the depth of talent here in Australia. 31

BM 24 So, most people are probably wondering what was behind the decision to return to Australia in 2017? Well really the decision was mainly family oriented. I’ve been living in California for the good part of 14 years, so really the main part was to have a bit of a change and bring the family down to Australia and experience the was of life here in Australia for the family and the kids.

When you returned to race, where exactly did you expect yourself to be in the MX1 class? It’s difficult to answer that because the preparation was fairly poor going in to the season and I still felt like my riding on the track was good. I felt good, I felt happy and comfortable so even though the results didn’t show at Wonthaggi I think I was fastest both motos. In the second moto I felt like I was going to win until we had that DNF. I was kind Taking the ride with Husqvarna here of where I mentally envisioned myself being, required you packing up your whole but still the preparation going in is the key to life and your family, it must have been this game. difficult decision to make after spending so much time in American and racing What do you think of the level of racing the Canadian championship? in Australia since returning? It was challenging. And I suppose before I go I came down last year and knew the guys too far ahead I need to say that we do plan to were riding well. The competition here this go back to the states in September, so we’re year is better. Of course you have Dean Ferris not permanently here, but with that said the who is sort of riding away with it this season, plan is to be permanently here. But to answer and for me its frustrating not to be out there your question, it was difficult. A lot of things riding right now and competing at that level need to be aligned and I was working with the where I feel I could be racing at comfortably. Husqvarna group, I had a plan in the works to For the first time I’ve really like to see the next evolve something into the company and if generation of 450 riders mixed in with us. they ran an in-house team be involved with You have the likes of Nathan Crawford, Luke that as well, so it was a challenge to pack up Clout, and Luke Styke is back from injury and and come home but it just seemed like the then you have the regular guys who have right time to have a change and a fresh start been running in this series for a number of and look at something different. years so it’s a competitive field. I mean you 32

have Aleksandr Tonkov from Russia who was competitive in the GPs so this year when you really look at it on paper there’s at least ten quality riders out there, so it’s exciting to watch. The level of racing didn’t surprise me this year, racing in Australia is in some ways similar to racing in Canada. Everything is closer, the tracks, machinery, the racing so the differential margin is similar. When you race the GPs in Europe or in the American Nationals you see guys just break away from the rest of the field so quickly because their level and their machinery is quite a bit better from the privateers. Here, its sort of a bit of a level playing field. If you’re a privateer with a decent machine you can still be competitive here in Australia.

Dean is riding excellent. He’s at a good point in his career. He’s still young, he’s experienced a good level racing at the GPs, he’s had a crack at it in the States – I know that didn’t go so well but he wants to have a go at it again. He’s riding very well, and it’s his second year with CDR Yamaha so he’s reaping the benefits of that. Having that similarity of machine is a big advantage for him. You have guys like Todd Waters, the Kawasaki boys or even Suzuki’s Kyle Peters and it’s all new for them. They have to learn the bikes and some of the tracks as well which is a challenge, so that alone can give Dean the edge. Personally I feel riding wise I should be right there though. I’ve proven I can be there, but it’s just unfortunate the way things have worked out for me this season, it’s not gone at all to plan. First round In your opinion do you believe there are I felt like the fastest guy on the track even any riders in Australia on the same level though we didn’t get the result, and then at as Dean Ferris at the moment? Appin I passed Dean so I can be there. But

he has shown dominance, he’s clearly the best rider out there right now, and I hope he does get another shot at going overseas and pursuing something. Obviously you sat out of the Horsham round of the MX Nationals, can you give us a bit of an understanding as to why that was? Basically myself and the team came to an end. That’s what it was. SD3 Husqvarna offered me to close doors and pay out and the team would stop racing for the year. I thought about it, and then came to the conclusion that that was the best way forward. It has been a frustrating series so far – not just the racing but on and off the track has been a challenge. It’s always difficult – I have a ton of respect for guys like SD3 or even DPH Motorsports, there a so many teams who are running this because they’re passionate, they love the sport and they want to do something. At the top level though especially when you require factory support though you’ve got to back it up. That’s where I feel as though we were falling short and things just weren’t working out. For people like SD3 and especially for people like myself who have brought a family out here if it’s not a good fit then it’s just best to accept that it’s not working out. In the week leading up to Horsham everything was coming to a conclusive end so that’s why I wasn’t riding. I decided to go anyway to support the MX Nationals, and I had a lot of friends and fans who were going so that’s why I’m trying hard to make this weekend happen.

In saying that what is next for you? I can’t say too much right now but I’m just trying to do something for this coming round at Murray Bridge. After that we have the month off in June so I’m hoping I can piece some things together that works. It’s a little bit more long term for me, it’s not just about getting out there and racing. I feel like I’m still going to be able to compete for another year so if I can try and make something happen for next season as well that would be good. I’m 33, and this isn’t the way I want to finish my career competing – not an effort like this. You are in some ways approaching the end of your career now, once you’ve finished racing what are your plans? I don’t have any concrete plans, what we kind of had visioned might have altered a little bit now. At this point I have been focussing on the future a little bit but it’s so difficult when you’re a racer you got to focus on the one thing and one thing only so it’s kind of hard to plan. It’s nice to have a bit of a plan there, but to be a professional at motocross, to do it at a good level and get the best out of yourself, it takes a good team, actually it takes a great team, and good people around you to really maximise yourself. It’s too important not to focus on it. A championship in 2017 is going to be quite hard to achieve now with the points deficit you have, given that, do you feel that you will have unfinished

business at the end of the year and that maybe you would like to go for an Australian title again next season? Yep. It’s as simple as that. I have shown that I can be competitive at the first two rounds, even the first moto at Conondale I was competitive. I just haven’t been getting the starts and my track position hasn’t been great but all of that comes down to preparing properly, and having enough bike time, testing and you’re comfortable and that’s when you get stuff right. I’ve been in those positions before where I’ve had the momentum built over a month or two of good testing and that’s when things click. I still feel like I have shown that I’m competitive this year and if I can step that up a little bit more I’ll be where I need to be. Then its in my hands whether I win a championship or I don’t. Again, there are guys who are riding really well, and I’ll except running second, third or fourth if I’m riding the best I can but we haven’t done that yet this year. This season has been a huge learning curve for me. What would you say would be your greatest racing achievement of your career? Besides and individual event or championship position when I look back now I think it’s just being able to, well I don’t know if survive is the right word but just being able to make a career of this for so long in the US and being able to stay competitive for so long, that alone is probably what I’m proudest of. My

best championship was a second, winning a National or competing in Des Nations even out of all of those individual things, being able to stay doing this for some long is what I’m most proud of. You can look at it all and say ‘yeah I’ve got the speed’ but to stay doing it year after year and keep fighting is tough. That’s what is difficult. Especially when you don’t have your family there for support. The second in the 450 outdoors in America was special too, and then I don’t think I finished an outdoor championship on a 450 any worse than fourth so that’s something I’m pretty stoked on as well.

concentrate and focus every piece of energy you have every day on this. That’s what it takes and that’s what I have seen in the likes of Ryan Villopoto, Ricky Charmichael, Chad Reed, it’s a dedication level early in your career that you need and you can’t get side tracked. A lot of the younger generation get so distracted by social media these days – I mean it’s a great thing but it can be poison. You have to be able to turn it on and off and not get hung up in everything that is ‘modern day cool’. At the end of the day if you want to be a professional motocross rider, it’s hard work and results that speaks the most.

For young riders looking at what you’ve managed to do in your career, and hoping to be as successful as you have been, what’s the best piece of advice would you give them? I would just say if you’re going to do this you have to dedicate yourself. You have to

Awesome, thanks so much for the chat Brett and hope to see you at Murray Bridge this weekend. No problems, thank you.

WILSON TODD DPH MOTOSPORTS YAMAHA MX2

ERIE SFS S

A L W A Y S

R E P R E S E N T

IN THE VICTORY For your local Neken stockist contact: GAS Imports Australia Pty. Ltd Ph: 03 8331-0300 | www.gasimports.com.au | Images courtesy MXN Images

RACE RECAP

DEAN FERRIS Horsham’s fourth round of the 2017 Motul MX Nationals series saw CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris again claim the overall victory in the MX1 category. Ferris’ round four win marked his fourth-straight overall victory for the 2017 season on a wet and challenging circuit that pushed the riders to their limits throughout the day.

Four rounds into the season here at Horsham and another overall win, there’s not much more that we can say – great result. Yeah it was one of those days, the track was tough and you had to be smart, I’m glad I maximised my points. It was all about getting a good start and we got two holeshots, I don’t think I’ve ever got two holeshots in one day and it really counted here. So I’m stoked with that and I’m really happy with the team, we just make good decisions at the right moments and I feel like that’s paying off – I feel like that’s the difference at the moment.

Days like this, they’re the type of days where it can go really good or it has the potential to go really bad. So to show that type of dominance in these type of conditions, it’s sort of another step forward in itself? Yeah it is, you’ve got to be the whole package and we’re already four rounds in and we’ve seen a lot of treacherous conditions. Appin was gnarly, today was gnarly and I’m glad I rose to the occasion and it’s what you need to do. Overall I’m really happy, again I enjoyed my riding today and it was a total opposite to Conondale, really slow, technical and rutted. Conondale was kind of balls to the wall, flat and wide open, so two different conditions but same smile under the helmet from me.

What was the approach in these kinds of conditions once you’re out front, what was the mindset leading for the 30 minutes in each moto? It was just keep it upright, I didn’t do sight laps so the first couple of laps it was just really looking around, every time I jumped I’d be looking around for a new line and seeing if I could find something better. I was grateful that I had a big enough lead today so that when I caught lappers I could just take my time and let them get out of the way. It was hard, there was one line and the lappers couldn’t really move out of the way either because the track was so bad off the one line, so it was just being consistent and keeping it upright.

And Murray Bridge straight away next weekened, back-to-back rounds. It would be pretty special to go in there and potentially get another win, that would be a perfect first-half of the season, so what’s the plan of attack heading in? I’m not changing anything, I’ll stick to the game plan, one race at a time and good starts, which we have been getting all year. We’ll see how we go, typically it’s a pretty good track there, it gets really physically, it’s really fast and bumpy so I’m looking forward to getting there and seeing what we can do.

Awesome, thanks a lot and well done!

Thank you.

UPCOMING ROUNDS

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ROUND 6 - NOWRA

ROUND 5 - MURRAY BRIDGE This round we head to Murray Bridge for the Retro Round of the MX

It’s go time for Round 6, and riders will be returning from the mid year break refreshed and ready to fight for the championship.

Nationals

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ROUND 8 - PORT MACQUARIE

ROUND 7 - SHEPPARTON In the heart of the Goulburn Valley right next to the town of Shepparton, this circuit is in the perfect position to play host to the Motul MX Nationals

It’s time for the MX Nationals to head back up to New South Wales for Round 8 at Port Macquarie.

VIEW THE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO

RACE RECAP

WILSON TODD In the MX2 category it was DPH Motorsport Yamahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wilson Todd who dominated the field in both motos to claim the overall win and regain the series leading red plate. MotoOnline.com.au caught up with both riders post-race.

Wilson Todd, perfect weekend here at Horsham, you got the championship lead back as well, awesome result. Yeah it’s awesome to get the championship lead back for sure, I got out and was consistent today in the mud and I’m not usually any good in the mud so I’m pretty happy about that. Just being on the podium again, that’s what I need the most and I’m happy to be here

How important was it to put these kind of results together, the consistency considering the conditions? It’s really important, in qualifying I knew there was only one good gate and that was the very inside gate. It was hard pack so I put in my best effort and ended up there, so I’m super happy I got out to two awesome starts which made it really easy for me and my bike was really clean.

The starts, they were key today like you said, but once you were out there circulating in the races was it just a matter of maintaining your focus? Yeah that’s it, I got out and just started trail riding around – going fast enough to not fall over really. Every time I went past the mechanics area the lead was bigger and bigger, so I knew I didn’t have to push, I just had to stay upright and that was the key to today.

And in terms of the championship now, obviously next weekend marks the half-way point, so how important will it be to carry the red plate into the break? Or is that something you’re not really concerned about? I’m not concerned at all, I want to be in title contention by the break, I don’t want to be a lot of points behind, I just need to be there. I mean, having the red plate is good and all, but as long as I’m there, I’m happy.

HIGHLIGHTS: RD1 HANGTOWN Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Highlights: Red Bull Hangtown Motocross Classic The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship kicked off its 2017 season on Saturday with the 49th running of the Red Bull Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova, California, mere minutes from the state capital of Sacramento. A hot afternoon and an increasingly rough track provided an incredible first test for the world’s best riders, from which both Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne tamed the conditions and their competitors to take the opening round victory. Both Tomac and Osborne posted 1-1 moto sweeps in the 450 Class and 250 Class, respctively.

Watch all the highlights here at ProMotocross.com

450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish) Eli Tomac Kawasaki (1-1) Marvin Musquin KTM (2-2) Josh Grant Kawasaki (3-3) Dean Wilson Husqvarna (10-4) Broc Tickle Suzuki (7-7) Blake Baggett KTM (6-8) Cooper Webb Yamaha (5-9) Cole Seely Honda (4-12) Justin Barcia Suzuki (11-5) Justin Bogle Suzuki (8-10)



250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish) Zach Osborne Husqvarna (1-1) Alex Martin KTM (4-4) Aaron Plessinger Yamaha (3-5) Adam Cianciarulo Kawasaki (2-8) Austin Forkner Kawasaki (11-2) Colt Nichols Yamaha (5-6) Joey Savatgy Kawasaki (7-7) Justin Hill Kawasaki (8-9) Mitchell Oldenburg KTM (6-12) Mitchell Harrison Yamaha (9-11)

SERIES SO FAR CHECK-IN AS WE APPROACH THE HALF WAY MARK

Four rounds in the books has us all looking towards the next round as teams all prepare to go back to back. Before we look to what happened at Horsham its crucial to make note of so many pivotal moments at round three at Conondale Starting of course with the thundering pace in the MXD class. The most pivotal moment came in just the first lap of the first moto. Cooper Pozniak took a huge crash finding himself in dead last position and with the pain of a suspected broken wrist could only ride through to a top 30 position and in turn handing moto one dominant Cody Dyce the series lead. As it was not the day for Pozniak, team mate and current series leader Dyce along side Morgan Fogarty showed all

the rookies to the MXD class that they are here for one thingâ&#x20AC;Ś.. the championship. Onwards to the Motul MX2 category and Round 3 looked like an echo of Round 2 with Wilson Todd and Jackson Richardson left scratching their heads wondering what needed to be done to beat the lightning fast Serco Yamaha Mitchell Evans. Evans would come from behind in both race and would left Round 3 with the red plate. As in MX2, the Thor MX1 riders were left in the dust by what can be called another master class by CDR Yamahas Dean Ferris all this would just be in lead up to the virtually jetski like condition we all encountered at Round 4. To say the heavens opened up would be an understatement with a nearly two

Story By: Todd Jarratt

Wilson Todd and Jackson Richardson left scratching their heads wondering what needed to be done to beat the lightning fast Serco Yamaha Mitchell Evans. 55

inches of rain falling on an already drowned track only 48 hours before the gates dropped. This swamped the low lying Horsham circuit and for the most part, completely changed the championship. The big changes would be seen in just the first Moto of the day with the now Victorian based Wilson Todd getting off to a flying start and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fair to say that was all anyone would see of Wilson all day. Two motos, two comfortable wins lapping up around the top Five with nearly 30% of the field unable to finish the first moto with disaster for both 56

Serco riders. The DPH Yamaha rider Todd reclaimed the red plate in dominant fashion. Though Wilson finished on the top step of the podium, it was the minor places really turning heads. To ride conditions like this are all but impossible so to do it in two classes is mind boggling. Yet it was an iron man effort from Davey Motorsport Hamish Hardwood that would see him not only finish all Motos but bring it home to take his first podium of the year riding through to second, with another surprise Kyle Webster nipping at his heals for third. With mixed results in the MX2 class, the Pirelli MXD was set to be a flyer and the number 100 Jy Roberts took this literally launching out of the gates in moto 1 and comfortably taking the win. Roberts would end the weekend on the top step of podium taking his first overall of the year, with Moto 2 winner and still series red plate holder Cody Dyce giving up alot of points and tightening the championship to just a few. Hugh Mckay would also stamp out any doubt that he isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a top running guy rounding out third on the podium. This however would end the surprise results for round 4 as once again in Thor MX1 riders, mechanics and team managers were left asking an all too familiar question. Is Dean Ferris beatable? The 2016 reigning champ and current series leader rocketed out of the gates and with two holeshots Ferris would

“This however would end the surprise results for round 4 as once again in Thor MX1 riders, mechanics and team managers were left asking an all too familiar question. Is Dean Ferris beatable?”

obliterate the field and extend the championship lead ever further from Kirk Gibbs reach. Gibbs who would ride through to second on the day only one spot ahead of team mate Luke Styke. Gibbs said he is looking forward to Round 5 as it’s a track he has seen much success, and is hoping with the support of a local crowd he can take the one extra step up the podium he so desperately needs. Leaving the mud and misery of what all would call a tough day at the office, eyes are set and excited to see the first of our sand based

tracks for the year Murray Bridge. It is a tough one to pick what the track will be like each time we head to S.A, and I think that’s what makes it exciting. Having already arrived at Murray Bridge I can confidently say all riders will be extremely impressed. The track looks to be ripped alot deeper then years gone past, being a sand track the rain is not of concern allowing the Murray Bridge club to really turn it up deep. Gibbs known to not only be a sand specialist but a Murray Bridge wiz needs to see shining results as this round 57

signifies something elseâ&#x20AC;Ś.. we are half way there. Yes, although it has flown by Round 5 will cap off the half way point with most riders looking to head into the five-week-break carrying confidence. Another man who will be looking to make a splash is none other then Brett Metcalfe. A boy from the area many years ago Metty would consider this a home round. Brett didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t partake in round four however I did get to speak to him and make no mistake Metty is pulling out all stops to ensure he takes the line at Round 5. Can he come back and slam to the top of the MX1 field? Only time will tell. Story by: Aiden Williams NRGTV Presenter

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RACING RUN-DOWN with Brodie Williams

Round three of the Australian MX Nationals would find us calling the majestic Green Park race venue, on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Conondale, home for another weekend of non stop fast paced action. Conondale holds the history of many memorable on track moments and has also been the maker and destroyer of past riderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s championship hopes over the years gone by. With this being said before pulling in for this years promised action I personally took time out to reflect on why this round will always hold a special place within the

Williams family. Being raised in a family who have lived and breathed motocross, I know that some of the most memorable moments have been made off track through years of coming to this venue. Building rock pools and swimming in the picturesque pit side river or forming our own race MOTOS once the bikes where off the track, mud sliding down the face of the jumps. As our family has changed over the years so to has the Green Park race venue. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open grass terrain allowing the flow and direction of the track to change year from year

linking together the fundamentally challenging fly over and ‘drunks hill’ in new eye catching ways. For the first time this year we had the 125cc seniors cup as our supporting class which saw past championship riders bought back to the series with the likes of Cody Mackie and Cameron Taylor back competing. From the moment the bikes took off in Qualifying the track proved its ability to seek out a riders craft and straight speed bringing forward some different riders to the front of the pack and setting the mood for an interesting and challenging days racing. After a weekend of down time and some warranted rest the next stop on the calendar would see us rolling into the Horsham Venue in Victoria for round four. Before the wheels even got rolling on the journey our rain jackets and gumboots were packed and there was much chatter about the rain forecast of 30-60ml, this didn’t seem to have the club

too worried with their wet weather preparation well under way by the time we found ourselves pulling in the gates. Truck loads of woodchips and stone had been delivered to insure the pits would not become a truck bogging ground. The weather forecast proved to be correct with over two inches of rain falling from Thursday, leaving the club unable to alter the track and setting the mood for what was sure to be a muddy day in the office. From the moment practice started it was proving very challenging to keep the bikes on two wheels and even more challenging to complete a lap, the wet weather conditions bought into light some riders who havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet had their time to shine. The championship results now stand.

MX1 Dean Ferris 288 pts Kirk Gibbs 243 pts Todd Waters 224 pts

MX2 Wilson Todd 257 pts Mitchell Evans 246 pts Jackson Richardson 224pts

MXD Cody Dyce 246 pts Jy Roberts 232 pts Morgan Fogarty 203 pts

MAGIC MOMENT

MXD START The future stars of Australian Motocross battle it out each round, all in the hopes of impressing the factory teams and earning a ride on that dream bike. The series is wide open and the unpredictability of each race is what makes it so special. After red plate holder Cooper Pozniak went down on the start straight, Jai Constantinou stepped up for his first holeshot in the class, leading early before Cody Dyce made the move to race away to the moto win.

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2017 AUSTRALIAN MX NATIONALS

VIRTUAL SERIES ROUND 3 RACE RECAP (WONTHAGGI, VICTORIA) On the second of May, we ran our 3rd Round of the 2017 Australian Mx Nationals Virtual Series, and what an event it was, always keeping everyone on their toes with the extremely rough challenging natural terrain track.

MX1 Well what show down we were in for, With Toby Stockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s being out and Colton Mitchell from the USA Only doing round 2, It was really up to Broc Pearson And Finn Collins to make the chase on the title, Broc Pearson took another incredible top qualifying spot once again followed closely by Finn Collins so we knew we were yet again in for an incredible race. MOTO 1 With race 1 getting underway, it was obvious the pressure was on between Collins and Pearson, as they could capitalise on more points than ever, with Collins jumping to an incredible start it was all up to Broc to chase him down and tango with Collins for the lead, With the race being so packed and the natural flow and speed on Conondale, It was quite interesting to see how the field would react, With trying to match the pace of the front two, with Finn showing an absolutely Dominant performance, and Broc having a Bike issue late moto, it was left to the likes of Josh Hamilton and Adam Robson to, get there first podiums of the season, with Josh checking out and Adam just having a smooth line they would follow Finn Collins across the line to their first Podiums of the season. MOTO 2 With Broc Missing out on valuable points in the first race, you could tell right from the gate drop he was hungry for a win, he took the early lead followed by Josh Hamilton and Finn Collins, while Finn And Josh battled through to the 10 Minute mark Broc made a break for it an secured quite a well distanced lead, unfortunately for Pearson he soon found himself wound up in lapped traffic and went down, giving away his lead to Finn Collins, with Josh Hamilton close by, They would battle their way to the finish line and Broc would only just beat Josh with Finn Making it a 1-1 Weekend maximising on the points he could of.

RESULTS 1st Finn Collins 2nd Josh Hamilton 3rd Adam Robson 4th Zac Corbett 5th Kurtis Thiele

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50pts 42pts 36pts 34pts 33pts

AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS 81

MX2 With our first-round heavy hitters being tangled up in a practice crash together it ruled both Jeremi Seabolt and Connor Holyak out for round 3 Early in the day, Edward Mora from the USA took the top qualifying spot, Followed closely by Mack spokes and Jordan Moxey. MOTO 1 Well it will be a race to remember for young Lyzander Bigwood from the UK taking his first Podium of the season leading from start to finish lapping most of the field of ridders, it was a truly amazing ride, Faultless he made no mistakes even when pressured early on by the Young Aussie of Mack Spokes and the USA Rider of Edward Mora, but there was nothing they had for him in the first moto, it was an intense race mid pack between the likes of Austin Ecklund and Jacob Hunger from NZ making his first top 5 of the season as well, they would finish like so, Lyzander Bigwood followed by Mack Spokes and Edward Mora MOTO 2 Yet again it was another incredible race by young Lyzander Bigwood from the UK, But a shocking crash in the first turn caused Edward Mora and Austin Ecklund to retire early from the race, With Lyzander Bigwood taking an early lead and really making a break for it early on in the 20 minute moto, But following would be Mack Spokes and Ben Geale, and what a show they put on they gapped the pack enough to secure them both podium positions and really shake up the way the field was, Dale Mullins after a huge crash in the first moto managed to come back to a 7th place finish and capitalise on some lost points in moto 1 They would come across the line like so Lyzander Bigwood, followed by Mack Spokes and Ben Geale

RESULTS 1st Lyzander Bigwood MMoto 2nd Mack Spokes Stheart 3rd Ben Geale Privateer 4th Jacob Hunger TM Factory Racing AU 5th Nathan Kennet SK Designs

47pts 45pts 42pts 32pts 28pts

UK AUS AUS NZ AUS 83

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MXNATIONALS PROGRAM, RIDER LISTS, PROFILES AND PRESS RELEASES

Mur ray

WHO W ILL WI N

DOWN TH G E IN

VE U

T IF

UN RO

B r i dge, SA

E MURRAY BRIDGE. Murray Bride has been on the MX Nationals Calendar for many years now and for good reason – It’s highly regarded as being one of the best circuits in Australia. The flowing turns and red sand allow riders to be very aggressive and carry lots of corner speed. The massive roller section at the back of the circuit is one of the major keys to the race proving to be very technical, it’s also a fan favourite.If your heading to Round 5 you will also be treated to one of the special themed rounds on the calendar “The 2017 Retro Round” This means teams and riders alike will throwback to yesteryear and display retro bike and riding gear. It’s definitely a fun concept for all involved.

RND 5 SCHEDULE START

CLASS

DURATION

8:00am

MX2 Practice / Qualifying

25 Min

8:30am

MXD Practice / Qualifying

25 Min

9:00am

125cc Juniors P/Q

20 Min

9:25am

MX1 Practice / Qualifying

30 Min

10:00am

Go Pro Super Pole

10 Min

10:05am

Official Opening

5 Min

10.25am

Motul MX2 Moto 1

30 + 1 lap

11:10am

Pirelli MXD Moto 1

20 + 1 lap

11:45am

Thor MX1 Moto 1

30 + 1 lap

12:20pm

Lunch

60 Min

1:20pm

125cc Juniors Moto 1

15 Min

1:50pm

Motul MX2 Moto 2

20 + 1 lap

2:35pm

Thor MX1 Moto 2

30 + 1 lap

3.20pm

Pirelli MXD Moto 2

20 + 1 lap

3:50pm

125cc Juniors Moto 2

15 Min

CHAMPIONSHIP POINT ALLOCATION PER MOTO 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

35 32 30 28 26

6th 7th 8th 9th 10th

25 24 23 22 21

11th 12th 13th 14th 15th

20 19 18 17 16

16th 17th 18th 19th 20th

15 14 13 12 11

21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th

10 9 8 7 6

26th 27th 28th 29th 30th

5 4 3 2 1

INSIDE THE



MECHANICS MIND

I caught up with the men who are behind getting the bikes over the line on race day performing their best.

What is your most useful tool on Race day? “It’s got to be my head!”

Wilsons Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki mechanic and the man behind Kyle Peters Luke Jones;

What is the most common thing you will say to Kirk on his lap board? “I like to give Kirk his position and his Lap times so he races himself”

What is the last thing you say to Kyle before the gates drop? “Go get it Tomac style” What is your most useful tool on race day? “8mm T-bar, because it fits almost every bolt on the bike” What is the most common thing you will write on Kyles lap board? “Just go for it and FLOW” KTM Factory’s Kirk Gibb’s right hand man Craig Bolton; What is the last thing you say to your rider before the gates drop? “I always tell him to have fun, good luck and I know you can do it”

CDR Yamaha Mechanic and the man behind Dean Ferris Aiden Meltzer; What’s the last thing you say to dean before the gates drop? “Good Luck” What is your most useful tool on race day? “Definitely the 8mm T-bar couldn’t do without it” What is the most common thing you write on Deans Lap board? “I always write the lap times and usually the gap between him and the next rider”

MX1

Dean Ferris |

1st

ROUND 4 RECAP Horsham delivers Ferris with fourth Thor MX1 round victory CDR Yamahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dean Ferris took his fourth consecutive Thor MX1 overall victory at Horsham thanks to another flawless score card across two motos, at what was a challenging fourth instalment of the Motul MX Nationals today.

T O P S P O T S

2nd

| Kirk Gibbs

3rd

| Todd Waters

4th

| Kade Mosig

5th

| Luke Styke

MX1 PRESENTED BY THOR

In the two days prior to todays event, heavy rain blanketed the Western Victorian venue, but the sun came out when it mattered and when the gates opened at Horsham, spectators and fans we treated to ideal weather conditions and a technically demanding track, which Ferris relished in. When riders in the premier Thor MX1 class headed out for their practice and qualifying sessions this morning, riders were forced to take on their first muddy track of the season. With the conditions proving difficult, most opted to put down minimum laps, and it was KTM’s Kirk Gibbs who was fastest of the session on only his first lap (2:17.125). It was once again no surprise the CDR Yamaha’s Ferris was well within the top times recording a 2:18.187 lap time which ensured he was second quickest, while DPH Motorsport’s Kade Mosig found his speed late in the session placing him in third (2:18.221). Crankt Protein Honda Racing’s Todd Waters and MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Aleksandr Tonkov were the final two riders to progress through to GoPro Superpole. But for the first time this season it wasn’t Ferris who collected the GoPro Superpole victory. Waters managed a lightening fast 2:10.510 hot lap time, awarding him his first GoPro win of 2017, three championship points, and first pick of the MX1 grid.

100

MOTO 1 With the Horsham track claiming a number of machines in other categories by the time the Thor MX1 class lined up for their first moto this morning, thousands of spectators watched on eager to witness the premier class take on the gruelling track conditions. When the gate dropped and riders headed in to the first turn, it was an all out battle for the holeshot, but once again it was CDR Yamaha’s Ferris who wasted no time securing the Raceline holeshot and from there he moved in to a familiar position – the race lead. With a clear track ahead of him Ferris took full advantage of the first lap, stretching his lead out to an impressive nine seconds. Slotting in to second place behind him was KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Luke Styke, followed by MX1 rookie Luke Clout in third. Despite securing his first GoPro Superpole win this morning, Waters was back in tenth place after one lap, and on a mission to make up time due to a first turn crash. By the time riders headed into lap three, Clout had gotten by the far more experienced

Styke, and was looking ultra comfortable in second position. Behind the top three DPH Motorsport’s Mosig was in fourth, followed by fastest qualifier Gibbs who was circulating with the absence of goggles. As race one progressed, Ferris began to come under fire from second placed Clout, who had gradually made up ground on the CDR Yamaha machine, but as soon as Ferris felt the pressure he accelerated away, dashing any hopes of a battle for the lead. Meanwhile, despite riding without the protection of goggles, Gibbs was in no way deterred, and by the time riders reached the six lap mark, the KTM rider had made the pass on Mosig for fourth, where he began to eye off his teammate Styke.

101

Another rider who was capturing the attention of the crowd with his charge through the pack was Waters – the Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team rider had managed to make his way from tenth to sixth by the halfway mark in the moto. With 20 minutes run, Ferris was four seconds a lap faster than any other rider on track, showcasing his undeniable consistency and skill aboard his CDR Yamaha machine. And it was in the top spot that Ferris remained for the duration of the 30 minutes, crossing the finish line to collect his sixth moto win in race one at Horsham. Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team rider Clout finished in second, recording his best result of the season, while Styke also managed his best race finish so far in 2017, coming home in third. DPH Motorsport’s Mosig snatched back fourth in the later stages of the moto followed by Gibbs who slipped back to fifth. Waters, Tonkov, Davey Motorsport’s Hamish Harwood, Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki’s Kyle Peters, and Lachlan Davis (KTM) completed the top ten.

102

MOTO 2 In the second moto for the Thor MX1 class, competitors were welcomed to drier track conditions, and it was Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s rookie Clout and Ferris who were neck and neck off the start, but in what seems to be the theme this year, it took less than a lap for Ferris to find his way into the lead position. Behind Ferris and Clout, was once again KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Styke in third, while MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Tonkov got to a solid start finding himself in fourth. With the track far more technical in the second moto, Ferris’ showed off his confidence and ability, and by the three-lap mark was more than five seconds a lap quicker than his competitors. Clout, who is only in his first year in the MX1 class, continued in second position, while Styke began to come under fire his team mate Gibbs in what was shaping up to be an exciting battle for third. With Gibbs desperate for championship

points, it wasn’t long before the KTM rider made the move on Styke, while Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki’s Peters passed Waters for fifth on the very same lap. By the half way point in race two, it became clear that Ferris was on another level, continuing to lead by a huge margin from Clout and Gibbs in second and third positons. Peters made his way up to fourth, followed by Waters and Styke who unfortunately had slipped back to sixth position. With nine laps in the books, Clout began to feel the pressure from Gibbs who was navigating his way through the field, testing the young rider’s ability – but just as the fight

103

for the position was heating up, Clout’s bike let out a plume of smoke, and only seconds later the young Honda rider was pushing his bike back to the pits, dashing any hopes of a podium. With Clout out of the picture, his teammate Waters inherited third place, while Peters followed suit slotting up to fourth. With only a lap remaining, Ferris was simply unstoppable – the margin to second placed Gibbs growing greater with every turn, and with both Gibbs and Waters behind him with their goggles around their arms, the CDR Yamaha rider was under minimal threat.

104

So when the chequered flag flew for the final time at Horsham today, it was no surprise to see Ferris once again finish victorious. Second in moto two was taken by KTM’s Gibbs, while Waters managed to hold on for third. Styke and Peters wrapped up race two in fourth and fifth places respectively, while Harwood, Mosig, Tonkov, Davis and Joel Green completed the top ten in race two. However, the man of the moment was Ferris at the conclusion of racing today, his 1,1 race finishes rewarding him with his fourth consecutive round win at Horsham. Second on the podium was secured by Gibbs, while teammate Styke completed the Thor MX1 podium.

DEAN FERRIS – CDR YAMAHA – ROUND 4 WINNER “The track was tough at Horsham, today was one of those days where you had to be smart and I’m glad that we were able to maximise our points, Ferris said. “It was all about getting a good start, and I got two holeshots – I’m not sure if I’ve done that before but it really counted here. “The team and I, we have made really good decisions at the right moments and that’s paying off – that’s what’s making the difference at the moment. “You have to be the whole package – we’re four rounds in and I’m glad that I was able to rise to the occasion today. It’s what you need to do and overall I’m really happy.”

PRESENTS

M X 1 R E S U LT S NUMBER

RIDER NAME

BIKE

POINTS

Dean Ferris

Yamaha

288

Kirk Gibbs

KTM

243

-45

Todd Waters

Honda

224

-64

Kade Mosig

Yamaha

223

-65

Luke Styke

KTM

215

-73

Kyle Peters

Suzuki

182

-106

159

Aleksandr Tonkov

Kawasaki

173

-115

Luke Clout

Honda

173

-115

199

Nathan Crawford

Kawasaki

149

-139

144

Keiron Hall

Husqvarna

148

-140

Lachlan Davis

KTM

136

-152

153

Hamish Harwood

KTM

132

-156

Joel Green

KTM

132

-156

James Alen

KTM

121

-167

237

Zak Small

Husqvarna

114

-174

Brett Metcalfe

Husqvarna

109

-179

264

Izak Maule

Yamaha

-196

117

Dylan Long

Yamaha

-206

Joel Wightman

Honda

-214

Brodie Sims

Yamaha

-215

oliver James

Honda

-225

Daniel Banks

KTM

-225

Charlie Creech

Honda

-229

Rory McKercher

Honda

-237

414

Jesse Dobson

Honda

-238

Corey James

Yamaha

-242

Jesse Bishop

Yamaha

-251

Cory Watts

Honda

-256

Russell Scoble

Honda

-261

351

Thomas Hill

Honda

-263

106

DIFFERENCE

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MX2

Wilson Todd |

1st

ROUND 4 RECAP Todd reclaims Motul MX2 Championship lead at Horsham Horsham Motocross Track roared to life today, with DPH Motorsportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wilson Todd securing the Motul MX2 overall victory and the categoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s red plate at Round 4 of the 2017 Motul MX Nationals in Western Victoria.

108

T O P S P O T S

2nd

| Hamish Harwood

3rd

| Kyle Webster

4th

| Ricky Latimer

5th

| Mitchell Evans

MX2 PRESENTED BY MOTUL

109

It was an unusual day of racing for the fourth instalment of the championship, with riders taking to the track in pristine weather conditions today, however below their wheels, the surface was a completely different story. After heavy rain had fallen in the lead up to round four, riders were forced to contend with an extremely muddy track for their qualifying session, but it was DPH Motorsportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Todd who set the pace this morning with a 2:10.582 lap time, more than four seconds quicker than second fastest qualifier Hamish Harwood (2:14.266) while KSF Racingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dylan Wills was third fastest on track thanks to a 2:14.759 lap time. Unfortunately for KTM two-stroke rider Egan Mastin of Davey Motorsports, despite initially setting the fastest time in qualifying (2:10.086) he was penalised three positions due to jumping under a yellow flag.

110

MOTO 1 When riders lined up for their first moto of the day, the sun was out but the track remained wet and muddy, and as a result riders opted to forgo their sighting lap and head straight into a race start. When the gate dropped it was Todd who got the jump and secured the first Raceline holeshot, but with a slippery and wet surface to contend with, WBR Yamaha’s Aaron Tanti was able to find grip and challenge the DPH Motorsport’s rider. However, Tanti went down only a few turns later handing the lead back to Todd, where he then had a clear track ahead of him. With 30 minutes on the clock in moto one for the Motul MX2 class, riders played it smart in the opening laps, ensuring that they preserved their machines for the duration of the race. Behind Todd after two rotations was Serco Yamaha’s Jackson Richardson, followed by Harwood and Penrite CRF Honda Racing’s Kyle Webster.

Despite not getting the best of starts, red plate holder Mitchell Evans began to make his way to the front by the third lap, and with riders going down left right and centre in the mud, it was a mission to simply keep their machines upright. But Todd was having no issue with the conditions out in front, the Yamaha rider stretching out his lead to an incredible half a lap by the time riders had reached the half way mark. Behind him, Richardson continued to maintain second position despite going down numerous times, followed by Webster, Harwood and red plate holder Evans in fifth. With the track proving to be brutal in moto one, it was simply survival of the fittest, and unfortunately for Richardson a small mistake proved costly, dropping from second 111

back to sixth in a matter of seconds. With less that five minutes left on the clock in the opening moto Todd continued to lead from Harwood who was the only rider that the DPH Motorsport’s leader hadn’t lapped. Webster slipped back to third thanks to a pass from Kiwi Harwood, followed by Mitchell Evans and Richie Evans in fourth and fifth places respectively. But it was Todd’s patience and technique that paid off in moto one, surviving the toughest conditions of the season to take the first race win at Horsham. Second in race

112

one and the only rider not lapped by Todd was Harwood, followed by Webster in third. Red plate holder Evans wrapped up the opening moto in fourth, followed by Ricky Latimer in fifth. KSF Racing’s Wills, Tomas Ravenhorst, WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha’s Tanti, Lachlan Wilson and James Brown all completed the top ten. Incredibly 16 riders registered a DNF in the first Motul MX2 class race, indicative of the conditions that competitors were forced to contend with.

MOTO 2 After the challenge of moto one, in race two it was a dash for points for the Motul MX2 competitors. And when gates dropped for the second time today it was Todd once again who shot off the start and secured the holeshot. With the start playing a huge role in the outcome of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s racing, Harwood and privateer Latimer wasted no time slotting in behind their race leader, while Richardson was just outside the top three in fourth, desperately racing for points after a disappointing race one finish. After three laps on track, one rider who was visibly absent from the top ten was red plate holder Mitchell Evans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Evans who had entered the round having been undefeated since round two was back in 14th position and with a large task ahead of him if he was to chase down the leaders. With only 20 minutes to race in the second moto for the Motul MX2 class, both Harwood and Latimer were charging hard in a bid to keep race leader Todd in their sights,

while behind them, Richardson, Webster and Mastin were locked into their own battle for top five positions. By the halfway point in race two, Todd looked unstoppable in P1, followed by Harwood, Latimer, and Serco Yamahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Richardson. As the Motul MX2 class reached its later stages in race two, riders had settled in to their positions, but one thing was certain and that was that no one was getting near the DPH rider Wilson Todd. When the chequered flag flew on the second moto it was Todd who crossed the line victorious by more than 22 seconds, while Ironman Harwood recorded his best result so far this season finishing in second, followed by privateer Latimer who also finished in a career 113

best third in moto two. CRF Honda Racing’s Webster and Serco Yamaha’s Richardson wrapped up the second race in fourth and fifth places respectively. Mastin, Wills, Raceline Pirelli KTM’s Rykers, Mitchell Evans, and Richie Evans all finished inside the top ten in moto two.

114

With 1,1 race results Todd was rewarded with the round four win as well as the red plate at Horsham this afternoon , second on the podium was Kiwi Harwood, while consistency paid off for Webster who’s 3,4 results handed him with third overall at Horsham.

WILSON TODD – DPH MOTORSPORTS YAMAHA – ROUND 4 WINNER “It’s awesome to get the championship lead back – I went out there today and I was consistent in the mud and these aren’t conditions that usually suit me so I’m pretty happy,” Todd shared. “I knew when I went out for qualifying that there was only one gate that I wanted and that was the inside, so I put in my best effort to get there and it paid off. “Being on the podium is what we need the most, its really important. I got two awesome starts which made it easier – we kept the mud off the bike, got two wins, and the red plate so we couldn’t be happier.” 115

PRESENTS

M X 2 R E S U LT S NUMBER

RIDER NAME

BIKE

POINTS

DIFFERENCE

Wilson Todd

Yamaha

257

Mitchell Evans

Yamaha

246

-11

Jackson Richardson

Yamaha

224

-33

Egan Mastin

KTM

215

-42

153

Hamish Harwood

KTM

213

-44

Kyle Webster

Honda

208

-49

Dylan Wills

Husqvarna

186

-71

Aaron Tanti

Yamaha

178

-79

Ricky Latimer

Yamaha

168

-89

Jayden Rykers

KTM

168

-89

Richie Evans

Yamaha

157

-100

Joel Evans

Yamaha

132

-125

Jesse McNally

Yamaha

114

-143

188

Tomas Ravenhorst

Yamaha

112

-145

Bailey Coxon

Yamaha

101

-156

392

Calib Best

Yamaha

-168

Jayden Conforto

Kawasaki

-173

107

Darren Schenk

Kawasaki

-179

Jarrod Kelly

KTM

-184

219

Lachlan Wilson

Yamaha

-189

Levi McManus

Honda

-200

Jake Salems

KTM

-210

Wade Kirkland

KTM

-215

Karl Claridge

KTM

-217

Luke Arbon

Husqvarna

-220

James Brown

Yamaha

-221

112

daniel figueroa

Yamaha

-226

151

Nick Sutherland

Yamaha

-227

Darcy Cavanagh

Kawasaki

-230

602

Lochie Latimer

Yamaha

-232

116

SEE MORE RESULTS >

MXD

Jy Roberts |

1st

ROUND 4 RECAP Roberts races to Pirelli MXD overall victory at Horsham Tons of spectators watched on as the Pirelli MXD class took on gruelling track conditions at Round 4 of the Motul MX Nationals at Horsham today, with Husqvarnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jy Roberts concluding the event with a round win for the first time this season.

118

T O P S P O T S

2nd

| Cody Dyce

3rd

| Hugh McKay

4th

| Cooper Pozniak

5th

| Brodie Ellis

MXD PRESENTED BY PIRELLI

119

It was a battle in the mud that MXD competitors were forced to contend with today, with Roberts putting in two consistent rides which saw him leave Horsham victorious. The Pirelli MXD riders took on the mud and deep ruts during their qualifying session this morning, but it was actually SD3 Husqvarnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kaleb Barham who topped the time sheets and secured first gate pick with a 2:32.904 lap time on his first and only hot lap. Second quickest this morning was New Zealander Wyatt Chase (2:36.039) followed by Dylan Wood who wrapped up the session in third (2:36.835).

120

MOTO 1 The Pirelli MXD class lined up for their first race just after 11am this morning, and much like their qualifying session, the track was muddy and challenging. When the gate dropped, Roberts (Husqvarna) secured the Raceline holeshot and moved in to the race lead, followed by Chase, and Yamalube Yamaha Racingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cooper Pozniak.

With the circuit dishing out the most difficult conditions of the season, riders were forced to be calculated and patient, and with 20 minutes on the clock in moto one, it was also imperative that riders kept the mud off their machines. After only two laps, riders were close to unrecognisable with dirt covering the bikes and gear of all competitors. But despite having a number of moments, Roberts continued to lead. Pozniak made his way up to second place aboard his Yamaha, followed by Sam Pelz (Yamaha) in third.

A notable absentee from the front of the pack was red plate holder Cody Dyce, who after three laps was back in ninth position. With the track continuing to change with every lap, the Pirelli MXD class showed plenty of maturity in moto one, and with eight minutes left on the clock, Roberts continued to keep his Husqvarna machine upright. Pelz who had been in third place dropped back to sixth allowing Wood to inherit the final podium position. After 18 minutes, Roberts looked strong out in front, while Pozniak managed 121

to hold on to second position from Wood in third. Chase and Jai Constintinou remained in fourth and fifth, while red plate holder Dyce had made his way up to sixth. When the last lap board was finally displayed riders were nothing short of relieved, and with Roberts out in front, the Husqvarna rider simply had a single rotation left to collect a victory. And collect a win is

122

exactly what Roberts did. Second place in race one was taken by Pozniak, while Chase was gifted third, thanks to a DNF from Wood. Constantinou wrapped up the opening Pirelli MXD moto in fourth followed by Bulk Nutrients WBR Yamahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hugh McKay who finished in fifth. Dyce, Tredinnick, Brodie Ellis, and Isaac Ferguson completed the top ten in race one for the Pirelli MXD class.

MOTO 2 In the final Pirelli MXD moto it was Roberts once again who snatched up the Raceline holeshot, but it was Yamaha mounted Pelz who moved in to the early race lead, with red plate holder Dyce, and Roberts slotting in behind him.

With only 20 short minutes on the clock in race two, Dyce wasted no time chasing down the MXD race leader Pelz, and by the time riders headed in to lap two Dyce had made the pass and began to check out. Behind the top two, Roberts continued to hold off WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha’s McKay in fourth, while Ellis who had been in fifth dropped back to seventh position after four laps on track. With riders’ relatively spread out as the second moto unfolded, McKay captured the attention of the crowd, making his way past Pelz for third position, however the track was

simply unforgiving this afternoon, and only a lap later McKay went down but the Yamaha rider was able to re-join the pack in the same position. As riders approached the later stages of the moto, SD3 Husqvarna’s Barham came through the pack, passing both McKay and Pelz on the way to slot in to the final podium position. But with only two laps remaining, it was Dyce who looked solid and in control of the final moto. So when the chequered flag flew for the final time at Horsham this afternoon, it was no surprise to see Dyce cross the line

123

victorious, second place was taken by race one winner Roberts, while Barham wrapped up his final moto in third. Yamaha backed McKay and Pelz crossed the line in fourth and fifth places respectively, followed by Ellis, Raceline Pirelli KTMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fogarty, Williams, Norton, and Wood who completed the Pirelli MXD top ten in moto two.

124

With 1,2 race results it was Roberts who secured the overall victory at the conclusion of todays racing for the first time this season, while red plate holder Dyce took in a solid haul of points taking second step on the Pirelli MXD podium. Third today was Bulk Nutrients WBR Yamaha Racing Teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s McKay after racing to 5,4 race results at Horsham.

JY ROBERTS – HUSQVARNA AUSTRALIA – ROUND 4 WINNER “I’m stoked with how today went especially considering the track conditions here at Horsham,” Roberts shared. “I went out there and put consistent laps down and managed to get 1,2 results for my first overall. “I’ve had a couple of second place finishes this year so to get that round win feels awesome. Hopefully I can carry that momentum into Murray Bridge next weekend.” 125

PRESENTS

M X D R E S U LT S NUMBER

RIDER NAME

BIKE

POINTS

DIFFERENCE

Cody Dyce

Yamaha

246

100

Jy Roberts

Husqvarna

232

-14

Morgan Fogarty

KTM

203

-43

Cooper Pozniak

Yamaha

197

-49

149

isaac ferguson

KTM

191

-55

Hugh McKay

Yamaha

177

-69

Kaleb Barham

Husqvarna

176

-70

Jai Constantinou

Honda

170

-76

Brodie Ellis

Yamaha

159

-87

Sam Pelz

Yamaha

149

-97

Benjamin Broad

Kawasaki

135

-111

118

Callum Norton

KTM

127

-119

Dylan Wood

Kawasaki

120

-126

Jye Dickson

KTM

112

-134

Jake Williams

Yamaha

-155

121

Liam Walsh

KTM

-157

Alex Watt

Husqvarna

-158

Jackson Coulson

Yamaha

-160

Riley Dukes

-168

Justin Hart

Husqvarna

-170

281

Lachlan Torpy

KTM

-173

Wyatt Chase

Suzuki

-174

521

Kane Fischer

Husqvarna

-187

Nicholas Luksich

Honda

-190

Josh Tredinnick

Kawasaki

-190

110

Ryan Kenney

KTM

-191

Chandler Burns

KTM

-201

Q94

Quinlen Adams

Yamaha

-205

Jake Cobbin

Yamaha

-215

josh Brewster

KTM

-217

COMP CODE: 64-DYLANWILLS 126

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2 3

CTIKNEEBRACES.COM.AU

http://www.mxnationals.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CDR-Yamaha-logo.jpg http://www.mxnationals.com.au/w

k : Craig Dac R E G A N A M ER / ERS: 8 TEAM OWN TEAM MEMB IPS WON: 48 H S N IO P M A CH

ERRIS #1 DEAN F Class: MX1 Age: 27 Kyogle NSW Hometown: a YZ450F Bike: Yamah heel111 IG: @ferrisw

#117

N LONG #117 DYLA Class: MX1 Age: 22 Benalla, VIC Hometown: a YZ450F Bike: Yamah ng IG: @dvlanlo

wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CDR-Yamaha-logo.jpg

FERRIS FORGES AHEAD AT MX NATIONALS ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’ and CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris certainly lived up to that old chestnut when he turned in his most impressive performance to date, dominating round four of the MX Nationals in a mud-laden, rut infested, Horsham motocross track. With a track sodden with lead up rain, making it one of the hardest and most challenging tracks of recent times, Ferris was simply a cut above his rivals on Sunday taking his fourth consecutive round win and extending his lead in the premier MX1 division. It wasn’t just the fact that he won both motos to win the round, or the fact the he led every lap of every race but add to that the winning margin back to his nearest rivals of 47 seconds in race one and then 42 seconds in race two and you begin to understand the dominance he is asserting in 2017. Those margins are almost unheard of at a national professional level in motocross but Ferris ran riot on the weekend on a track that had to be seen to be believed. His only blemish of the day came in the Go Pro Superpole lap when he got all sorts of sideways through on of the muddy jumps sections and was forced to correct the mistake before getting back on the gas but he still managed to take the second fastest lap and have a good pick on the starting gate. “I had a good time out on the track today,” Ferris says with a smile out the end of the day. “It wasn’t a track that rewarded crazy riding, you had to think your way through it and continue to make smart decisions all day and

“Starts also proved important as following would have made vision difficult so it was great that I got both holeshots and led the first lap in each race. I think it is the first time I actually have got two holeshots at the MX Nationals and I’m glad it was today and on this track. “I can’t thank the CDR Yamaha team enough as things are going really well at the moment. Everyone did it just as tough as the riders today working in difficult conditions and again the guys did a great job,” Ferris explains. Now with a 43 point lead in the championship, Ferris and the team face a quick one week turn around to be ready for round five of the championship at Murray Bridge in South Australia this weekend. “The team will have a huge amount of work to do back at the workshop this week while I will head home and continue my usual routine. After the Murray Bridge round we have a five week break in the MX Nationals so it’s important to finish the first half of the season on a strong note and Murray Bridge is a track I enjoy racing so I look forward to racing there next weekend,” he ends. For more information and a full list of results, www. mxnationals.com.au

fortunately the team and I were able to get those right on the weekend.

VIEW TEAM PROFILE

s : Gavin Eale R E G A N A M ER / ERS: 5 TEAM OWN TEAM MEMB HIPS WON: 7 S N IO P M A H C

#11

N ICHARDSO R N O S K C #11 JA Class: MX2 Age: 22 Cairns, QLD Hometown: a YZ250F Bike: Yamah o IG: @jatzrich

#43

EVANS #43 MITCH Class: MX2 Age: 18 Cairns, QLD Hometown: a Yz250F Bike: Yamah vans43 IG: @mitche

DIRTY DAY FOR SERCO YAMAHA The thick, sticky mud at the clay based Horsham motocross circuit, tossed up all sorts of challenges for the Serco Yamaha duo of Mitch Evans and Jackson Richardson but despite the rough day, both remain firmly in contention for the MX2 championship, siting second and third respectively. On a day that most riders clicked into survival mode to just circulate the difficult conditons, both Serco Yamaha riders fell from their machines at critical stages during the day and as a result, weren’t able to cash in on their good speed. MX2 rookie, Mitch Evans carried the points leaders red plate into the round after some sensational racing at rounds two and three. Evans was confident in the mud as he had previously done well in wet conditions but the day ay Horsham proved unlike anything he had raced before. In moto one, Evans was in a terrible position as the field battled through turn one. To his credit, he stayed calm while there was carnage all around him and he rounded the first lap in a respectable sixth place. He continued to work away and slowly moved forward to take fourth place at the completion of the 30minute moto. Race two and Evans wasn’t as fortunate. He fell in the first turn and was stone last to get up and moving again. He came past the finish line on the first lap in 24th place and with a lot of work ahead of him. On a difficult track to pass, Evans managed to claw his way up to ninth place by the end of the race and round out the weekend in fifth overall. “It was a tough weekend, no question,” Evans stated at days’ end. “Starts here were so important as vision was terrible when behind other riders and my starts weren’t what they needed to be today.

“I made a few mistakes and it was hard to even keep it on two wheels in some sections but I was able to keep my bike running and get through the day safely and not lose too many points so that’s the positive. “Hopefully it won’t be as wet at Murray Bridge next week and we can get things back on track there,” Evans ends. It was a day of what could have been for team mate, Jackson Richardson. Richardson was in great shape in moto one sitting comfortably in second place after six laps, within sight of the leader and miles ahead of the third placed rider when he went down in the deep bog in turn one. From there it was next to impossible to lift his machine from the mud and he lost several laps trying to get his bike out of the mess. By the time the race was over, Richardson was in 11th place as the 16 out of the 29 riders in the MX2 class were unable to finish the race. Things were also going well in moto two for Richardson who was sitting inside the top five in the early stages. Despite some near misses and plenty of ‘moments’ on the track, Richardson was able to consolidate his position and maintain it to the end where he finished in fifth place. His 11-5 results gave him seventh for the round and moved him up to third in the championship. “It was a frustrating day for everyone,” Richardson laments. “The mud was unbelievable in the first moto and when I went down, it was impossible to get the bike out. Then in race two I just had to get a reasonable result to keep me in the championship.

VIEW TEAM PROFILE

op Scott Bish : R E G A N A TEAM M ERS: 6 TEAM MEMB HIPS WON: 5 S N IO P M A H C

#33

DYCE #33 CODY Class: MXD Age: 17 Tinamba, VIC Hometown: a YZ250F Bike: Yamah yce33 IG: @cody_d

#17

K ER POZNIA #17 COOP Class: MXD Age: 18 NSW Woodrising, Hometown: a YZ250F Bike: Yamah ozniak17 IG: @cooperp

POINTS LEAD AND PAIN FOR YAMALUBE YAMAHA RACING

Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Cody Dyce continues to lead the 2017 MXD Championship after finishing in second at round four of the MX Nationals held on a wet, rutted and challenging Horsham circuit, in Victoria. On a track that many riders had trouble circulating, the 16-year-old Victorian rider was able to deal with the conditions and finish on the podium. Dyce also had his fair share of issues on the muddy, clay based track that made bikes extremely heavily and difficult to ride over the length of a race but Dyce continued to battle on and now holds a 14-point lead in the championship at the half way point of the MXD series. Dyce overcame a first turn fall and then another fall mid race to take sixth in race one in a good points salvaging ride. With riders going down all over the track it was hard to keep track of what was happening on the track but Dyce continued to roll around and finish the race, unlike many in the MXD field. But he rebounded strongly in race two and got his day back on track. After coming out of the first turn in third place, he quickly moved into second and then jumped into the lead as the field completed the opening lap. From there he was never challenged and he rode away to a 25 second win in an impressive ride on a difficult track. His 6-1 results for the day saw him land in second place for the day and continue to lead the MXD championship. “I really struggled this morning, both in practice and in race one,” Dyce said. “I’m not sure what was going wrong, maybe crashing early in each session and getting my grips and bike filthy? I usually like it when its muddy but I found it tough this morning. “But, I was able to get things sorted for race two and with a much better start, I got to the lead as quickly as I could and I was able to ride my own race from there.

“The guys in the team did a great job during the day and they were under the pump getting bikes turned around and ready for the races so a huge thank you to Cory, Mike and Rob who all put in a huge effort today,” Dyce ends. Cooper Pozniak finished the day in fourth place as he recovers from a wrist injury sustained at round three in Queensland. Pozniak rode a well-constructed race in moto one to claim second position as he made some passes early in the race before settling down to a comfortable and sustainable pace. Moto two and Pozniak was again inside the top five and tracking well until he came up on some lapped riders and tried to make a pass through a thick, muddy section. Unfortunately, as he sliced through the mud, he lost traction and went down in arguably the softest and wettest part of the track. Picking up his mud laden machine and then getting it started took some time and he lost several positions. He crossed the line in 13th place and was clearly disappointed with the outcome of the final moto. The fourth for the round moves Pozniak back into fourth position in the championship, just six points away from third “Today my goal was to put two good motos together and I was on track after the first race. I stayed calm and just continued to read my pit board and stay exactly where I was. The plan was the same for race two but I tried to pass a lapped rider in the wrong spot and went down. The front end of the bike grabbed pretty hard and a gave my wrist a bit of a hit but otherwise I’m okay. “So it was a frustrating end to the day but I will continue to work on making good decisions on the track and redeem myself at Murray Bridge this weekend. Thank you to everyone on the Yamalube Yamaha Racing team for a massive effort today in the mud and hopefully I can reward them next week,” Pozniak said.

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t ay Marmon J : R E G A N A TEAM M ERS: 5 TEAM MEMB IPS WON: 21 H S N IO P M A CH

BS #5 KIRK GIB Class: MX1 Age: 28 SA nt Gambier, u o M : n w to Home 0SX-F Bike: KTM 45 bs IG: @kirkgib

#26

STYKE #26 LUKE Class: MX1 Age: 25 D GLISTON, QL Hometown: 0SX-F Bike: KTM 45 IG: @styke26

DOUBLE PODIUM FOR KTM IN HORSHAM EPIC

KTM Motocross Racing Team riders Kirk Gibbs and Luke Styke excelled in the gnarliest of muddy conditions to score their first double-podium of the season at the fourth round of the 2017 MX Nationals series at Horsham. On a day that reduced the best-laid strategies to survival mode across all four classes, Gibbs and Styke underlined their status as operators of the highest calibre, powering their KTM 450 SX-F machines to second and third on the day, respectively, behind defending champion Dean Ferris. Gibbs had earlier qualified fastest for the round and set the fourth-fastest Go-Pro Super Pole time, but couldn’t quite nail the moto starts he needed to bring his abundant speed to bear. He got tangled with lappers and had a couple of small falls in the first race, but in both cases pushed on with trademark Gibbs grit on his way to 5-2 results. His KTM team mate Luke Styke used gunfighterquick starts to begin both his campaigns from top-two positions, and despite a fall in the second moto registered 3-4 finishes. Davey Motorsports’ ironman Hamish Harwood gelled particularly well with the glutinous conditions, and slopped and slithered to easily his best finish of the MX1 championship – a seventh in class in amongst the factory bikes on his KTM 300 EXC. MX1 – Jay Marmont – KTM Motocross Racing Team Manager: “It was great for the team to have both riders on the podium here. As a team we worked hard during the week finding little things to create a bit more confidence, but unfortunately the track didn’t allow us to feel all those gains – it was basically just survival mode. Kirk struggled with his starts today but in typical Kirk Gibbs style he fought through and showed some great speed. Luke was top-two both times at the first turn, and got a really good first moto result. He crashed in the second while in a good position, but then worked his way back to a podium. Hopefully this result gives Luke confidence to push for top three in the championship.”

Kirk Gibbs – KTM450SX-F: “Again I’m not happy, obviously the fitness is there and it feels like the speed is there, but I’m not getting away early and it’s too hard to make it up. The first moto was really tough with lappers, with the track being wet there was only one real line and I got caught with them and went down a few times. The second moto was a lot better, but when Clouty’s bike stopped right in front of me I had a bit of a wild ride trying to miss him. The bike’s great and everything’s feeling really good at the moment, but without me getting off the line better, we aren’t getting the chance to race for wins, so we’ll go home and keep working on that and try to fight for some wins at Murray Bridge.” Luke Styke – KTM450SX-F: “A great day! I changed my program up a little bit in the last few weeks and just set about trying to be more efficient on the bike and it helped a lot. My bike was awesome, and the changes we made going into the round improved our balance, too. Practice and qualifying were good; I was on the verge of making it into Super Pole but got pipped on the last lap, but I stayed positive and really worked on my starts, and got two, top-two starts. First moto was solid – a slow start but a strong finish so that gave me some confidence. I was riding good in the second moto and holding second, but came unstuck and went down pretty hard. Then I just tried to regroup and battle all the way to the end from there. We went 3,4 for the weekend and I’m really happy.”

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isdale GER: Chris T A N A M M A E T 250SX-F BIKES: KTM

RYKERS #3 JAYDEN Class: MX2 Age: 20 kersfanpage ry n e d y ja @ : FB rykers3 IG: @jayden

Y N FOGART #4 MORGA Class: MXD Age: n.fogy FB: @morga nfogarty_ IG: @morga IRKLAND #5 WADE K Class: MX2 Age: 17 TAS Scamander, : n w to e m o H dwade IG: @kirklan

HORSHAM PROVES TO BE CHALLENGING FOR RACELINE PIRELLI KTM Raceline Pirelli KTM’s Jayden Rykers and Morgan Forgarty were forced to contend with the most difficult track conditions of the series so far yesterday, with Round 4 of the MX Nationals at Horsham marking the first mud race of the championship. Despite the weather being a sunny 19 degrees on Sunday, heavy rain in the lead up to the event meant riders were met with a complete mud fest for racing yesterday, both Rykers and Fogarty experiencing their fair share of challenges on the treacherous circuit. MX2 rider Rykers started his day off well, qualifying in a comfortable 7th position, however when moto one kicked off, all competitors were forced to contend with a track that was more about survival than skill. Unfortunately for Rykers moto one resulted in a DNF, while in moto two, thankfully the track had dried out slightly, providing the class with more grip, and at the conclusion of the 20-minute moto the KTM 250 SX-F rider had charged his way to a solid eighth position. Despite being unable to finish the opening moto, Rykers finished in 14th overall at Horsham. “I finished with a DNF, and an eighth yesterday so it definitely wasn’t the day we were hoping for. In the first moto I was able to tuck up the inside of the first corner and come out in the top five, I made up a few positions, but with poor vision I unfortunately went down and the bike got very hot which forced me to DNF,” Rykers explained. “Moto two wasn’t much better, but I managed to makes some passes on a track that was fairly single lined, so there were some positives. We have Murray Bridge in less than a week so we’ll regroup and get ready for that.”

“Hopefully we can finish off the first half of the season strong with good results this weekend and head in to the mid-season break with confidence.” For Round 3 Pirelli MXD overall winner Fogarty, Round 4 at Horsham was one he would describe as challenging. After heading in to the weekend high on confidence, the Victorian rider was not satisfied when he qualified in 11th position yesterday morning. Despite not being highly experienced in the conditions he was faced with, Fogarty did well to race to 16,7 results, rewarding him with tenth overall at the conclusion of the round. “It was a bit of a weekend to forget and move on from to be honest,” Fogarty shared “In the first moto the track was brutal – there were riders going down everywhere and I ended up getting stuck in the mud and having my bike overheating. “Moto two was a bit better, but I got a bad start and was playing catch up for most of the race. I actually got taken out on the last lap which was disappointing, but I managed to finish in seventh. “All in all, it was a challenging weekend, but we’ll put it behind us and move on to Round 5 at Murray Bridge.” The 2017 MX Nationals will continue at Murray Bridge in South Australia with Round 5 set to take place on Sunday, May 28. Visit the official series website at www. mxnationals.com.au for further information. To follow Raceline Pirelli KTM’s progress this year, like ‘Raceline’ on Facebook or follow @raceline_motosport on Instagram.

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oll R: Troy Carr E G A N A M TEAM ERS: 6 TEAM MEMB HIPS WON: 1 S N IO P M A H C

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NKOV SANDR TO K E L A 9 5 1 # Class: MX1 Age: 24 ia Kungur, Russ : n w to e m o H drtonkov IG: @aleksan ORD AN CRAWF H T A N 9 9 1 # Class: MX1 Age: 19 D Brisbane, QL : n w to e m o H n199 IG: @_natha

HORSHAM CONDITIONS CHALLENGE MEGA BULK FUELS MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI RACING TEAM MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team racers Aleksandr Tonkov and Nathan Crawford had to face some of the toughest racing conditions in years at a muddy fourth round of the 2017 MX Nationals at Horsham, Victoria, on Sunday. With the venue receiving a deluge of rain in the days preceding the event, the pair encountered soggy conditions that made an already technical track even harder to negotiate.

Tonkov remains seventh in the championship, just nine points adrift of a top six placing. Meanwhile, MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s break-out rookie phenomenon, Crawford, experienced a tough round, with a small crash midway through the opening race tweaking his already tender wrist. The incident forced the 19-year-old to withdraw from the day’s racing in an effort to preserve his wrist for next weekend’s fifth round.

Still, Russian MXGP import Tonkov was quick to show he and his 2017 KX450F have searing speed by landing his second-consecutive Super Pole appearance, with an impressive fifth-fastest qualifying time. In the opening MX1 race, Tonkov rounded the first turn in the top five and was circulating in sixth when he crashed at the midway point and bent his hand-guards into the handlebars, affecting his clutch. He still managed to soldier around the challenging track for seventh. In the second moto, Tonkov grabbed another solid start and was pushing for third when he again crashed in the rutted, muddy conditions. He regrouped to cross the line in eighth place and eighth overall for the day. “The track was definitely tough today and I showed I have good speed, but my mistakes cost me a lot,” Tonkov reflected. “In the first moto crash, my hand-guards bent into the bars and I was struggling on the uphills with the clutch being affected. “In the second race I had a good start and tried to pass for third with a different line, but I had a big crash. It took a while to get going again, then I had another little crash and lost all the positions I’d regained. It was frustrating and I struggled all day, but I tried my best. Hopefully one day soon things come together and we can get on the box.”

“We were battling for sixth place, but I had a little crash and landed on my wrist again, so opted to sit out the rest of the race,” Crawford explained. “Race team manager Troy Carroll and I talked it out and decided it was best to sit out the next moto, especially as the track was so gnarly today. “We’ll try to do whatever we can to get out on the track at Murray Bridge, I don’t want to let my team down, as they’ve put in so much work for me. Murray Bridge is one of my favourite tracks of the series, so hopefully we can regroup, have some fun out there, then rest my wrist for the second half of the championship.” Crawford’s result at Horsham saw him move to ninth overall in the MX1 championship standings. The third round of the 2017 MX Nationals championship will be held at Murray Bridge, South Australia, on Sunday, 28 May. Further information on the 10-round series can be found on the official website at www.mxnationals.com.au. To stay up-to-date with the MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team, ‘Like’ MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team on Facebook or ‘Follow’ @mega_monsterenergy_kawasaki on Instagram. Visit www.kawasaki.com.au for further information on Kawasaki Motors Australia.

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ey, NSW TERS: Sydn R A U Q D A E H ERS: 8 TEAM MEMB

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METCALFE #24 BRETT Class: MX1 Age: 32 Manum, SA Hometown: 24 IG: @bmetty

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BARHAM #16 KALEB Class: MXD Age: 18 , QLD Toowoomba : n w to e m o H barham_16 IG: @kaleb_

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WILLS #64 DYLAN Class: MX2 Age: 21 Como, NSW Hometown: ills64 IG: @dylanw

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FISCHER #521 KANE Class: MXD Age: 17 SW Kurrajong, N : n w to e m o H ing IG: @521rac

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LOUT #4 LUKE C Class: MX1 Age: 22 , NSW Annangrove Hometown: ut4 IG: @lukeclo

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WATERS #47 TODD Class: MX1 Age: 26 LD Atherton, Q Hometown: ters47 IG: @toddwa

CRANKT PROTEIN HONDA RACINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WATERS MOVES INTO TOP THREE AT HORSHAM Crankt Protein Honda Racing rider Todd Waters has continued his march up the 2017 MX Nationals leaderboard, with a consistent haul of points at a challenging Horsham round moving him into third place in the MX1 championship standings. In muddy, rutted conditions that tested the best racers in Australia to the limit on Sunday, Waters and his 2017 model CRF450R set the pace early by claiming his first Super Pole victory of the year. A crash at the start of the first moto saw him complete the opening lap in 10th place and he fought through the brutal conditions to finish the race in sixth. Determined to make amends, Waters grabbed a top six start in the final race then, with the track drying out, made valuable passes to move into third before crossing the finish-line. His fourth overall for the round saw him take control of third in the MX1 championship standings.

Meanwhile, Watersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team-mate and rookie Luke Clout displayed brilliant pace all day and came agonisingly close to claiming his maiden MX1 podium. Clout impressed many in the opening race as he stayed smooth and consistent through the torrid conditions to record his firstever podium race result with an incredible second place. When the gate dropped for the following MX1 race, Clout again rounded the first turn in second position and clicked off 10 consistent laps before an issue disappointingly forced him to pull out of the race in the taxing conditions. As a result, Clout finished the day in 16th overall, however he currently sits eighth in the MX1 championship standings. The fifth round of the 2017 MX Nationals will be held at Murray Bridge, South Australia, on Sunday, 28 May.

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ai, NSW t Kuring-G M : S R E T R A ERS: 7 HEADQU TEAM MEMB

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IGHTMAN #30 JOEL W Class: MX1 Age: 21 NSW Singletown, Hometown: htman IG: @joelwig

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WEBSTER #96 KYLE Class: MX2 Age: 20 Perth, WA Hometown: bster96 IG: @kylewe

PODIUM POWER FOR WEBSTER IN MX2 RANKS, WIGHTMAN RETURNS TO MX1 AT HORSHAM MX NATIONALS The country’s elite motocross racers descended on the rural Victorian township of Horsham on Sunday (May 21) for round four of the prestigious MX Nationals series, which saw Penrite CRF Honda Racing rider Kyle Webster charge onto the podium in the hotly contested MX2 category. Muddy conditions greeted riders for the morning’s

all the way around, so if you were forced off the main line, the surface was really heavy. “I’m just really happy to come away with a third overall on the podium for the round on such a full-on track,” said Webster. In the MX1 category, Penrite CRF Honda Racing’s

opening practice and qualifying sessions, but as the day went on the track continued to dry out and race fans were treated to an exciting day of national calibre motocross competition. The Penrite CRF Honda Racing team was in the thick of the Horsham action, with Webster leading the way by scoring a satisfying third overall podium placing for the round and in the process hold down sixth overall in the championship standings. Aboard his potent FMF-equipped and Pirelli-shod Honda CRF250R thumper, Webster charged home in third place in the opening MX2 moto, then backed up with fourth in the next race to secure third overall for the round behind arch rivals Wilson Todd and Hamish Harwood. “It was actually a really tough event, because the track took a real beating in the muddy conditions,” Webster explained after climbing down from the post-event MX2 podium. “It was so muddy and slippery first thing in the morning and then by the time our first moto fired up, the track surface was like glue! “I was happy to finish third in the first moto and just to be able to cleanly make my way around the track, it was that tough. “In the second moto it wasn’t quite as bad, but conditions were still muddy and there were long, tacky ruts

Joel Wightman made his return to MX Nationals competition after recently being sidelined with a shoulder injury. Wightman, who hails from the NSW Hunter Valley, is in his debut season in the MX1 class and carded 12th and 13th places in his two motos at Horsham, to give him 12th overall for the round, which sees him 19th overall in the series standings. “Conditions were really tough, especially when coming back to national racing from a shoulder injury,” Wightman explained. “Rain leading up to the event left the track muddy and rutted, and in both motos I didn’t get the best of starts, and with the start straight being slop, I took on a lot of roost. “In the first moto I ran the whole moto with no goggles and salvaged a 12th place finish. “Then in the second moto I had a tip over on the first lap and had to stop in to get a fresh pair of goggles, which put me a long, long way back, so I just had to try and ride my way back and eventually finished 13th for the moto to give me 12th overall for the round. “I was reasonably happy with the result, considering the lack of training and riding I’ve been able to do while injured, and given the tough conditions I was thrown back into. But I’m looking forward to the next round at Murray Bridge,” Wightman added.

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ca, VIC TERS: Echu HEADQUAR ERS: 10 TEAM MEMB

R TIERNEY #7 CONNO Class: MX2 Age: 19 Bunbury, WA Hometown: ierney7 IG: @connort

N TANTI #18 AARO Class: MX2 Age: 20 SW Silverdale, N : n w to e m o H nti18 IG: @aaronta MCKAY #46 HUGH Class: MXD Age: 16 TAS Launceston : n w to e m o H ckay46 IG: @hughm

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BULK NUTRIENTS WBR HITS THE PODIUM AT HORSHAM It was celebrations all round for the guys at WBR Bulk Nutrients as Hugh McKay landed the team a podium spot for the first time this year. While many riders were struggling in the mud and sloppy conditions at Horsham, these are the kind of

for 3rd overall for the weekend; a spot on the podium! In the MX2 class Aaron Tanti has shown some amazing speed recently, with a flat tyre cruelly ending his chance of a maiden win in Conondale. Not to be deterred, Aaron brought plenty of confidence to

conditions which Tassie based Hugh relishes, where he can focus on his consistent riding and minimising mistakes. After plenty of rain overnight and a cold morning, it was obvious the conditions were going to suit the riders based in the Southern states, as the Northerners felt the chill. In his first moto Hugh managed one of his best starts this year coming around the first corner in 3rd place, but an easy race was not to be as he fell and lost multiple positions, recovering well back in the pack. From here, Hugh put some consistent laps down as riders continued to go down around him, in what could only be described as a battle of attrition! With a bit of luck on his side this time, and solid riding, Hugh managed to pick up places right till the last lap, finishing moto 1 in 5th. In the second moto, Hugh started with a better plan, avoiding any carnage and establishing

Horsham, getting a great start in moto 1 rounding the first corner with the front pack. Things were looking bright until midway on the first lap when Aaron went down, and had to fight back from close to dead last. In conditions which had clearly deteriorated from the first MXD race, Aaron’s main battle was keeping the bike upright and moving, as many machines expired around him. Solid riding throughout saw Aaron claw back more than 20 positions landing himself a solid 8th in a wild race. With hopes high for Moto 2, Aaron again got a great start, but went down early in a déjà vu repeat of moto 1. Once upright, the same fight ensured, as Aaron reeled in many riders and sat his path towards the top 10. While not a fairy-tale ending, Aaron managed a 12th in an extremely tough race, giving him a solid 9th overall, which was enough to move him up in the championship race. With

himself at the front early. A bit of back and forth action ensured with Hugh fighting between 3rd and 5th places. His final lap times saw him finish on the back of the 3rd place rider in 4th, but it was good enough

many top teams bringing home dnf’s and broken bikes, team manager Travis Whitten was wrapt with the results, particularly Hugh’s 3rd given the conditions.

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MAGIC MOMENT

MX1 PODIUM The only thing sweeter than landing on the podium at the end of the day is the champagne showers post race. Dean Ferris, Kirk Gibbs and Luke Styke made the most of the situation, covering each other, and anyone in their path.

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STANFORD, MILNER, SIMPSON, HIGLETT REIGN SUPREME FOR SENIORS AT YAMAHA AORC The first day of the Miva Sprint Races got underway this morning, for Round 5 of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC). The premier classes for Yamaha AORC are extremely competitive and E3, E2, E1 and EJ class contenders put it all on the line for victory. The pace and weather at Miva was hot, with the tracks being in peak condition when senior riders left the YZ450FX test gate. A number of riders managed to turn the tables on their rivals from Rawson to make the situation intriguing. E3 Lachie Stanford of the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team landed to first blow of the weekend for in class, with a total time of 1:18:02.179. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great start to the weekend for the rider from Byron Bay as he looks to take out the round overall. Despite not

getting into the flow straight away, Stanford noted that a setup change from the opening rounds allowed for strong pace in the last four tests. Lyndon Snodgrass of the KTM Enduro Team was his closest challenger and the two appear to be on course to battle for the rest of the year for E3 spoils. Snodgrass had a total sprint time of 1:18:25.829. Tom Mason showed what it takes to fight with the Championship’s elite by rounding up the top three in third position on his KTM. He finished with a total elapsed time of 1:20:49.488. E2 All eyes were on the highly competitive E2 class to see who would come out on top. Once again Daniel Milner of the KTM Enduro Team led from the front to take another victory. He was imperious in the sixth test with the fastest lap time of 9:23.960. Milner discussed his impressive performance; “I’m feeling on top of my game at the moment. Today was a great day in which I won every test; although Greeny really put it to me in a couple of them. All that matters is coming

out on top and hopefully we can repeat the result tomorrow. The track was unbelievably good today, its great to see the effort that has gone into the track, there is a very nice quarry section that’s technical, as well as rocky terrain and nice flowing clay surface.” Milner said. The KTM rider has looked just as impressive as he did back at Rawson. Active8 Yamaha Yamalube Racing Team’s, Josh Green came in second place after Milner. Green is far and away Milner’s greatest challenger and it will be fascinating to see whether the Yamaha rider can up his pace a notch to take to claim the top step of the podium tomorrow. Green noted he was confident he could find the pace and make the adjustments to challenge Milner for victory tomorrow. Riley Graham from South Australia achieved another top three result with his time of 1:18:18.408. E1 Last year’s E1 Champion and KTM rider, Jack Simpson achieved his objective of taking out the E1 class victory. Simpson was very impressive with his overall time of 1:17:38.732. 161

Up next was Scott Keegan of the Snap Fitness E3 Provisional Results Yamaha Team, he finished with his time of 1. Lachlan Stanford – 53:46.445 2. Lyndon Snodgrass – 54:03.166 3. Tom Mason – 55:00.503 4. Beau Ralston – 55:08.537 5. Chris Perry – 57:40.109 6. Jesse Lawton – 57:50.716 7. Anthony Venn – 59:40.757 8. Luke Bunnik – 1:02:25.932 E2 Provisional Results 1. Daniel Milner – 53:01:949 2. Joshua Green – 53:45.256 3. Riley Graham – 54:13:447 4. Stefan Granquist – 55:30.665 5. Andrew Wilksch 55:35:102 6. Christopher Davey – 57:12.919 7. Peter Boyle – 57:13.980 8. Ben Grabham – 58:27.716 9. Jamie Robins – 58:32.080 1:19:39.670. After dominating Rawson, Wil 10. Alex Stephenson – 58:46.742 Ruprecht of the Active8 Yamaha Yamalube Racing Team finished third after having a E1 Provisional Results fall which comprised his overall lap time. 1. Wil Ruprecht – 53:49.810 Ruprecht finished with a time of 1:20:41.223. 2. Jack Simpson – 53:52.255 EJ 3. Scott Keegan – 55:16.619 Fraser Higlett would come to the fore for 4. Brad Hardaker – 56:17.394 Under 19’s on his Husqvarna but it wouldn’t 5. Baylee Davies – 57:30.266 be without a hard fought battle with Michael 6. Peter-Daniel Allan – 59:14.688 Driscoll on his Yamaha. In the early tests, Higlett 7. Bayley Burt – 59:22.114 was showing excellent pace and looked to be 8. Craig Prout – 1:00:12.333 pulling away. However Driscoll was strong in 9. Justin Parker – 1:00:33.127 the later stages of the day and almost caught 10. Matthew Zygarlicki – 1:00:54.352 Husqvarna rider. It wouldn’t be enough to claim the first place. Higlett posted a total Transmoto EJ Provisional Results time of 1:18:42.069 with Driscoll a 1:18:44.980. 1. Michael Driscoll – 55:55.362 In third place would be Jonte Reynders on his 2. Reynders Jonte – 56:38.699 Yamaha, his total time would be 1:20:26.025. 3. Nic Tomlinson – 56:43.899 4. Johnson Dalton – 57:19.786 Stay tuned tomorrow to see which riders 5. Fraser Higlett – 57:20.646 come out on top overall for their classes 6. Jacob Peacock – 58:37.473 with sprint races once again taking place. 7. Broomhall Seton – 59:22.971 8. Rick Ireland – 1:00:37.003 9. Lachlan Skinner – 1:00:39.557 10. Lachlan Allan – 1:00:54.158 162

JUNIORS BRIERLEY, RUDD AND RIORDAN BLITZ THE BLU CRU TRACK AT YAMAHA AORC The Juniors excelled on the tight terrain on the bLU cRU test track, as part of the 2017 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC). The young riders showed off their incredible riding ability and skillset to tough out the gullies and rocky terrain that they encountered. J4 Joshua Brierley further established himself as a star of the future by winning today’s sprint race for the J4 class on his Husqvarna machine. As it stands Brierley is a class above the competition and clearly enjoys the Miva track. He finished with an overall time of 55:48.451. “Had a great day today in the sprints, came out in top in most of the tests and managed a significant lead by the end of the day. The track was really exciting with heaps of jumps and tight bush. The section along the river with the sand was particularly thrilling.” Brierley said.

Up next was Corey Hammond on a KTM, finishing close to a minute behind with his time of 56:43.568. Brother of the race winner, Mitchell Brierley rounded out the top three positions with his time 57:41.713 on a KTM machine. J3 Jayden Rudd finished in first position for the J3 class with his time of 59:53.321. The KTM rider backed up his impressive clean sweep at Rawson and looks on course the repeat that result. Up next was Ned Chapman on a Yamaha, he finished with a total time of 1:00:33.594. Matthew Pye on a Husqvarna slotted into a top three position with a 1:01:05.523. “It was an excellent day today, I really enjoyed the off-camber corners and the track was in absolute prime condition. Looking forward to getting out there tomorrow!” Rudd said. 163

J2 Will Riordan on his KTM just came out ahead of Kyron Bacon on the KTM after a tight tussle at the top. Bacon with his time of 1:00:29.866 managed to overcome Riordan’s time of 1:00:33.594. Husqvarna mounted Jasper Franklin finished third with his time of 1:05:21.229. Provisional Results J4 1. Joshua Brierley – 55:48.451 2. Corey Hammond – 56:43.568 3. Mitchell Brierley – 57:41.713 4. Nathan Howe – 59:00.231 5. Bertinazzi Benjamin – 1:01:00.261 6. Ryan Thompson – 1:01:02.051 7. Riley Nancarrow – 1:01:18.890 8. Connor Gee – 1:01:44.721 9. Tate Plummer – 1:02:49.470 10. Jy Howe – 1:02:51.887 Provisional Results J3 1. Jayden Rudd – 59:53.321 2. Ned Chapman – 1:00:33.594 3. Matthew Pye – 1:01:05.523 4. Tully O’Neil – 1:02:03.026 5. Benjamin Teed – 1:03:30.106 6. Thomas Teed – 1:03:50.144 7. Jared Watson – 1:07:29.777 8. Bailey Nathan – 1:10:37.711 Provisional Results J2 1. Will Riordan – 1:00:29.866 2.Kyron Bacon – 1:00:30.640 3. Jasper Franklin – 1:05:21.229 4. Zac Perry – 1:06:21.003 5. Mackenzie Johnson – 1:08:14.388 6. Dusten O’Neil – 1:08:30.182 7. Levii Read – 1:11:30.203 8. Harry Newbold – 1:12:25.090 9. Benjamin French – 1:14:24.024 10. Yolanda Treasure – 1:14:28.859

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