It’s the halfway stage now in the Australian Motocross Championships and still it’s a Kiwi, Motueka’s Josh Coppins, who leads the way in the prestigious open class.

Motul Pirelli Suzuki’s Todd Waters (pictured above) became the first Australian to win a round of the Monster Energy MX Nationals when Murray Bridge in South Australia hosted round five of 2012 on Sunday, but still it’s Yamaha’s Coppins on top of the championship standings after he finished 6-8-3 in his three outings on Sunday.

But it was reason to celebrate for the besieged Aussies …. the 21-year-old Waters topped an all-star international field to win for the Aussies on home soil in the premier MX1 ranks, taking two brilliant victories to start the round. He clinched the win with a close second in the final 30-minute moto, handing him a debut win for Suzuki.

Waters’ podium was his fourth in five rounds since switching to the RM-Z450 for this season and he now sits second in the championship, just 21 points behind leader Coppins at the halfway point.

“It was pretty much just a picture perfect day,” Waters explained. “I got three good starts, was in the top three for all of them. The first moto I holeshotted and led from start to finish, then in the second moto I was up front again and made the pass halfway through.

“I had a ball riding with Brad [Anderson] in the final moto, dicing for the lead, and I enjoyed it. I didn’t get the win in that one, but I had a lot of fun. I love this track and it’s one of my favourites, so it was good to come back and win. My fitness is great, I’ve been working really hard, so I’m just looking forward to this six-week break to redo my base fitness.”

British champion Anderson claimed second for Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing after winning the third and final moto of the round, keeping himself in the hunt for the championship following a disappointing round in WA a week prior. Anderson finished second in moto one and fifth in moto two.

Privateer standout Tye Simmonds made it two Hondas on the podium in third overall, marking his second top three of the year. Simmonds was fifth in moto one, then battled to second after leading early on in moto two. The third moto saw Simmonds round out his weekend with a fourth.

Completing the top five overall was CDR Yamaha’s Lawson Bopping in fourth for the round, while Waters’ team-mate Cody Cooper finished fifth for the second weekend in a row.

Another Kiwi, Rotorua’s Mike Phillips, was unfortunately a no-show at the weekend. He crashed and injured his shoulder while practicing at Mangakino during the week.

CDR Yamaha’s Coppins was sixth in South Australia after an incident with Jake Moss in the final moto spoiled his day. Prior to that, Coppins had finished third in moto one and sixth in moto two. The GP legend will now head to Europe during the mid-season break.

In the MX2 class, Josh Cachia raced his way to JDR/KTM Factory Racing’s first victory of the 2012 season. Cachia finished with a fifth in the opening moto before breaking through for a win in moto two, then he sealed the overall with a fighting second to conclude the round.

“In the first moto I rode solid, got stuck behind some people, but that’s racing,” Carpenter Rocks resident Cachia explained. “If you don’t get a good start you don’t get in clean air, so that was my fault. In moto two I sorted it out, got the holeshot and felt good.

“The feeling from the holeshot continued in the moto and I was feeling good the whole time, so I put down consistent laps and won. In the 30-minute moto, Boydy and I worked hard until the end, so it was sweet. I rode solid and it was good, so now I’m number one for today and that feels good.”

DPH Motorsport Honda’s Cheyne Boyd claimed his second podium in a row with a well-deserved victory in the final moto at Murray Bridge after holding off Cachia in the closing stages. Boyd opened the round with a second in moto one, but an eighth in moto two after a crash dashed his hopes of the overall victory.

The final podium position in MX2 went to moto one winner Ford Dale.

The Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing rider had Ben Townley in his corner on this weekend, but he too suffered from a crash in moto two that left him 15th. Dale bounced back to third in the final moto and overall.

Series leader Luke Styke was fifth overall at Murray Bridge behind MX Factory Honda’s Justin McDonald, who scored a season-best fourth. Serco Yamaha Metal Mulisha Racing’s Styke had a disastrous first moto, but salvaged his round with a second and a fourth in the final moto.

Meanwhile, Kiwi Kayne Lamont became the first two-time winner of the 2012 season in the Pirelli MX Development class. The KTM rider was sixth in the first moto, but he bounced back to win moto two and finish second in the final moto to clinch the overall.

Lamont, who is supported by CMR Red Bull KTM, Shift, Dragon and BikesportNZ.com, now sits nine points in arrears of series leader Dylan Long.

Long was a solid second at Murray Bridge, concluding his weekend with victory in the final moto and he’ll keep the red plate he’s held all season throughout the mid-season break. The podium was completed by Dylan Leary, making it a clean-sweep of the podium for KTM.

Motul Pirelli Suzuki’s Jay Wilson finished fourth overall for the round, while GYTR Yamaha’s Sam Martin was fifth. First moto winner Joel Milesevic had to settle for sixth after suffering a mechanical in moto two, but he finished the weekend with third in moto three.

The Australian Motocross Championship will return for round six following a mid-season break at Hervey Bay in Queensland in Sunday, July 1.

 

2012 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship

Round Five – Murray Bridge, SA

 

MX1 Overall Results:

1. Todd Waters 72

2. Brad Anderson 63

3. Tye Simmonds 56

4. Lawson Bopping 52

5. Cody Cooper 49

6. Josh Coppins 48

7. Daniel Reardon 40

8. Daniel McCoy 39

9. Dean Porter 33

10. Jay Marmont 30

11. Gordon Crockard 27

12. Tim Vare 25

13. Thomas Alexander 20

14. Calle Aspegren 20

15. Beau Ralston 16

16. Zak Newsome 15

17. Paul Humberston 15

18. Jake Moss 14

19. Aden de Jager 12

20. Dylan Peterson 7

21. Thomas Rushton 4

22. Kurt Wightman 3

23. Luke Wilson 2

24. Danny Leane 1

MX1 Championship Standings (after 5 of 10 rounds):

1. Josh Coppins 301

2. Todd Waters 280

3. Brad Anderson 274

4. Lawson Bopping 255

5. Tye Simmonds 234

6. Cody Cooper 232

7. Jay Marmont 207

8. Jake Moss 171

9. Daniel McCoy 164

10. Daniel Reardon 147

11. Dean Porter 139

12. Calle Aspegren 112

13. Dylan Peterson 96

14. Ben Townley 75

15. Craig Anderson 64

16. Tim Vare 61

17. Gordon Crockard 59

18. Beau Ralston 58

19. Mike Phillips 50

20. Billy Mackenzie 44

 

MX2 Overall Results:

1. Josh Cachia 63

2. Cheyne Boyd 60

3. Ford Dale 53

4. Justin McDonald

5. Luke Styke 46

6. Scott Columb 45

7. Lewis Woods 39

8. Kade Mosig 39

9. Errol Willis 37

10. Nick Murray 33

11. Kirk Gibbs 30

12. Brock Winston 27

13. Luke Arbon 25

14. Adam Monea 25

15. Corey Lucas 20

16. Matt van Slooten 13

17. Peter Boyle 13

18. Tristen Cachia 11

19. Steve Duncanson 9

20. Callan Dickson 6

21. Ben Iles 4

22. James Booth-Elliott 4

23. Jory Hancock 3

24. Josh Tilbrook 3

25. Damon Hill 3

26. Jack Pritchard 2

27. Sean Pitman 1

MX2 Championship Standings (after 5 of 10 rounds):

1. Luke Styke 306

2. Ford Dale 274

3. Cheyne Boyd 258

4. Josh Cachia 258

5. Kade Mosig 233

6. Kirk Gibbs 229

7. Adam Monea 215

8. Justin McDonald 192

9. Lewis Woods 173

10. Errol Willis 168

11. Scott Columb 168

12. Luke Arbon 121

13. Nick Murray 119

14. Brock Winston 99

15. Ryan Marmont 91

16. Geran Stapleton 84

17. Corey Lucas 45

18. Peter Boyle 35

19. Richard Egerton 34

20. David Birch 19

 

MXD Overall Results:

1. Kayne Lamont 62

2. Dylan Long 58

3. Dylan Leary 52

4. Jay Wilson 49

5. Sam Martin 47

6. Joel Milesevic 45

7. Jarrad Davis 34

8. Michael Crugnale 30

9. Mitch Budd 26

10. John Phillips 25

11. Shaun Redhead 22

12. Joe Gillespie 22

13. Ben George 20

14. Kale Makeham 19

15. Dion Picard 19

16. Jordan Bissaker 18

17. Dylan Wills 16

18. Lenny Magyar 15

19. Daniel Banks 14

20. Josh Melis 12

21. Billy Jackson 12

22. James Brown 8

23. Joel Evans 7

24. Wade Hunter 7

25. Ricky Latimer 7

26. Dylan Hickling 6

27. Tom Jones 5

28. Jake Wright 4

29. Jordan Noles 1

30. Mitchell Nichols 1

MXD Championship Standings (after 4 of 9 rounds):

1. Dylan Long 226

2. Kayne Lamont 217

3. Dylan Leary 209

4. Samual Martin 204

5. Jay Wilson 177

6. Joel Milesevic 176

7. Kale Makeham 171

8. Mitch Norris 123

9. Mitch Budd 116

10. Dylan Wills 103

11. Jarrad Davis 102

12. John Phillips 88

13. Dion Picard 87

14. Wade Hunter 81

15. Joe Gillespie 68

16. Ben George 63

17. Michael Crugnale 60

18. Josh Melis 49

19. Rhys Hobson 43

20. Billy Jackson 43

Photos by Simon Makker