Yamaha’s Dean Ferris finished 1-1 in the MX1 class at the ninth round of 10 in the Australian MX Champs at Toowoomba at the weekend, successfully defending his MX1 title with a round to spare.

NZ rider Hamish Harwood (KTM) finished 11-14 in the two MX1 races, good enough for 13th overall on the day and he is 15th in the MX1 championships.

Fellow Kiwi Kayne Lamont (Yamaha), from Mangakino, finished 13-12 in the two MX1 races, good for 12th overall on the day (in his sole MX1 appearance in Australia this season).

Dual-class rider Harwood, from Takaka, also finished 7-4 in the MX2 class in Australia on Sunday, good for fifth overall. He is fourth overall in the series with one round remaining.

Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis (Yamaha) finished 19-13 on Sunday in his sole MX2 appearance in Australia this season, good for 15th overall on the day.

KTM’s Kirk Gibbs finished the weekend overall runner-up and remains in the No.2 position for the championship, 80 points behind re-crowned champion Ferris, but a relatively safe 64 points ahead of third-ranked rider Kade Mosig (Yamaha).

Honda’s Todd Waters and KTM’s Luke Styke round out the championship top five after round nine, with the fight still alive between them to snatch the No.3 spot.

“I only just got the championship last year, I went into the final round six points down, and I knew that I could do it but we had a lot of pressure on us,” Ferris said.

“This year I really wanted to improve and be dominant. I wanted to be that guy that could win motos and win the title again. So I got to work straight after the season wrapped up and I was determined to improve on every aspect of my life, and at the same time I made the decision that I wanted to become a dad.

“My girlfriend moved in with me, we improved the bike, my fitness, everything this year, so to get the title a round early and achieve what we have achieved, it feels amazing.

“Earlier today in qualifying we had a small issue and I ended up on my spare bike for that session, but we were determined to stick to the plan and not let it rattle me. For me, I wanted to execute and do what I’ve done every weekend, and I knew if I won the day it would be enough to get the title.

“I can’t thank the CDR Yamaha team and all of my friends, family, partner and supporters enough. Everyone was here to cheer me on at Toowoomba, and I’m stoked that I could get the championship here for them.”

The tenth and final round is set for Coolum, this coming weekend.

Ferris and Gibbs will be focussed now on uniting their talents to represent Australia at the upcoming Motocross of Nations at Matterley Basin, near Winchester, in the UK in October. Ferris and Gibbs will ride their 450cc bikes in the UK and they will be assisted by Suzuki’s Hunter Lawrence, who will have the MX2 (250cc) class duties for Team Australia at this “Olympic Games of motocross”.

The MXoN was staged at Maggiora, in northern Italy, last year and Team Australia (Ferris, Waters and Mitchell Evans) finished eighth overall.

Team New Zealand (Cody Cooper, Hamish Harwood and Josiah Natzke) finished 17th overall at the MXoN in Italy last year.

The Kiwi team this year is Cooper, Natzke and Bay of Plenty’s Rhys Carter.

It is interesting to note that Cooper beat Ferris to the New Zealand MX1 crown in March this year – winning the title by 32 points, after Ferris did not finish the series’ final race at Taupo – but, in a head-to-head comparison between the two men at last year’s MXoN, Ferris (Open Class) finished fifth and 15th and Cooper (MXGP) placed 10th and 28th.

It will be fascinating to see how these two match up in the UK on October 1, particularly if they both ride the same MXGP class.

© Words by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

Find BikesportNZ.com on FACEBOOK here

Photo courtesy Yamaha Australia

RESULTS & STANDINGS:

Thor MX1 – Results:

Thor MX1 – Go Pro Superpole

1 Brett Metcalfe 01:49.302 Lap Kawaskai KX450F

2 Kirk Gibbs Gap +00.134 01:49.436 Lap – KTM 450 SFX

3 Dean Ferris Gap +00.305 01:49.607 Lap – Yamaha YZF450F

4 Luke Clout Gap +00.740 01:50.042 Lap – Honda CRF450R

5 Todd Waters Gap +01.018 01:50.320 Lap – Honda CRF450R

 

Thor MX1 – Moto 1

 

1 Dean Ferris – Yamaha YZ450F

2 Kirk Gibbs – KTM 450 SFX

3 Kyle Peters – Suzuki RMZ450

4 Nathan Crawford – Kawasaki KX450F

5 Todd Waters – Honda CRF450R

6 Kade Mosig – Yamaha YZ450F

7 Dylan Long – Yamaha YZ450F

8 Luke Styke – KTM SX 450

9 Luke Clout – Honda CRF450R

10 Lachlan Davis – KTM SX 450

11 Hamish Harwood – KTM 450 SFX

12 Callum Norton – KTM SFX 450

13 Kayne Lamont – Yamaha YZF450

14 Joel Green – KTM 450SX-F

15 Daniel Milner – KTM SX 450

16 Joel Milesevic – Husqvarna FC450

17 Mathew Torrington – Suzuki RM-Z 450

18 Izak Maule – Yamaha YZ450F

19 James Alen – KTM 450 SX

20 Charlie Creech – Honda CRF450R

21 Mathew McEntee – Yamaha YZF450F

22 Jesse Bishop – Yamaha YZ450F

23 Cory Watts – Honda CRF450

24 Thomas Hill – Honda CRF450R

DNF Brett Metcalfe – Kawasaki KX450F

DNF James Jafer – Kawasaki KX450

DNF Nic Frayne – KTM 450 SFX

DNS Simon Thompson – Honda

 

Fastest Lap: Kirk Gibbs 01:46.773

 

Thor MX1 – Moto 2

 

1 Dean Ferris – Yamaha YZF450F

2 Kirk Gibbs – KTM SXF450

3 Kyle Peters – Suzuki RMZ450

4 Kade Mosig – Yamaha YZF450

5 Nathan Crawford – Kawasaki KX450F

6 Luke Clout – Honda CRF450R

7 Luke Styke – KTM SX 450

8 Dylan Long – Yamaha YZF450

9 Brett Metcalfe – Kawasaki KX450F

10 Todd Waters – Honda CRF450R

11 Callum Norton – KTM SFX 450

12 Kayne Lamont – Yamaha YZ450F

13 Lachlan Davis – KTM SX 450

14 Hamish Harwood – KTM 450SFX

15 Joel Green – KTM 450SX-F

16 James Alen – KTM 450SX

17 Daniel Milner – KTM SX 450

18 Joel Milesevic – Husqvarna FC450

19 Mathew Torrington – Suzuki RM-Z 450

20 Charlie Creech – Honda CRF450R

21 Jesse Bishop – Yamaha YZ450F

22 Izak Maule – Yamaha YZ450F

23 James Jafer – Kawasaki KX450

DNF Mathew McEntee – Yamaha YZ450F

DNF Nic Frayne – KTM 450 SX-F

DNS Thomas Hill – Honda CRF450R

DNS Simon Thompson – Honda

DNS Cory Watts – Honda CRF450

 

Fastest Lap: Dean Ferris 01:46.296

 

Thor MX1 – Round Overall

1 Dean Ferris 70 Points

2 Kirk Gibbs 64 Points

3 Kyle Peters 60 Points

4 Nathan Crawford 54 Points

5 Kade Mosig 53 Points

6 Luke Clout 47 Points

7 Luke Styke 47 Points

8 Dylan Long 47 Points

9 Todd Waters 47 Points

10 Callum Norton 39 Points

11 Lachlan Davis 39 Points

12 Kayne Lamont 37 Points

13 Hamish Harwood 37 Points

14 Joel Green 33 Points

15 Daniel Milner 30 Points

16 Joel Milesevic 28 Points

17 James Alen 27 Points

18 Mathew Torrington 26 Points

19 Brett Metcalfe 22 Points

20 Charlie Creech 22 Points

21 Izak Maule 22 Points

22 Jesse Bishop 19 Points

23 Mathew McEntee 10 Points

24 James Jafer 8 Points

25 Cory Watts 8 Points

26 Thomas Hill 7 Points

 

Thor MX1 – Championship Standings (Top 20)

1 Dean Ferris (2017 Champion) 633 Points

2 Kirk Gibbs 553 Points

3 Kade Mosig 489 Points

4 Todd Waters 468 Points

5 Luke Styke 455 Points

6 Kyle Peters 431 Points

7 Luke Clout 425 Points

8 Brett Metcalfe 375 Points

9 Nathan Crawford 358 Points

10 Joel Green 300 Points

11 James Alen 280 Points

12 Lachlan Davis 278 Points

13 Dylan Long 250 Points

14 Keiron Hall 233 Points

15 Hamish Harwood 231 Points

16 Zak Small 218 Points

17 Aleksandr Tonkov 218 Points

18 Izak Maule 217 Points

19 Brodie Sims 206 Points

20 Charlie Creech 179 Points

 

Motul MX2 – Results:

 

Motul MX2 – Qualifying To 10

1 Egan Mastin 01:51.471 – KTM SX 250

2 Mitchell Evans +00.703 Lap Time – 01:52.174 – Yamaha YZ250F

3 Dylan Wills +01.177 Lap Time – 01:52.648 – Husqvarna FC250

4 Hamish Harwood +01.342 Lap Time – 01:52.813 – KTM SX 250

5 Jay Wilson +01.343 Lap Time – 01:52.814 – KTM SX 250

6 Wilson Todd +01.344 Lap Time – 01:52.815 – Yamaha YZ250F

7 Hayden Mellross +01.399 Lap Time – 01:52.870 – Yamaha YZ250F

8 Kaleb Barham +02.197 Lap Time – 01:53.668 – Husqvarna FC250

9 Jayden Rykers +03.477 Lap Time – 01:54.948 – KTM 250 SX-F

10 Joel Evans +03.812 Lap Time – 01:55.283 – Yamaha YZ250F

 

 

Motul MX2 – Moto 1

1 Egan Mastin – KTM SX 250

2 Hayden Mellross – Yamaha YZ250F

3 Mitchell Evans – Yamaha YZ250F

4 Wilson Todd – Yamaha YZ250F

5 Jay Wilson – KTM SX 250

6 Dylan Wills – Husqvarna FC250

7 Hamish Harwood – KTM SX 250

8 Kyle Webster – Honda CRF250

9 Kaleb Barham – Husqvarna FC250

10 Jayden Rykers – KTM 250 SX-F

11 Cooper Pozniak – Yamaha YZ250F

12 Hugh McKay – Yamaha YZ250F

13 Lochie Latimer – Yamaha YZ250F

14 Connor Tierney – Yamaha YZ250F

15 Tomas Ravenhorst – Yamaha YZ250F

16 Joel Evans – Yamaha YZ250F

17 Lyndon Snodgrass – KTM 250 SXF

18 Jarrod Kelly – KTM 250 SXF

19 Maximus Purvis – Yamaha YZF250

20 Jayden Conforto – Kawasaki KX260F

21 Lachlan Wilson – Yamaha YZ250F

22 Calib Best – Yamaha YZ250F

23 Darcy Cavanagh – KTM 250 SXF

24 Maddy Brown – Yamaha YZ250F

25 Nicholas Luksich – Honda CRF250R

26 Hayden Matterson – KTM SXF 250

27 Trae Kuehn – Husqvarna FC 250

28 Ayden Bridgeford – Yamaha YZ250F

29 Jessica Moore – KTM 250 SXF

30 Karl Claridge – KTM SXF250

31 Quinlen Adams – Yamaha YZ 250

32 Courtney Whyte – Dennis – KTM 250 SXF

DNF Isaac Ferguson – KTM

DNF Tristan Owen – Husqvarna FC 250

DNF Josh Brewster – KTM 250 SXF

 

Fastest Lap: Egan Mastin 01:48.060

 

Motul MX2 – Moto 2

1 Egan Mastin – KTM SX 250

2 Wilson Todd – Yamaha YZ250F

3 Mitchell Evans – Yamaha YZ250F

4 Hamish Harwood – KTM SX 250

5 Jay Wilson – KTM SX 250

6 Dylan Wills – Husqvarna FC250

7 Kyle Webster – Honda CRF250

8 Kaleb Barham – Husqvarna FC250

9 Jayden Rykers – KTM 250 SX-F

10 Hayden Mellross – Yamaha YZ 250

11 Tomas Ravenhorst – Yamaha YZ250F

12 Connor Tierney – Yamaha YZ250F

13 Maximus Purvis – Yamaha YZF250

14 Joel Evans – Yamaha YZF250

15 Lochie Latimer – Yamaha YZ250F

16 Isaac Ferguson – KTM

17 Lyndon Snodgrass – KTM 250 SXF

18 Jarrod Kelly – KTM 250 SX-F

19 Jayden Conforto – Kawasaki KX250F

20 Hayden Matterson – KTM SXF 250

21 Cooper Pozniak – Yamaha YZ250F

22 Josh Brewster – KTM 250 SXF

23 Calib Best – Yamaha YZ250F

24 Nicholas Luksich – Honda CRF250R

25 Trae Kuehn – Husqvarna FC 250

26 Maddy Brown – Yamaha YZ250F

27 Hugh McKay – Yamaha YZ250F

28 Darcy Cavanagh – KTM 250 SXF

29 Lachlan Wilson – Yamaha YZ250F

30 Tristan Owen – Husqvarna FC 250

31 Quinlen Adams – Yamaha YZ250F

32 Courtney Whyte – Dennis – KTM 250 SXF

33 Jessica Moore – KTM 250 SXF

34 Ayden Bridgeford – Yamaha YZ250F

35 Karl Claridge – KTM SXF250

DNS Zhane Dunlop – Yamaha YZ250F

 

Fastest Lap: Egan Mastin 01:49.582

 

Motul MX2 – Round Overall

1 Egan Mastin 70 Points

2 Wilson Todd 60 Points

3 Mitchell Evans 60 Points

4 Hayden Mellross 53 Points

5 Hamish Harwood 52 Points

6 Jay Wilson 52 Points

7 Dylan Wills 50 Points

8 Kyle Webster 47 Points

9 Kaleb Barham 45 Points

10 Jayden Rykers 43 Points

11 Tomas Ravenhorst 36 Points

12 Connor Tierney 36 Points

13 Lochie Latimer 34 Points

14 Joel Evans 32 Points

15 Maximus Purvis 30 Points

16 Cooper Pozniak 30 Points

17 Lyndon Snodgrass 28 Points

18 Jarrod Kelly 26 Points

19 Jayden Conforto 23 Points

20 Hugh McKay 23 Points

21 Calib Best 17 Points

22 Hayden Matterson 16 Points

23 Isaac Ferguson 15 Points

24 Nicholas Luksich 13 Points

25 Maddy Brown 12 Points

26 Lachlan Wilson 12 Points

27 Darcy Cavanagh 11 Points

28 Trae Kuehn 10 Points

29 Josh Brewster 9 Points

30 Ayden Bridgeford 3 Points

31 Jessica Moore 2 Points

32 Tristan Owen 1 Point

33 Karl Claridge 1 Point

 

Motul MX2 – Championship Standings (Top 20)

1 Wilson Todd 550 Points

2 Egan Mastin 547 Points

3 Mitchell Evans 536 Points

4 Hamish Harwood 479 Points

5 Kyle Webster 446 Points

6 Dylan Wills 431 Points

7 Jayden Rykers 414 Points

8 Jackson Richardson 365 Points

9 Richie Evans 350 Points

10 Joel Evans 313 Points

11 Tomas Ravenhorst 281 Points

12 Ricky Latimer 246 Points

13 Aaron Tanti 232 Points

14 Jayden Conforto 209 Points

15 Lochie Latimer 198

16 Jarrod Kelly 192 Points

17 Jay Wilson 184 Points

18 Calib Best 174 Points

19 Lachlan Wilson 166 Points

20 Connor Tierney 150 Points