The 2017 Australian Motocross Championships officially wrapped up at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast at the weekend with CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris concluding the season in epic fashion, leaving round 10 undefeated and as Australia’s 2017 Thor MX1 champion for a second consecutive season.

With Ferris wrapping up first place in the Thor MX1 Championship last weekend at Toowoomba, it was second and third in the standings that riders were racing for at Coolum.

With 20 minutes on track for riders to qualify this morning, the premier class competitors threw down lap after lap in the hope to secure entry to the final GoPro Superpole of the season, and at the conclusion of the session it was, CDR Yamaha’s Ferris, Kirk Gibbs (KTM), Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Todd Waters, Dylan Long (Yamaha) and KTM’s Luke Styke whose times granted them entry to Superpole.

However, after an on-track incident on Saturday, Waters was relegated three positions at the conclusion of qualifying in the morning, pushing him out of Superpole and handing the final spot to MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Nathan Crawford.

Once each rider had thrown down their flying laps, it was KTM’s Gibbs who topped the times and collected his first GoPro Superpole win of 2017 with a 1:44.129 lap time, and an additional three championship points.

MX1 Moto 1

When gates dropped for moto one, it was Ferris who took the holeshot and charged in to the race lead ahead of DPH Motorsport’s Kade Mosig, Long, and Honda mounted Waters.

After a lap on track it was Waters who captured the crowd’s attention, the Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team rider charging from third up to the race lead, relegating Ferris to an unusual spot – second position.

Behind the top three riders of Waters, Ferris and Mosig after three laps, was CDR Yamaha’s Long in fourth followed by Crawford and a hard charging Gibbs, who was desperately trying to navigate his way through the field to maximise his opportunity to secure second in the championship.

Unfortunately for Crawford, a small crash at the four lap mark saw him drop back to ninth, relieving Long and Gibbs from any threat that the Kawasaki rider previously posed. From there, unfortunately, Crawford’s day went from bad to worse. Only a lap later the rookie MX1 rider came off in a big way, then forced to return to the mechanic’s area before re-joining the race in last position.

By the seven lap mark, Waters held just a four bike length lead from Ferris, while behind the 2017 champ was Mosig who continued to hold third position from Long and Gibbs.

By the halfway mark, Ferris had regained control of the race, forcing Waters back in to second, while behind Mosig, Gibbs had managed to get by Long and was now sitting comfortably in fourth position. Meanwhile both Luke Clout and Crawford were early exits from moto one – Clout suffering a mechanical, while Crawford left the track clutching his left arm.

After lap 11, Gibbs began to put his foot down, and it wasn’t long before the GoPro Superpole winner made the move on Mosig and slotted in to the final podium spot behind Ferris and Waters. And from there Gibbs well and truly went after Waters.

With Ferris out in front, by the time riders approached the final laps of moto one, the attention was firmly on the battle for second between Waters and Gibbs, the former team mates going head to head for a number of laps. And with two laps remaining, Gibbs made a move stick, passing Waters and slotting up into second position.

However unfortunately for Gibbs, his time is second position was short lived, the KTM rider swapping out in a roller section of the track, handing second back to Waters.

And when the chequered flag flew it was Ferris who claimed the moto one win, second place went to Waters, while Gibbs was forced to settle for third. Mosig wrapped up race one in fourth position ahead of Long, Brett Metcalfe and Kyle Peters, while Styke, New Zealand’s dual class rider Hamish Harwood, and Joel Milesevic completed the top 10.

MX1 Moto 2

When bikes stormed down the start straight for the final time, it was Ferris who once again took the Raceline holeshot, and within only a lap the CDR Yamaha rider had stretched out his lead to a couple of seconds, from Gibbs and Waters.

After two laps, Gibbs soon had his hands full with a hard charging Waters hot on his tail, and within only a short time, the Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team rider had made the move up in to second.

Behind the top three, Mosig led the charge for fourth followed by Long, Metcalfe and MXD regular, KTM’s Callum Norton.

Unfortunately for rookie MX1 rider Clout, a crash during the opening laps saw his day end early – the Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team rider headed back to the pits, registering a DNF.

As race two progressed, it was no shock to see CDR Yamaha’s Ferris stretching his lead out to more than five seconds on second placed Todd, while behind the Honda rider Gibbs continued to hold down third position ahead of Mosig and Long. And by the seven lap mark, Ferris’ lead became nothing short of commanding.

On the same lap, the fight between Mosig and Long began to heat up – the CDR Yamaha rider closing in on his fellow Yamaha competitor, and soon after the pair had found each other on track, Long made the pass and moved up to fourth position.

Unfortunately for Mosig the drama didn’t stop there, soon after Long had made the move, the Victorian rider continued to drop positions, allowing the likes of MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Metcalfe by too.

In the closing stages of moto two at Coolum it was clear that Ferris was determined to leave the venue unbeaten once again, the 2017 Champ looking more at home than ever in control of the MX1 final moto.

And when bikes crossed the finish line for the final time today it was Ferris who took the final MX1 race victory for 2017. Second place went to Waters, while KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Gibbs secured third. Long took a season best fourth in race two, followed by Metcalfe, Mosig, Crawford, Peters, Styke and Milesevic who completed the top ten.

With the results from both motos combined it was once again Ferris who claimed his ninth round victory at Coolum, second overall today went to Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Waters, while Gibbs completed the Thor MX1 podium.

With Ferris crowned the 2017 champion last weekend at Toowoomba, it was Gibbs’ whose consistent results on track at Coolum which saw him awarded with second in the 2017 Thor MX1 Championship for the second consecutive year, while DPH Motorsport’s Mosig completed this year’s premier class podium.

“This championship means everything, it’s just as good as the first one, if not better,” Ferris said.

“Last year was rough and tough, but this one is special to me as well. It was nice to roll into Coolum this morning without all that pressure I had last year, but I really wanted to win today, and I wanted to finish the season the true champ.

“It was an amazing day, I got two holeshots which I’m not sure that I’ve done before, but I knew we would be celebrating tonight, so I had some extra incentive to pull a good start.

“But the championship this year, it’s been amazing. I can’t thank the CDR Yamaha team enough, they worked day and night this year, my girlfriend Renae, she’s been amazing, my family and all of my friends for coming and supporting me, this year has been special that’s for sure.”

MX2 CLASS

The Motul MX2 Championship all came down to the final moto at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast, with Davey Motorsport’s KTM rider Egan Mastin finally securing the 2017 championship.

With only three points the difference in the MX2 championship heading into the grand finale at Coolum today, spectators were treated to the tightest racing of the season, with DPH Motorsport’s Wilson Todd and Mastin going head to head for the final time this year.

With the class heading straight into qualifying this morning, riders were treated to a freshly prepped and watered track for their 20-minute timed session. After each rider had set their fastest times it was Western Australia’s sand specialist Kyle Webster (Penrite CRF Honda Racing) who was quickest on track setting a 1:45.681 lap time that couldn’t be matched. Second fastest was DPH Motorsport’s Todd (1:45.912), and third was New Zealand double-class ironman Hamish Harwood (1:46.605).

Unfortunately for Mastin, despite initially qualifying in third, the KTM rider was relegated 25 positions due to an on track incident during free practice on Saturday. As a result, Mastin took 28th gate pick when racing started later in the morning.

MX2 Moto 1

When gates dropped for moto two it was the Isaac Ferguson who took the Raceline holeshot, but after only a lap it was Hayden Mellross in the lead, and no surprise to see Mastin firmly in second position.

Two riders who were well outside of the top three after one lap on track was red plate holder Todd and and Serco Yamaha’s Mitchell Evans were both well and truly in contention for the MX2 championship – the pair back in seventh and 11th position.

By the time riders headed into lap three Mastin had made the move on Mellross, taking control of the race, while behind the KTM leader, Mellross and fastest qualifier Webster were locked into a battle for second.

After four laps, race leader Mastin had stretched out his lead on now second placed Webster to a comfortable five seconds, while behind the Penrite CRF Honda Racing Team rider was Mellross, Todd, New Zealand’s Maximus Purvis and KSF Racing Team’s Dylan Wills.

After six laps, Todd closed in on teammate Mellross and after only a handful of turns the DPH Motorsport’s Yamaha rider moved into the final podium position behind Mastin and Webster, ensuring that the MX2 championship did not slip away from him without a fight.

By the halfway point in race one Mastin continued to lead from Webster and Todd, while behind the lead trio was Mellross, Serco Yamaha’s Evans and Raceline Pirelli KTM’s Jay Wilson.

With 10 minutes remaining, Mastin looked untouchable out in front, continuing to lead by a comfortable margin with only a third of the moto left to run.

By lap 13, Serco Yamaha’s Evans who was sitting third in the standings began to make his way through the pack and up onto the rear wheel of Mellross in fourth, he too attempting to secure as many championship points as possible before this year’s champion is crowned. And it turned out luck was on Evans’ side – only a lap later Mellross was forced to DNF due to a mechanical issue.

By the time riders received the last lap board, it was clear the despite every effort from Webster and Todd that Mastin could not be caught, and when the chequered flag flew on race one it was Mastin who collected the first race win at Coolum.

Second place went to Penrite CRF Honda Racing Team’s Webster, followed by red plate holder Todd in third. Fourth place went to Evans, followed by Harwood, Wilson, Wills, Ferguson, Purvis and Tomas Ravenhorst who completed the top 10.

After race one, Mastin became the new MX2 Championship points leader, however with Todd only two markers behind him, moto two was set to be the decider.

MX2 Moto 2

It all came down to the final race at Coolum for this year’s Motul MX2 Champ to be crowned, and with thousands of spectators watching on, the 250cc category put on one final performance for 2017.

With only 20 minutes on the clock in race two, a start was more important than ever in the for the MX2 class, and when gates dropped for the last time it was Todd who claimed the final holeshot.

On only the first lap spectators were treated to the battle they had been waiting for. Mastin soon closed in on the Yamaha leader’s rear wheel, setting up the final moto as the most epic race of the season.

Behind the lead two was Todd’s team-mate Mellross, followed by Wills and Wilson in fourth and fifth.

By lap two Mastin had closed in on Todd’s rear tyre, the pair switching lines and give 110% in their bid to secure the final championship points of the season. But despite Mastin doing everything in his power to close in on the DPH Motorsport’s pilot, the Davey Motorsport’s rider could not make a move stick.

By the halfway mark, Todd continued to lead from Mastin, Mellross and Webster who had found his way up to fourth. Evans remained comfortable in fifth place, followed by Wills and Wilson.

But it was the battle between Todd and Mastin the no one could take their eyes off, and by lap 11 the leaders were in to lapped traffic.

Unfortunately for Todd it was on lap six that everything changed – a small mistake which saw the Yamaha rider go down proved costly, and just like that, Todd relinquished the lead and handed the top spot to Mastin.

Behind the top two things were changing too. Webster soon made his presence known, passing Mellross and moving up into the final podium position.

Despite only seconds now separating Mastin from Todd, it was the DPH Motorsport’s rider who had his work cut out for him if he was to chase down the KTM leader and claim the 2017 championship in moto two.

With two and a half minutes remaining, Todd was doing everything in his power to close in on race leader Mastin, but with KTM rider holding more than a nine second lead it was looking more and more likely that the championship would be Mastin’s.

And when bikes crossed the finish line for the final time this afternoon, it was the number four Davey Motorsport’s machine which claimed the final race victory and the 2017 Motul MX2 Championship. Second in race two went to Todd, followed by Webster, Mellross, and Evans who completed the top five. Sixth in race two went to Jayden Rykers, followed by Wilson, Connor Tierney, Wills and Hugh McKay who completed the top 10.

With the results from both motos combined, Mastin’s 1,1 results saw him claim the round win at Coolum, from Todd and Honda mounted Webster.

But it was the championship that riders celebrated once racing wrapped up today – Davey Motorsport’s KTM rider Mastin finally crowned the 2017 Motul MX2 Champion. Second in the championship podium went to DPH Motorsport’s Todd, while Serco Yamaha’s Evans secured third in his rookie year in the 250cc class.

“Everyone has to work so hard to get to this spot and to get to this moment, and we put in countless hours this season to make it happen,” Mastin said.

“My dad has been behind me 110% this year through the good and the bad. At one stage we didn’t know if we were going to have a ride this year but KTM stepped up and I can’t thank those guys enough for giving me the opportunity.

“We made our weaknesses our strong points this season, and I can’t thank the guys and my mentors enough who have been in my corner.

“Also the Davey Motorsport’s crew. Those guys work so hard, they’re an awesome group of people who put so much effort in, so to give them this back, it’s exactly what I wanted to do.

“The 250 two-stroke it’s an awesome bike and it’s the first time KTM have actually won a championship in this class, so it’s awesome to have done it today.”

 

Photo courtesy MXN

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RESULTS & STANDINGS:

Thor MX1 Round 10 Results

1) Dean Ferris – 70 points – Yamaha

2) Todd Waters – 64 points – Honda

3) Kirk Gibbs – 60 points – KTM

4) Dylan Long – 54 points – Yamaha

5) Kade Mosig – 53 points – Yamaha

6) Brett Metcalfe – 51 points – Kawasaki

7) Kyle Peters – 47 points – Suzuki

8) Luke Styke – 45 points – KTM

9) Joel Milesevic – 42 points – Husqvarna

10) Hamish Harwood – 42 points – KTM

 

Thor MX1 Championship

1) Dean Ferris – 705 points – Yamaha

2) Kirk Gibbs – 616 points – KTM

3) Kade Mosig – 542 points – Yamaha

4) Todd Waters – 532 points – Honda

5) Luke Styke – 500 points – KTM

6) Kyle Peters – 478 points – Suzuki

7) Brett Metcalfe – 426 points – Kawasaki

8) Luke Clout – 425 points – Honda

9) Nathan Crawford – 382 points – Kawasaki

10) Joel Green – 335 points – KTM

 

Motul MX2 Round 10 Results

1) Egan Mastin – 70 points – KTM

2) Wilson Todd – 62 points – Yamaha

3) Kyle Webster – 62 points – Honda

4) Mitchell Evans – 54 points – Yamaha

5) Jay Wilson – 49 points – KTM

6) Dylan Wills – 46 points – Husqvarna

7) Hamish Harwood – 45 points – KTM

8) Connor Tierney – 42 points – Yamaha

9) Hugh McKay – 39 points – Yamaha

10) Jayden Rykers – 38 points – KTM

 

Motul MX2 Championship

1) Egan Mastin – 617 points – KTM

2) Wilson Todd – 612 points – Yamaha

3) Mitchell Evans – 590 points – Yamaha

4) Hamish Harwood – 524 points – KTM

5) Kyle Webster – 508 points – Honda

6) Dylan Wills – 477 points – Husqvarna

7) Jayden Rykers – 452 points – KTM

8) Jackson Richardson – 365 points – Yamaha

9) Richie Evans – 350 points – Yamaha

10) Joel Evans – 326 points – Yamaha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YMF Womens Overall – Championship

1 Maddy Brown 137 Points

2 Jessica Moore 131 Points

3 Tori Dare 118 Points

4 Courtney Whyte – Dennis 112 Points

5 Chelsea Carter 99 Points

6 Lily Kent 95 Points

7 Steph Cutler 83 Points

8 Danielle Foot 78 Points

9 Hayley Miller 78 Points

10 Madison Bird 73 Points

11 Chelsea Blakers 72 Points

12 Megan Bagnall 67 Points

13 Alysha Goullet 65 Points

14 Hannah Bagnall 64 Points

15 Casey Crisp 63 Points

16 Fleur Barling 63 Points

17 Lauren Jones 63 Points

18 Chloe Bowers 59 Points

19 Brooke Williams 41 Points

20 Kathryn Scoble 39 Points