Fresh faces topped the racing as the Australian MX Nationals finally heated up at the weekend, round three of the series.
Kirk Gibbs (pictured here), Wilson Todd and Regan Duffy ruled the day at Broadford, in Victoria, on Sunday to respectively claim the overall wins in the MX1, MX2 and MXD classes.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Maximus Purvis went 1-6 in his two MX Development class races, good for fourth overall on the day. He is third overall now in the championship standings.
The first two rounds of the 2019 season were held in extremely muddy conditions, but the sun came out for round three.
MX1 CLASS
Gibbs finished the day with 2-1 results and tied on 67 points with Todd Waters (1-2), but he was credited with the round win due to his stronger finish in the final moto.
For Gibbs, it was a good recovery from a tough opening two rounds where he dealt with crashes and bad luck but he now has the train back on the tracks and heading into his favourite track of the season, Murray Bridge, Gibbs is well-placed to continue building momentum in the championship.
“The weekend was much better for me and it’s nice to finally get a win under my belt for the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team,” Gibbs said.
“It was also good to have a dry round and actually get a gauge of how things are progressing and what our strengths and weaknesses are, as the first two rounds were extremely wet and difficult to get a handle on the opposition as well as our own riding.
“But, really pleased to get the win and get my season back on track. The team did a great job again today and my bike was working well on a pretty technical race track. We now have a couple of weeks off before Murray Bridge so lots of riding and training still to be done and lots of laps still left in this championship,” Gibbs said.
Fastest qualifier Waters controlled the opening MX1 class moto, leading all eight laps of the first of the back-to-back races. Daniel Sanders ran second in the early going before Gibbs got past to claim second. Sanders was solid in third while Racelines Hayden Mellross and Luke Clout finished fourth and fifth. Jesse Dobson was once again fastest privateer with sixth.
Moto two saw Mellross take the holeshot with Sanders in second once again while race one winner Waters tucked into third. Lawson Bopping got a much better start and ran in fourth after a horror opening moto. Gibbs was battling back in fourth with team-mate Clout.
Waters worked on Mellross hard for five laps before finally making the move at the top of the circuit. Clout and Sanders then went toe to toe before Sanders sent it big time at the triple at the top of the hill and came off second best with a huge crash.
This left Clout and Gibbs to battle over the final podium spot. Clout soon dropped back as Gibbs set out after Mellross for second place with a lap to go. Waters was out to a five-second lead which left the main on-track battle between Gibbs and Mellross with Gibbs winning the battle. Luke Clout was fourth while Jesse Dobson once again impressed with fifth.
It was Richie Evans who led the MX1 class away for moto two with a solid holeshot over Sanders, Mellross, Waters, Gibbs and Clout. After the dust settled on lap one, it was Mellross over Bopping and Waters. It took another lap for Gibbs and Clout to join in the front runners battle.
Gibbs and Waters traded fastest lap times as they chased down Mellross. Mellross was not intimidated though and dropped the quickest lap of the race in response. By mid-race, the machine-like workmanship of Gibbs got him past Waters to move into second while Mellross was impressing with increasing speed out front. With three laps to go Gibbs needed to pass Mellross for the round win, but it was looking like it wasn’t to be with Mellross in such strong form. But things are never over until they are over, and Mellross threw it away crashing on one of the downhill sections with a lap to go allowing Gibbs into the lead and on to take the race and the round overall win. Waters took second ahead of Clout while Mellross regrouped for fourth.
In the overall, Gibbs took his first round win for the year over Waters. Clout made it two Monster energy Yamahas on the podium with third overall for the round.
MX2 CLASS
The opening 30-minute MX2 moto saw DPH Motorsports’ Wilson Todd take up from where he left off at round two with a holeshot and gate to flag win. The championship leader controlled the race until the last lap where Penrite CRF Honda racings’ Kyle Webster put in a strong challenge for the win, but a slip on the final corner allowed Todd, who qualified fastest, the opening moto win by a few bike lengths. Serco Yamaha’s Aaron Tanti ran second for most of the early part of the moto before succumbing to Webster and his team-mate Nathan Crawford. In the end, it was Todd, Webster, Crawford and Tanti. Jay Wilson mounted a strong come back from 13th on the opening lap to round out the top five at the flag.
Moto two saw Todd pull the perfect holeshot with the two two-strokes of Isaac Ferguson and Cooper Pozniak in tow. The biggest loser was race one podium man Nathan Crawford who was way down and just inside the top twenty. Lap two saw Webster break free of the bickering for second place to focus on chasing down Todd. Ferguson, Riley Dukes, Tanti and Wilson all battled within a second of each other for a top five spot. Out front, Wilson Todd was looking unstoppable with a ten second lead by lap three! In the final laps, the race was Todd’s, but Wilson was determined for a better result and worked his way up to the back of Webster and was looking to take second place but ultimately fell a few seconds short and had to settle for third. Tanti, Dukes and Dylan Wills followed them home.
With another double win, Todd once again scored maximum points for the round to extend his lead in the championship. Webster finally had things go his way to take second overall with a pair of second-place finishes while Jay Wilson, who was riding after a finger operation during the week, rounded out the podium for the round.
MX DEVELOPMENT CLASS
Fastest qualifier Rhys Budd controlled all but the last few laps of the opening Motul MXD moto with a patient Maximus Purvis taking the lead and the win in the last laps. New Zealand’s Purvis overcame some early tussles with Championship leader Regan Duffy, WRB Yamaha Team-mate Jack Kukis and Mason Semmens before he settled in behind Budd for most of the moto. Purvis overcame a stall and many lappers to pounce and take the win. Budd held onto second while Semmens held off Duffy for the third place.
Duffy had a better start in moto two, taking the holeshot over Budd and Semmens. The trio then went back and forth for the opening lap with Duffy eventually taking up the front running while Semmens and Duffy squabbled over second. Brodie Ellis and Queenslander Mason Rowe held down the top five. Moto one frontrunners Purvis and Kukas ran 12th and 8th respectively and had a lot of work to ahead of them to make the overall podium. Purvis was only able to make it back to sixth by race end. Semmens and Budd rode unchallenged to second and third to conclude the race.
Duffy with a 4-1 took the round overall and extended his championship lead. Semmens and Budd tied on points for second and third with Semmens getting the nod for second on account of his better second moto result.
The championship now moves to Murray Bridge in South Australia for the first of the double round weekend in two weeks.
MX1 Results
MX1 – Raceline Superpole
1 Todd Waters -1:30.125
2 Hayden Mellross – 1:30.630
3 Kirk Gibbs – 1:31.643
4 Jesse Dobson – 1:31.686
5 Justin Rodbell – 1:32.106
MX1 – Moto 1 (Top 10)
1 Todd Waters 9 Laps – Race Time:
2 Kirk Gibbs +5.666
3 Daniel Sanders +7.340
4 Hayden Mellross +10.584
5 Luke Clout +19.921
6 Jesse Dobson +25.769
7 Justin Rodbell +30.303
8 Erki Kahro +31.448
9 Daniel Milner +45.774
10 Brett Metcalfe +46.654
Fastest Lap: Kirk Gibbs – 1:33.735
MX1 – Moto 2 (Top 10)
1 Todd Waters 9 Laps – Race Time: 14:40.220
2 Kirk Gibbs +2.644
3 Hayden Mellross +3.339
4 Luke Clout +13.981
5 Jesse Dobson +36.630
6 Justin Rodbell +41.573
7 Daniel Milner +43.245
8 Richie Evans +47.210
9 Ryan Shadbolt +50.310
10 Erki Kahro +51.035
11 Lawson Bopping +53.857
Fastest Lap: Hayden Mellross – 1:33.903
MX1 – Moto 1 and 2 Combined (Top 10)
1 Todd Waters 70 Points
2 Kirk Gibbs 64 Points
3 Hayden Mellross 58 Points
4 Luke Clout 54 Points
5 Jesse Dobson 51 Points
6 Justin Rodbell 49 Points
7 Daniel Milner 46 Points
8 Erki Kahro 44 Points
9 Richie Evans 40 Points
10 Jayden Rykers 39 Points
MX1 – Moto 3 (Top 10)
1 Kirk Gibbs 17 Laps – Race Time:27:33.009
2 Todd Waters +23.807
3 Luke Clout +25.492
4 Hayden Mellross +29.937
5 Jesse Dobson +43.532
6 Daniel Sanders +48.808
7 Erki Kahro +50.402
8 Jayden Rykers +1:21.986
9 Justin Rodbell +1:24.062
10 Brett Metcalfe +1:32.071
Fastest Lap: Kirk Gibbs – 1:34.033
MX1 – Round 3 Overall (Top 10)
1 Kirk Gibbs 67 Points
2 Todd Waters 67 Points
3 Luke Clout 58 Points
4 Hayden Mellross 58 Points
5 Jesse Dobson 52 Points
6 Erki Kahro 47 Points
7 Justin Rodbell 47 Points
8 Jayden Rykers 44 Points
9 Daniel Milner 43 Points
10 Daniel Sanders 40 Points
MX1 – Championship Standings After Round 3 (Top 10)
1 Hayden Mellross 152 Points
2 Luke Clout 147 Points
3 Kirk Gibbs 145 Points
4 Todd Waters 143 Points
5 Jesse Dobson 121 Points
6 Justin Rodbell 110 Points
7 Erki Kahro 107 Points
8 Jayden Rykers 102 Points
9 Brett Metcalfe 97 Points
10 Charlie Creech 94 Points
11 Tomas Ravenhorst 92 Points
MX2 Results
MX2 – Timed Qualifying (Top 10)
1 Wilson Todd – 1:31.379
2 Nathan Crawford – 1:32.807
3 Kyle Webster – 1:33.258
4 Aaron Tanti – 1:33.956
5 Kaleb Barham – 1:33.962
6 Riley Dukes – 1:34.815
7 Jay Wilson – 1:33.684
8 Ricky Latimer – 1:35.670
9 Sam Pelz – 1:35.784
10 Dylan Wills – 1:35.873
MX2 – Moto 1 (Top 10)
1 Wilson Todd – 17 Laps – Race Time: 28:11.686
2 Kyle Webster +0.951
3 Nathan Crawford +3.293
4 Aaron Tanti +6.464
5 Jay Wilson +1:00.043
6 Dylan Wills +1:06.595
7 Jye Dickson +1:08.848
8 Bailey Malkiewicz +1:11.493
9 Ricky Latimer +1:12.464
10 Joel Evans +1:18.758
Fastest Lap: Kyle Webster – 1:36.570)
MX2 – Moto 2 (Top 10)
1 Wilson Todd 11 Laps – Race Time:18:32.870
2 Kyle Webster +4.249
3 Jay Wilson +5.070
4 Aaron Tanti +9.789
5 Riley Dukes +21.187
6 Dylan Wills +34.994
7 Nathan Crawford +35.501
8 Isaac Ferguson +36.220
9 Cooper Pozniak +37.737
10 Bailey Malkiewicz +39.335
Fastest Lap: Jay Wilson – 1:37.197)
MX2 – Round 3 Overall (Top 10)
1 Wilson Todd 70 Points
2 Kyle Webster 64 Points
3 Jay Wilson 56 Points
4 Aaron Tanti 56 Points
5 Nathan Crawford 54 Points
6 Dylan Wills 50 Points
7 Bailey Malkiewicz 44 Points
8 Jye Dickson 43 Points
9 Riley Dukes 42 Points
10 Ricky Latimer 42 Points
MX2 – Championship Standings After Round 3 (Top 10)
1 Wilson Todd 170 Points
2 Jay Wilson 142 Points
3 Aaron Tanti 133 Points
4 Kyle Webster 126 Points
5 Nathan Crawford 122 Points
6 Cooper Pozniak 115 Points
7 Dylan Wills 113 Points
8 Jye Dickson 107 Points
9 Riley Dukes 103 Points
10 Issac Ferguson 93 Points
MXD Results
MXD – Timed Qualifying
1 Rhys Budd – 1:33.171
2 Maximus Purvis – 1:33.447
3 Jack Kukas – 1:33.859
4 Jayce Cosford – 1:34.092
5 Regan Duffy – 1:34.780
6 Brodie Ellis – 1:34.849
7 Mason Semmens – 1:34.851
8 Mason Rowe – 1:34.997
9 Jai Walker – 1:35.057
10 Liam Walsh – 1:35.332
MXD – Moto 1 (Top 10)
1 Maximus Purvis 11 Laps – Race Time: 18:15.696
2 Rhys Budd +4.631
3 Mason Semmens +6.242
4 Regan Duffy +10.400
5 Jayce Cosford +37.539
6 Noah Ferguson +45.095
7 Brodie Ellis +47.672
8 Jack Kukas +48.448
9 Liam Walsh +49.764
10 Jai Walker +50.223
Fastest Lap: Maximus Purvis – 1:36.249)
MXD – Moto 2 (Top 10)
1 Regan Duffy 11 Laps – Race Time:18:39.787
2 Mason Semmens +2.366
3 Rhys Budd +13.645
4 Brodie Ellis +18.390
h 5 Jack Kukas +29.729
6 Maximus Purvis +37.720
7 Liam Walsh +43.757
8 Korey McMahon +46.947
9 Jai Walker +54.633
10 Mackenzie O’Bree +1:03.609
Fastest Lap: Regan Duffy – 1:38.082)
MXD – Round 3 Overall (Top 10)
1 Regan Duffy 63 Points
2 Mason Semmens 62 Points
3 Rhys Budd 62 Points
4 Maximus Purvis 60 Points
5 Brodie Ellis 52 Points
6 Jack Kukas 49 Points
7 Liam Walsh 46 Points
8 Jayce Cosford 45 Points
9 Jai Walker 43 Points
10 Noah Ferguson 42 Points
MXD – Championship Standings After Round 3 (Top 10)
1 Regan Duffy 157 Points
2 Rhys Budd 152 Points
3 Maximus Purvis 140 Points
4 Mason Semmens 125 Points
5 Jack Kukas 113 Points
6 Noah Ferguson 111 Points
7 Brodie Ellis 110 Points
8 Jayce Cosford 99 Points
9 Mason Rowe 98 59 Points
10 Liam Walsh 98 Points