It was an abbreviated weekend of racing at round eight of the Australian MX Nationals at Moree, in New South Wales.
With the local medical facility swamped with accidents from all around the district and pushed to capacity, organisers of the motocross nationals decided not to press on the with event and potentially add to the crush.
They called it a day after each of the three main classes had completed at least one race each, although even that meant the championship table still got a bit of a shake-up.
The MX1 class again saw the championship red plate change hands with DPH Husqvarna’s Todd Waters (pictured here) winning the opening moto and taking advantage of a first-lap crash from CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Luke Clout, who ultimately finished ninth in the moto.
The two are now separated by just two points heading into the final two rounds of the series at Coolum next weekend.
Kirk Gibbs led the majority of moto one on his CDR Yamaha Monster Energy machine before succumbing to Waters speed, ending up second in the moto. Brett Metcalfe rode to a solid third position on his Penrite Honda CRF450, unable to match the speed of Waters and Gibbs but comfortably ahead of the rest of the field.
Empire Kawasaki’s Dylan Long raced to a season best fourth position with Yamalube Yamaha’s Richie Evans and Davey Motorsport KTM’s Caleb Ward both riding to season best finishes with fifth and sixth position respectively.
MX2 CLASS
The MX2 class started out the day at Moree with the back-to-back seven-lap sprint moto format. Davey Motorsport KTM’s Dylan Wills claimed the $100 holeshot award and led every lap en route to his first moto win of the 2019 season.
Serco Yamaha’s Nathan Crawford showed blistering speed to charge through the pack and finish second, while privateer Isaac Ferguson finished third. Championship red plate holder Wilson Todd finished seventh on his DPH Husqvarna while his championship rival, Penrith Pirelli CRF Racing’s Kyle Webster struggled after a first lap fall and he finished 13th.
In a crazy day of action, Yamalube Yamaha’s Jay Wilson also went down on lap one whilst attempting to pass for the lead and would ultimately be the catalyst for Todd’s first lap crash as the two came together in a big impact while Wilson attempted to get back to his bike.
MX DEVELOPMENT (U19) CLASS
The MXD (Under-19) class saw Raceline KTM THOR’s Regan Duffy charge through from a bad start to win the moto battling hard with Yamaha privateer Brodie Ellis who would finish second.
WBR Bulk Nutrient Yamaha’s Maximus Purvis finished the moto in third. Penrite Pirelli CRF Racing’s Rhys Budd led the moto early but crashed in spectacular fashion in the sand section, ultimately finishing in 10th position.
Duffy now holds a commanding 52-point lead over New Zealand’s Purvis in the MXD championship heading into the final two rounds of the season at Coolum next weekend.
© Photo courtesy MX Nats
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RESULTS AND STANDINGS:
MX1 RESULTS
MX1 Qualifying
1. Todd Waters – 1:58.086
2. Kirk Gibbs – 1:58.221
3. Dylan Long – 1:58.669
4. Luke Clout – 1:58.982
5. Caleb Ward – 1:59.467
6. Jesse Dobson – 1:59.944
7. Brett Metcalfe – 2:00.090
8. Lawson Bopping – 2:00.997
9. Richie Evans – 2:01.679
10. Connor Tierney – 2:01.914
MX1 Superpole
1. Kirk Gibbs – 1:57.466
2. Todd Waters – 1:57.820
3. Luke Clout – 1:58.195
4. Dylan Long – 1:58.566
5. Caleb Ward – 2:00.017
MX1 Moto 1 – Top 10
1 Todd Waters
2 Kirk Gibbs
3 Brett Metcalfe
4 Dylan Long
5 Richie Evans
6 Caleb Ward
7 Connor Tierney
8 Justin Rodbell
9 Luke Clout
10 Lawson Bopping
Championship Standings After Round 8
1. Todd Waters – 422 Pts
2. Luke Clout – 420 Pts
3. Hayden Mellross – 408 Pts
4. Kirk Gibbs – 347 Pts
5. Brett Metcalfe – 323 Pts
6. Justin Rodbell – 310 Pts
7. Jayden Rykers – 300 Pts
8. Richie Evans – 284 Pts
9. Jesse Dobson – 277 Pts
10. Lawson Bopping – 236 Pts
MX2 RESULTS
MX2 Qualifying
1. Nathan Crawford – 1:58.517
2. Jay Wilson – 2:01.186
3. Kyle Webster – 2:02.107
4. Dylan Wills – 2:02.165
5. Bailey Malkiewicz – 2:02.473
6. Aaron Tanti – 2:03.060
7. Wilson Todd – 2:03.360
8. Joel Evans – 2:03.943
9. Isaac Ferguson – 2:04.685
10. Cooper Pozniak – 2:04.905
MX2 back-to-back race 1
1. Dylan Wills
2. Nathan Crawford
3. Isaac Ferguson
4. Aaron Tanti
5. Joel Evans
6. Luke Reardon
7. Wilson Todd
8. Cooper Pozniak
9. Morgan Fogarty
10. Riley Ward
MX2 back-to-back race 2
1 Nathan Crawford
2 Wilson Todd
3 Jay Wilson
4 Aaron Tanti
5 Dylan Wills
6 Kyle Webster
7 Bailey Malkiewicz
8 Joel Evans
9 Cooper Pozniak
10 Riley Ward
MX2 back-to-back race overall result
1 Nathan Crawford
2 Dylan Wills
3 Wilson Todd
4 Aaron Tanti
5 Jay Wilson
6 Joel Evans
7 Cooper Pozniak
8 Luke Reardon
9 Kyle Webster
10 Riley Ward
Championship Standings After Round 8
1. Wilson Todd – 427 Pts
2. Kyle Webster – 409 Pts
3. Jay Wilson – 403 Pts
4. Nathan Crawford – 374 Pts
5. Aaron Tanti – 356 Pts
6. Dylan Wills – 336 Pts
7. Bailey Malkiewicz – 300 Pts
8. Cooper Pozniak – 273 Pts
9. Ricky Latimer – 269 Pts
10. Morgan Fogarty – 254
MXD RESULTS
MXD Qualifying
1. Rhys Budd – 2:00.798
2. Maximus Purvis – 2:01.354
3. Noah Ferguson – 2:03.143
4. Mason Rowe – 2:03.403
5. Brodie Ellis – 2:04.279
6. Mason Semmens – 2:04.339
7. Jack Kukas – 2:04.689
8. Jai Walker – 2:04.876
9. Regan Duffy – 2:05.031
10. Liam Walsh – 2:05.339
MXD Moto 1 Top Ten
1 Regan Duffy
2 Brodie Ellis
3 Maximus Purvis
4 Tye Jones
5 Jai Walker
6 Jayce Cosford
7 Mackenzie O’Bree
8 Jake Cobbin
9 Liam Walsh
10 Rhys Budd
Championship Standings After Round 8
1. Regan Duffy – 461 Pts
2. Maximus Purvis – 427 Pts
3. Rhys Budd – 370 Pts
4. Brodie Ellis – 331 Pts
5. Noah Ferguson – 330 Pts
6. Mason Rowe – 310 Pts
7. Jai Walker – 303 Pts
8. Liam Walsh – 287 Pts
9. Jack Kukas – 280 Pts
10. Jayce Cosford – 277 Pts
2019 Australian MX nationals calendar:
Round 1 – Appin, NSW – March 17th
Round 2 – Wonthaggi ,VIC – March 31st
Round 3 – Broadford, VIC – April 14th
Round 4/5 – Murray Bridge, SA – May 4th & 5th
Round 6 – Gympie, QLD- June 23rd
Round 7 – Maitland, NSW – July 14th
Round 8 – Moree, NSW – July 28th
Round 9 & 10 – Coolum, QLD – August 3rd & 4th
