A spectacular second round of the 2023 Australian ProMX Championships at Appin, in New South Wales, was won by defending MX1 champion Aaron Tanti, with Nathan Crawford rising to the top of the MX2 class.
With temperatures hovering towards the 40-degree Celsius mark throughout round two, the action was just as hot on track in the Penrite-sponsored series’ welcome return to Appin, New South Wales.
MX1 CLASS
Wearing the number one and red plate following his Thor MX1 championship victory last season, CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Aaron Tanti was a picture of consistency at Appin to pick up what was the first overall of the 2023 season.
After qualifying fifth following the Top 10 Shootout, Tanti rode to third position in the opening moto of the weekend. He went 1-3 in the two-part second moto, which under an Olympic scoring system, was enough to seal him the race win and overall.
Former three-time champion Dean Ferris (Brisbane Motorcycles Yamaha) was the class of the field through much of round two in topping qualifying and winning moto one by a significant 33.331s margin, however, a costly crash in the opening portion of moto two saw him cross the finish in P5.
He rebounded to win again in part two, which on combined scores placed him in P3 for the moto and second overall – importantly tied on points with Tanti.
Third position to complete the round podium was a solid result for Jed Beaton (Boost Mobile Honda Racing), delivering a 4-2 scorecard once the results were tallied, which placed him three points clear of Kirk Gibbs (KTM Racing Team), who stood out on his way to second in the earlier encounter.
A turn-one fall in the first outing cost Luke Clout (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy), finishing with 9-4 results to complete the top five this weekend.
Positions six through 10 were filled by yet another former champion in Todd Waters (Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing), Kyle Webster (Boost Mobile Honda Racing), New Zealand MX1 champion Hamish Harwood (Davey Motorsports KTM) in his first appearance of the year, Brett Metcalfe (Penrite GO24 KTM) and popular Queensland privateer Joel Evans (Honda).
MX2 CLASS
Round two of the Pirelli MX2 championship was all about KTM Racing Team’s Nathan Crawford, who after qualifying in third position early this morning, effectively dominated the pair of 250 class motos for the overall victory.
His result elevated him to third in the standings two rounds into the new season.
While Crawford marched to a pair of convincing wins, it was a case of damage control for reigning champion and current red plate-holder Wilson Todd (Terrafirma Honda Racing) in battling to 2-2 results. That runner-up overall means he is leading the standings by 17 points.
Finishing P3 was Kiwi Brodie Connolly (Polyflor Honda Racing), followed by Rhys Budd (Serco Yamaha) and Kaleb Barham (Husqvarna), in a standout effort for the privateer.
Last year’s MX3 champion Kayden Minear (KTM Racing Team) took sixth place this weekend, with Jesse Dobson (Serco Yamaha) and Jayce Cosford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) seventh and eighth, respectively, as Liam Andrews (Honda) and Ryan Alexanderson (KTM) completed the top 10.
After being unable to score points in moto one, Alex Larwood (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) bounced back for fourth in moto two for 11th overall.
It was a mixed weekend for former New Zealand and Australian motocross champion Cody Cooper (Papamoa, Kawasaki), who qualified 12th and then finished 14th and 18th in his two outings.
MX3 CLASS
There was no denying GasGas-backed Ky Woods the victory in MX3 class at Appin today, qualifying on top of the timesheets and then going on to record 1-3 finishes. Woods was joined on the podium by Liam Owens (Husqvarna) and Byron Dennis (GASGAS), each tied on 38 points following the two motos.
Finishing fourth overall was Jack Mather (Husqvarna), while second moto winner Connor Towill (KTM) was fifth overall after finishing 13th in the opening race this morning. Sixth came Kobe Drew (Yamaha), ahead of Seth Burchell (Yamaha), Koby Hantis (Yamaha), Kayd Kingsford (Yamaha) and New Zealand’s Rian King (New Plymouth, KTM).
Next up for the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championships will be round three of the season at Wodonga, Victoria, scheduled for Sunday, April 16.
Photo courtesy ProMX Championships
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