New Zealand’s Brodie Connolly took his Honda to win the third round of the Australian Motocross Championships at Wodonga, in Victoria, repaying the faith the red brand had placed in him.
The third round of the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championships last weekend was a brutal, rain-soaked affair, but Tauranga’s Connolly (MX2), Jed Beaton (MX1) and Jack Mather (MX3) stood up best to the extreme challenge.
Kiwi hero Connolly (Polyflor Honda Racing) firmly placed his hat in the ring for MX2 honours across the Tasman this season after racing to a milestone overall victory just three rounds into his first full season of Australian competition.
Connolly (pictured above, Honda No.88) produced a commanding performance to lead qualifying in the morning and then went on to win the opening encounter by almost a full minute.
He led Jayce Cosford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) and Wilson Todd (Terrafirma Honda Racing), but the big news was a non-finish for title challenger Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team).
The second race of the afternoon saw Crawford rebound to top the moto ahead of team-mate Minear and Connolly, which resulted in Connolly landing a first-career overall victory ahead of last year’s MX3 class champion Minear and Todd.
It’s still Todd who leads the points, now by eight over team-mate Connolly, with Minear third.
Meanwhile, multi-time New Zealand motocross champion Cody Cooper (from Papamoa, Kawasaki) ended the day at Wodonga 13th overall, after finishing 13th and 10th in his two outings.
MX1 CLASS
There was no denying returning international Jed Beaton in the MX1 ranks at the Victorian venue, the Boost Mobile Honda Racing rider working his way to an impressive 1-2 scorecard. That result also handed him the red plate for the first time in his homecoming to Australia.
Beaton navigated the conditions best in moto one to take the chequered flag a remarkable 1m18.567s ahead of the chasing pack, followed by 2019 champion Todd Waters (Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing) and multiple New Zealand champion Hamish Harwood (CML Davey Motorsports KTM).
Moto two again saw Beaton take control from the outset, but it was a late charge from three-time MX1 champion Dean Ferris (Brisbane Motorcycles Yamaha), who was a non-finisher earlier in the day, that earned him the final moto win of the weekend. He edged Beaton, with 2015 title-winner Kirk Gibbs (KTM Racing Team) taking P3.
Overall for the round, Beaton captured a well-earned victory ahead of Waters, while Gibbs was in third position, with Harwood (who finished 3rd and 6th) ranked fourth and fellow Kiwi Maximus Purvis (6th and 8th, Yamaha) fifth overall for the weekend.
In terms of the championship, Beaton leads by 14 points ahead of Gibbs and Ferris, who ended up P6 overall this afternoon. Defending champion Aaron Tanti (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) was 15th on Sunday, dropping from first to sixth in points.
MX3 CLASS
The MX3 class overall belonged to Jack Mather (Husqvarna), using consistency in 2-1 finishes to secure the overall in the most gruelling of conditions.
It was Byron Dennis (GasGas) who qualified quickest to start proceedings early on in the day, before Queensland charger Jake Cannon (Yamaha) rose to the occasion in moto one with the win ahead of Mather and Fred Taylor (GasGas), while Dennis crossed the line in P4.
The afternoon’s second and final outing saw Dennis cross the line first from Mather after making a move in the closing moments, however, a two-position penalty applied saw Mather instead credited P1.
That sealed the latter the overall from team-mate Liam Owens, who was P3 in moto two, and Dennis. Mather holds a six-point advantage in the standings.
Round four of the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championships will take place at Maitland in New South Wales on May 6-7, marking the first two-day event of the season.
Photo supplied
Find BikesportNZ.com on FACEBOOK here