Suzuki rider Matt Moss won the ninth and penultimate round of the 2013 Australian Motocross Championships at Toowoomba’s Echo Valley Raceway in Queensland on Sunday, giving himself almost a full race up his sleeve in the premier MX1 class with just one round remaining.

Moss qualified second in the all-important Super Pole, won the first moto and sealed the overall with a second placing in moto two. He now has a 25-point lead over arch-rival Todd Waters (Motorex KTM) entering Coolum’s final round next weekend.

Rookie Kirk Gibbs was second overall, finishing runner-up after leading much of race one before breaking through for a controlled moto two victory in his rookie MX1 campaign. Team-mate Waters was third overall with third in moto one and sixth in the second following a frustrating fall mid-moto.

Fourth was Jake Moss (Campbell Mining Suzuki) with a pair of hard-fought fourths, while CDR Yamaha’s Super Pole winner Billy Mackenzie was fifth with 5-7 results.

New Zealand’s Cody Cooper (Suzuki) finished the day eighth overall and he remains fourth in the series standings.

Meanwhile, Serco Yamaha’s Luke Styke clinched his maiden MX2 title after an epic moto one win. He went on to dominate the second moto of the weekend as well to stamp his authority on the season with a round to spare.

Rookie Kale Makeham (Tune Tech Racing KTM) was again in fine form, leading the majority of race one before finishing second, and he repeated that effort in moto two. Queenslander Brock Winston (Choice Motorsports KTM) completed the podium with a 4-3 run.

Rounding out the top five was KTM privateer Dylan Long in another shining performance that included third in moto one, and former national champion Ryan Marmont (Raceline Pirelli Suzuki).

Kiwi riders Kayne Lamont (CMR Red Bull BikesportNZ.com KTM), Rhys Carter (Suzuki) and Kieran Scheele (Honda) finished the day seventh, eighth and ninth overall respectively on Sunday.

Carter and Lamont are now seventh and ninth respectively in the standings and beginning their build-up to represent New Zealand at the Motocross of Nations in Germany at the end of next month.

Scheele is 19th in the Australian MX2 championships but he has not contested all the rounds.

The MX Development (Under-19) ranks was topped on Sunday by GYTR Yamaha’s Jay Wilson, who was second in moto one before winning the second to clinch the overall ahead of moto one winner and series leader Hamish Harwood (CMR Red Bull KTM), of New Zealand, who shared the day’s overall with 1-2 results.

Yamaha privateer Corey James was a season-best third.

Te Puke’s Logan Blackburn (BikesportNZ.com Yamaha) is ninth in the MXD series standings.

The Monster Energy MX Nationals will conclude at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast next weekend on 31 August-1 September.

© Photo by Jeff Crow

2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals, round nine – Toowoomba, Queensland:

MX1 results:

1. Matt Moss 71

2. Kirk Gibbs 68

3. Todd Waters 57

4. Jake Moss 56

5. Billy Mackenzie 55

6. Adam Monea 53

7. Jay Marmont 50

8. Cody Cooper 49

9. Gareth Swanepoel 45

10. Sam Martin 42

MX1 championship standings (after nine of 10 rounds):

1. Matt Moss 582

2. Todd Waters 557

3. Billy Mackenzie 516

4. Cody Cooper 478

5. Kirk Gibbs 475

6. Jake Moss 444

7. Lawson Bopping 407

8. Jay Marmont 383

9. Adam Monea 376

10. Sam Martin 294

MX2 results:

1. Luke Styke 70

2. Kale Makeham 64

3. Brock Winston 58

4. Dylan Long 58

5. Ryan Marmont 49

6. Beau Ralston 49

7. Kayne Lamont 49

8. Rhys Carter 45

9. Kieran Scheele 43

10. John Prutti 39

MX2 championship standings (after nine of 10 rounds):

1. Luke Styke 613

2. Kale Makeham 504

3. Brock Winston 472

4. Ryan Marmont 398

5. Dylan Long 389

6. Takeshi Katsuya 362

7. Rhys Carter 351

8. Geran Stapleton 349

9. Kayne Lamont 347

10. Josh Cachia 305

MXD results:

1. Jay Wilson 67

2. Hamish Harwood 67

3. Corey James 60

4. Jesse Dobson 51

5. Jake Emanuelli 49

6. Joel Wightman 46

7. Jack Simpson 46

8. Jesse Madden 42

9. Dylan Wills 41

10. Tomas Ravenhorst 39

MXD championship standings (after seven of eight rounds):

1. Hamish Harwood 439

2. Jay Wilson 386

3. Jack Simpson 381

4. Jesse Dobson 353

5. Corey James 336

6. Joel Dinsdale 325

7. Joel Wightman 317

8. Jake Emanuelli 279

9. Logan Blackburn 255

10. Dakota Court 223