Supercross

American Justin Brayton has secured his second consecutive win in the Australian Supercross Championship at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast, this weekend.

Brayton was too strong for Aussies Brett Metcalfe [2nd] and Luke Clout [3rd] who rounded out the podium in the hotly contested 450, SX1 race.

Form the start, the #1 Penrite Honda hit the lead and didn’t look back, but it was the battle for the minor places that had the Coolum crowd on the edge of their seats.

CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team newcomer Nathan Crawford was one of those contenders, but a mistake saw an end to his weekend and a suspected leg injury for the Queenslander.

As a result the KTM Motocross Racing Team, with Clout onboard the bike, inherited third behind Metcalfe, where he would remain despite a crash late in the race, which he was able to recover from and secure the final podium spot.

Fourth place went to Jace Owen from the USA on the Complete Parts Kawasaki with Dan Reardon racing on through a flat tyre, to secure a top-5 result on his Yamaha.

Dylan Long (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team) came home in sixth, with Jesse Dobson (KSF Ecstar Suzuki), Lawson Bopping (Kawasaki), Nick Sutherland (Honda) and Zak Small (Husqvarna) rounding out the top-10.

SX1 rookie Cody Dyce (Suzuki) crashed hard in the initial laps through the whoop section to record a DNF result.

In the 250 SX2 class, series leader Jay Wilson moved into the lead in the closing stages of the race to clinch his second-consecutive victory in the Australian Supercross Championship.

Second place went to Aaron Tanti with Wilson Todd rounding out the podium places. Hayden Mellross finished fourth ahead of American Dakota Alix from the KTM Motocross Racing Team.

The SX2 top-10 was completed by Jacob Hayes (Serco Yamaha), Kyle Webster (Penrite CRF Honda Racing), Jackson Richardson (Penrite CRF Honda Racing), Richie Evans (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) and Thomas Ravenhorst (KTM).

The Australian Supercross Championship now heads to Geelong in Victoria for round three, scheduled for 13 October.

2018 Australian Supercross Championship Standings – SX1 – After Round 2
1. Justin BRAYTON (USA) – 50pts
2. Brett METCALFE (SA) – 44pts
3. Luke CLOUT (NSW) – 40pts
4. Daniel REARDON (QLD) – 34pts
5. Jace OWEN (USA) – 34pts
6. Dylan LONG (VIC) – 30pts
7. Jesse DOBSON (QLD) – 28pts
8. Nicholas SUTHERLAND (NSW) – 25pts
9. Jesse MADDEN (QLD) – 21pts
10. Robbie MARSHALL (QLD) – 21pts

Editorial provided by AME

A cast of Aussie riders are set to take it to American ace Justin Brayton as Round 2 of the Australian Supercross Championship heads to Coolum this Saturday.

With Brayton leading the way after winning Round 1 in Jimboomba, three Australians still remain hot on his heels in the chase for the championship.

One rider looking to topple Brayton and ensure the Australian Supercross Championship lands back in Aussie hands for 2018 is New South Welshman Luke Clout, who currently sits third in the rider standings.

“I’ll just need to get a good start and be with him, he’s [Brayton] a really good rider who seems to step it up when you think you’re getting closer to him,” Clout said.

“I think I can definitely stay with Justin, It will be another thing to beat him but I think it’s realistic to be there and fight with him for 20-laps and take it to him cleanly.”

Despite this being his first year on a 450 bike, Clout says he’s feeling especially confident on the more powerful Factory KTM 450-SXF and is feeling confident he can push for the win in Coolum.

“I’ve really felt comfortable since day one riding the KTM in Supercross, we’ve done literally one day of testing and haven’t changed anything since, the more time I’m spending on it the better I’m getting and more comfortable I’m getting,”

“I feel like I’m riding a lot better than I was at Jimboomba, I feel like i’ve picked it up again. I’m really happy with how i’m going with my fitness and how everything with the team is going, so yeah just really excited to go back racing.”

Round two of the 2018 Australian Supercross Championship at Coolum Pines MX complex on October 6 will be staged as a daytime meeting, the new family-friendly daylight format being popularly received at the Jimboomba championship opener.

Gates will be open from 10am, with a Pit Party kicking off from 1.30pm where fans can meet the stars of supercross, and main event racing roaring into life from 2.30pm.

Advance purchase tickets to the Coolum Supercross are available now via:

https://events.ticketbooth.com.au/event/australian-supercross-championship-round-2-coolum

2018 Australian Supercross Championship  Standings – SX1 

1. Justin BRAYTON (USA) – 25pts

2. Brett METCALFE (SA) – 22pts

3. Luke CLOUT (NSW) – 20pts

4. Daniel REARDON (QLD) – 18pts

5. Jace OWEN (USA) – 16pts

6. Dylan LONG (VIC) – 15pts

7. Jesse DOBSON (QLD) – 14pts

8. Nicholas SUTHERLAND (NSW) – 13pts

9. Jesse MADDEN (QLD) – 12pts

10. Robbie MARSHALL (QLD) – 11pts

For all latest Australian Supercross Championship news and updates, please go to:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Coolumsupercross

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aussupercross

Website: www.australiansupercross.com.au

Photo 1 Credit: Foremost Media
Photo 2 Credit: Craig Milne

Defending Champion Justin Brayton has kicked off his 2018 campaign in commanding fashion, taking the opening round of the Australian Supercross Championship at Jimboomba Stadium. Brayton qualified fastest and lapped up to 8th position eventually taking the SX1 top spot by 5 seconds over the second place.

Brayton edged out team mate Brett Metcalfe who made a successful return to Supercross in Australia finishing 2nd and making it a Penrite Oil Honda Racing 1-2 for the season opener. Metcalfe had an early lead but stalled forcing him to lose positions before fighting back.

KTM Racing Australia’s premier class rider Luke Clout had a massive come from behind ride to finish on the podium after going down in the first turn of the main event.

Dan Reardon finished 4th in his first outing with the newly put together team, one which he is confident can get the job done when it comes to the pointy end of the season.

In his highly anticipated return to racing Jace Owen steered his Complete Parts Kawasaki KX 450F to a solid start to the season rounding out the top 5, showing he has the pace to take it to the big names in his maiden trip to Australia.

After qualifying in second, current Australian Motocross Champion Dean Ferris had a big spill in a triple triple section of his heat race which saw him go over the bars and stretchered off by Race Safe. We are yet to know if he has sustained any championship wrecking injuries but is undergoing scans. Further news on Ferris to follow.

Jay Wilson and his Yamaha Yamalube Racing YZ250F stormed to the front of a stacked SX2 main event attaining the lead early in the race and finishing ahead of Americans Bradley Taft and Joshua Osby.

21 year old Taft sprayed the champagne in his first race in Australia just 4 secs off the pace of Wilson but showed serious pace being the only 250 rider to go under the 50 second a lap mark in the main event.

DPH Husqvarna rider Hayden Melross charged to fourth in his first race back on Australian soil,  holding off Serco Yamaha’s Jacob Hayes who was 18th coming out of the first turn.

A full house at Jimboomba Stadium solidifies fans presumptions of a must watch season ahead with round two of the Australian Supercross Championship kicking off on October 6th at Coolum.

SX1 Main Event

1. Justin BRAYTON

2. Brett METCALFE

3. Luke CLOUT

4. Daniel REARDON

5. Jace OWEN

6. Dylan LONG

7. Jesse DOBSON

8. Nicholas SUTHERLAND

9. Jesse MADDEN

10. Robbie MARSHALL

11. Joel WIGHTMAN

12. Connor TIERNEY

13. Jamie HARVEY

14. Zak SMALL

15. Joshua KILVINGTON

16. Timothy MACARTHUR

17. James ALEN

 

SX2 Main Event

1. Jay WILSON

2. Bradley TAFT

3. Joshua OSBY

4. Hayden MELLROSS

5. Jacob HAYES

6. Dakota ALIX

7. Wilson TODD

8. Richard EVANS

9. Dylan WILLS

10. Jackson RICHARDSON

11. Ricky LATIMER

12. Tomas RAVENHORST

13. Kyle WEBSTER

14. Hugh MCKAY

15. Bailey MALKIEWICZ

16. Rhys BUDD

17. Cooper POZNIAK

18. Gradie FEATHERSTONE

19. Aaron TANTI

DNF. Kaleb BARHAM

Images Credit: Foremost Media

Three Australian Motocross Championships in a row proves that losing is not a concept Dean Ferris readily accepts, and he’s hoping a new strategy will pay dividends as the 2018 Australian Supercross Championships roar into action at Jimboomba on Saturday.

This year the Yamaha pilot has chosen to opt out of MXoN (Motocross of Nations) representation, to focus 100% on preparing for the specific demands of the Supercross Championship. Because although the bikes and riders may look interchangeable between the two disciplines, the reality is sharply different.

“It’s always been difficult leading up to round one each year before the MXoN,” said Ferris. “I always felt like I wasn’t giving 100% to both goals, even though in the past I’ve been riding seven days a week to be sharp for both disciplines. Their demands are so far apart it’s like it’s a different sport,” continues the 28-year-old.

“I’ve got to prepare my body differently, it’s a far different bike setup, my whole everyday preparation is different. It’s hard on the team too, and I’m thankful for the help they’ve given me over the past couple of years. People wouldn’t realise this, but CDR were sending a bike overseas for me every year, on top of the full MX practice bike, SX practice bike, SX race bike and spare race bike they were running. So, for a 6-week period each year they were keeping five, fully built, fully-specced bikes for me. That’s hard on the team as well as on me.”

Wearing the Aussie colours means as much to Ferris as it does to the next Aussie sportsman or sportswoman, so opting out of the MXoN wasn’t easy.

“A small part of me really wanted to go, but I know it was right to choose one or the other this year. I’m contracted to SX and I make my salary doing it, so this year I chose that direction.”

Ferris considers this is the most comfortable he’s felt in the lead-up to a supercross pre-season, allowing him to focus on the goal at hand.

“This year the goal is to close the gap to the U.S. guys who’ve given us an arse-whooping every year. “Justin Brayton and Dan Reardon are the main threats for the championship, having been on the podium the last two years running, but a few guys will step up. I don’t focus too much on other guys, but we’ll monitor the threats as they emerge.”

The five-round Aussie championship begins with the twin daytime rounds at Jimboomba and Coolum, then moves to Geelong, Port Adelaide and concludes at the AUS-X Open spectacular in Sydney, which features American World Supercross Champion Jason Anderson and compatriot Justin Barcia, as well as legendary Aussie rider Chad Reed.

Current SX1 number one, American Justin Brayton has won the premier class for the last two years straight, while Ferris has finished third and second in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Naturally, we couldn’t let Australia’s dominant rider of the last three years go without asking for the latest news on his plans to ride in the US in 2019.
“I’ll be happy to tell it all when there’s something to tell,” he said. “There is nothing finalised yet, but I’ve got an agent on the ground over there working for me, and we’ll be leaving next year some time. That’s all there is to tell right now.”

Australian Supercross Championship rounds 2018:

1. Jimboomba, September 15
2. Coolum, October 6
3. Geelong, October 13
4. Port Adelaide, October 20
5. Sydney, November 10

For more information and to buy your tickets click here

Editorial by John Pinnell
Photos supplied by MX Nationals

 

With this year’s Australian Supercross championship shaping up to be the biggest in years all the action kicks off this weekend at Jimboomba Stadium, Queensland.

Supercross fans will see the sport’s deepest field of international talent with riders coming from America and Europe to take on Australia’s best.

In the SX1 class American and two-time defending Australian Supercross Champion Justin Brayton will make his return to Australia with his family after a record-breaking season in the US where the American finished 5th in the World Supercross Championship – a year where Brayton scored his maiden, main event win.

Penrite Oil Honda Racing teammate Brett Metcalfe, who signed a Motocross only deal, has decided to line up behind the gate at selected rounds this year. In 2010 Metcalfe took six podium finishes on his way to second overall to Ryan Dungey in the Pro Motocross Championship.

The pair will have their hands full in the premier class with the likes of Australia’s Dan Reardon, the 2015 and multiple Australian champion who has brought together his own deal of close-knit sponsors to create the best opportunity for him to take out the illustrious crown. Reardon will be backed by Yamaha on the all-new 2019 YZ450F.

Current Australian Motocross Champion Dean Ferris will be another one to watch as he looks to challenge the international talent on board his CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Racing machine.

Another rider to watch out for will be USA’s Jace Owen who will contest the entire SX1 championship on-board the brand new 2019 Kawasaki KX450.

American Arenacross front-runner Owen will make his first appearance in Australia during the five-round Supercross championship, recently arriving from his home in Illinois and preparing with Complete Parts Kawasaki Racing in the lead-up to round one.

“The depth of fields competing in this year’s Australian Supercross Championship is a testament to the strength of the series in 2018 and proof that we’re making a mark on the global stage,” said Australian Supercross Championship organisers.

“Both SX1 and SX2 classes are the strongest they’ve been in many years and we’ve seen an influx of young, aspiring riders join the series as they look to develop their skills to a world class standard.

“The racing is going to be intense across all five rounds and at this stage it’s impossible to guess, who will leave Sydney with the number one plate on November 10.”

The international riding talent in the SX2 class sees a stacked lineup of competition with plenty of American and European athletes on show in 2018.

The UK’s Gradie Featherstone is one of the featured riders aboard his KSF Ecstar Suzuki and the 2017 European Supercross Champion will be one to watch at Jimboomba this weekend.

Riding for the Serco Yamaha Team is American Jacob Hayes who heads to Australia full of confidence after winning the 2018 AMA Arenacross Championship.

Hayes will be joined in the Australian Supercross Championship’s SX2 class by fellow Americans Bradley Taft (Penrite Honda),  Josh Osby (KTM) and Dakota Alix (KTM).

Alix, who is 22 from Vermont USA, will ride the 2019 KTM 250 SX-F and look to take it to the Australian and international competition after finishing 15th in the 2018 World Supercross 250 West Championship, despite injuries early on in the season.

Of course, the international stars will have their work cut out for them with last year’s Australian SX2 Supercross Champion Jackson Richardson, on board a Penrite Honda to defend his crown.

Also charging for the win, will be the 2018, 250 Australian Motocross Champion Wilson Todd aboard his Serco Yamaha 2019 YZ250F.

The opening round of the Australian Supercross Championship is a great day out for all ages and will kick off from 10 am this Saturday 15 September at Jimboomba X Stadium.

For more information please visit: www.australiansupercross.com.au

2018 AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR

Rd1 – 15 September – Jimboomba, Queensland

Rd2 – 6 October – Coolum, Queensland

Rd3 – 13 October – Geelong, Victoria

Rd4 – 20 October – Port Adelaide, South Australia

Rd5 – 10 November – Sydney, New South Wales (AUS-X Open)

LIST OF RIDERS IN ALL CLASSES* 

SX1 Australian Supercross Championship – Round 1 Rider List

#1 Justin Brayton USA (Honda)

#2 Luke Clout NSW (KTM)

#5 Jace Owen USA (Kawasaki)

#7 Dylan Long VIC (Yamaha)

#16 Connor Tierney WA (Yamaha)

#24 Brett Metcalfe SA (Honda)

#30 Joel Wightman NSW (Honda)

#52 James Alen VIC (Honda)

#71 Rickie Girdwood SA

#101 Timothy Macarthur NSW

#106 Joshua Kilvington QLD

#111 Dean Ferris NSW (Yamaha)

#122 Dan Reardon QLD (Yamaha)

#151 Nicholas Sutherland QLD

#237 Zak Small QLD (Husqvarna)

#265 Jamie Harvey NSW

#J05 Jesse Madden QLD (Suzuki)

#414 Jesse Dobson QLD (Suzuki) 

SX2 Australian Supercross Championship – Round 1 Rider List

#1 Jackson Richardson QLD (Honda)

#2 Wilson Todd QLD (Yamaha)

#5 Dylan Wills NSW (Husqvarna)

#6 Jay Wilson QLD (Yamaha)

#7 Bradley Taft USA (Honda)

#8 Dakota Alix USA (KTM)

#10 Joshua Brewster VIC (KTM)

#16 Kaleb Barham QLD (Husqvarna)

#17 Cooper Pozniak NSW

#18 Aaron Tanti NSW (Kawasaki)

#21 James Brown VIC

#22 Rhys Budd NSW

#25 Dylan Wood NSW

#27 Mason Rowe QLD (KTM)

#32 Joel Cigliano NSW

#33 Gradie Featherstone UK (Suzuki)

#35 Ricky Latimer QLD

#45 Hayden Mellross NSW (Husqvarna)

#46 Hugh Mckay TAS (Yamaha)

#47 Bailey Malkiewicz (VIC)

#74 Joshua Osby USA (KTM)

#75 Caleb Goullet VIC (Honda)

#81 Joel Evans QLD (Husqvarna)

#86 Richard Evans QLD (Yamaha)

#90 Jacob Hayes USA (Yamaha)

#92 Jye Dickson NSW (KTM)

#96 Kyle Webster WA (Honda)

#100 Jy Roberts NSW (Husqvarna)

#188 Tomas Ravenhorst VIC

#514 Andrew Dinicol VIC

#602 Lachie Latimer QLD

#754 Jayce Cosford QLD

#c48 Blake Cobbin QLD

Australian Junior Supercross Championship – Round 1 85cc/150cc

#5 Zane Mackintosh VIC

#11 Anthony Atanasovski VIC

#17 Cody Kilpatrick NSW

#21 Roger Kingsford NSW

#22 Connor Towill NSW

#24 Reid Taylor NSW

#45 Brad West QLD

#81 Connor McLaughlin NSW

#93 Ethan Amos QLD

#232 Gyle Mount NSW

#244 Lachlan Winchester ACT

#253 Jake Greenhalgh NSW

#288 Cambell Williams NSW

#434 Jack Mather QLD

#999 Kaipara Clarke QLD

Australian Junior Supercross Championship – Round 1 Junior Lites

#04 Brandon Steel NSW

#25 Blake Fox NSW

#30 Zackariah Wright VIC

#31 James Davison NSW

#36 Denzel Woulfe VIC

#81 Connor McLaughlin NSW

#82 Reece Crutch QLD

#450 Riley Arabin NSW

#463 Kai Bonning QLD

#482 Jake Cuka QLD

#999 Kaipara Clarke QLD

*Riders listed above are confirmed for Round 1 at Jimboomba X Stadium as of 4pm Thursday 13 September 2018.

For further information please visit: https://www.australiansupercross.com.au/