Australian MX Nationals - Round 8 at Nowra NSW

MX1:  CDR Yamaha’s Reardon returns to the podium at Nowra

CDR Yamaha’s Daniel Reardon has returned to his pre – retirement winning ways today, taking the top step on the Monster MX1 podium for the first time this year, in a fairytale ending to round eight of the MX Nationals.

With the round kicking off in close to perfect conditions at the Nowra Motoplex today, the venue provided the perfect stage for thrills, spills and excitement in the Monster Energy MX1 Class.

After the morning’s 15 minute qualifying session, and Go Pro Super Pole, KTM Motocross Racing’s Kirk Gibbs took the number one qualifying position with a 1:42.306 lap time, while teammate and Nowra local Luke Styke had his first ever SuperPole experience, finishing his first hit out with third pick of the grid.

In the biggest upset from the qualifying session, Penrite Honda Racing Team’s Ben Townley was ruled out of racing for the remainder of the day after going down during the session and injuring his shoulder, in a disappointing beginning to the former World Champ’s MX Nationals campaign.

In moto one, CDR Yamaha returned to the dominating form the team is renowned for. Former retiree Daniel Reardon took the first hole shot of the day, with NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Monea following closely behind him.

Depsite Monea holding second position for the majority of the 30-minute moto, a late charge from Reardon’s teammate  Mosig (CDR Yamaha) saw Monea relegated to third, and Reardon under pressure for the lead.

When the chequered flag flew, it was Reardon who had the strength to hold off the force of his team mate, taking the race one win ahead of Mosig, followed by NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Monea who collected third.

In moto two, it was nothing short of a fairy tale ending for NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Long. After holding second position in the earlier stages of the race, Long launched himself into the race lead ahead of Penrite Honda’s Cody Cooper.

Despite the pair sticking together for a period of time, Long was able to extend his lead and allow Cooper to battle with Reardon for second place.

When the chequered flag flew, it was the Kawasaki machine of Long who took his first ever MX1 race win, ahead of CDR Yamaha’s Reardon in second, while KTM’s Styke collected third.

At the conclusion of the round, breakthrough results were handed not only to Long but Reardon alike. With one – two results Reardon took his first round overall since returning from retirement, while Long also found himself on the podium for the first time in second position.

CDR Yamaha’s success at round eight flowed on to third overall for the round, with Mosig completing the final position on the MX1 podium.

Dan Reardon:  "It’s been a long time since I’ve been up here on the overall podium so it feels awesome.  To tell you the truth, I probably didn’t expect myself to be in this position this year, it’s been a bit of a hard year. The team has been great and I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to come back racing again.

"I love this sport and that’s the reason why I’m back. I am over the moon to get this overall win, and to go home with a number one plate feels really good.

"Everyone works so hard on the CDR Yamaha team, and my whole family and personal sponsors have been very supportive, so this one is definitely a nice way to give back to them.”

Monster Energy MX1 round eight overall points:

1) Daniel Reardon 67
2) Dylan Long 59
3) Kade Mosig 58
4) Luke Styke 55
5) Adam Monea 55
6) Kirk Gibbs 54
7) Lawson Bopping 51
8) Cody Cooper 45
9) Kale Makeham 44
10) Jesse Dobson 44

Monster Energy MX1 championship points:

1) Kirk Gibbs 530
2) Luke Styke 465
3) Kade Mosig 456
4) Adam Monea 449
5) Lawson Bopping 429
6) Daniel Reardon 411
7) Dylan Long 390
8) Jesse Dobson 382
9) Cody Cooper 358
10) Kale Makeham 306

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MX2: Clout secures round eight win, and keeps championship hopes alive

Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout has kept his MX2 Championship hopes alive, after round eight of the MX Nationals at the Nowra Motoplex today, narrowing his former team mate Jay Wilson’s (JCR Yamaha) lead to a mere three points.

The day kicked off with just a touch of moisture thanks to overnight rain at the Nowra Motoplex, setting the Motul MX2 riders up for a day of action packed racing.

In moto one, Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout proved his chase for a 2015 title is far from over. Despite taking only a top five start, Clout launched himself into the race lead, and by the half-way-point had more than two seconds separating him from his competitors.

With Clout in the lead, the performance that also turned heads was that of Yamaha’s Wilson. After crashing after the first turn, the series point’s leader picked off rider after rider, charging from last all the way to an outstanding third place. Husqvarna’s Nathan Crawford claimed second, while Wilson’s former teammate Clout claimed first, narrowing the championship points margin to a single point after the opening moto.

In moto two, Serco Yamaha’s Clout took the early race lead, however the lead was short lived.

KTM mounted and Nowra local Dylan Wills, took control of moto two after just two or three laps, and launched himself to a commanding race lead.

With local Wills out in front, the battles for podium positions in race two were left to happen behind. And battle they did.

With an MX2 Championship on the line, Clout and Wilson battled for second position, knowing that the result from moto two would determine not only the result for the round, but the championship lead.

With Wilson having made his way through the pack, the JCR supported rider passed his closest competition (Clout) in the later stages of the moto, eventually crossing the line in second position behind Wills, while Clout claimed third.

When points were tallied at the conclusion of racing, Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout not only claimed the round overall, but also broke the four round winning streak of KTM’s Caleb Ward.

With Clout on top, Wilson secured second for the round and managed to retain the red plate leading into the final two rounds. Wills once again returned to the podium in third position, putting on one hell of a show for family and friends.

Luke Clout:  "It was a good day today. I closed the points lead and got the overall, so I was glad to be back on the podium. We also managed to break Caleb Ward’s winning streak which was pretty cool, and it felt great to be back on that top step.

"My starts today helped a lot, they really important and the bike handled the conditions perfectly.

"We have a three week break now before the final couple of rounds, so I’m just going to work hard, and come out for those last two rounds swinging.”

Motul MX2 round eight overall points

1) Luke Clout 65
2) Jay Wilson 62
3) Dylan Wills 61
4) Nathan Crawford 54
5) Takeshi Katsuya 51
6) Keiron Hall 51
7) Geran Stapleton 47
8) Jed Beaton 46
9) Joel Wightman 44
10) Jack Simpson 43

Motul MX2 championship standings:

1) Jay Wilson 465
2) Luke Clout 462
3) Takeshi Katsuya 435
4) Jed Beaton 395
5) Wade Hunter 362
6) Caleb Ward 353
7) Nathan Crawford 346
8) Dylan Wills 334
9) Luke Arbon 327
10) Geran Stapleton 324