Race Feed & Results from Coolum
Australian MX Champs 2015
A moto-by-moto account from Coolum's fifth round. Image Jeff Crowe
Motul MX2 qualifying:
Queenslander Nathan Crawford set the pace in opening MX2 qualifying to kick-off here at Coolum, his 1m41.555s lap around a second and a half faster than surprise second place finisher Riley Graham. The top 10 was tightly packed, with Jay Wilson third, Jack Simpson improving for fourth and Taka Katsuya fifth. Pre-race favourite Caleb Ward was sixth quickest this morning, trailed by Dylan Wills, Kyle Webster, reigning champion Luke Clout and Dean Porter completing the top 10. Notable names outside the top 10 include Jed Beaton in 11th as he still recovers from his broken collarbone, Hamish Harwood in 13th, Luke Arbon in 14th, Wade Hunter down the order in 16th and Geran Stapleton 20th.
Monster Energy MX1 qualifying:
Lawson Bopping has claimed the GoPro Super Pole at Coolum’s fifth round of the series with a 1m41.515s ahead of red plate holder Kirk Gibbs, Adam Monea, the returning Ben Townley in a one-off appearance (although his time wasn’t officially registered) and Jesse Dobson, who crashed during his lap. Outside of Super Pole, positions six through 10 were filled by Luke Styke, Dylan Long, Kade Mosig, Kale Makeham and Dan Reardon. Major names top finish the session outside of the top 10 were Sunshine Coast’s Ford Dale in 11th, Matt Moss 12th upon return from injury, Cody Cooper 14th and John Phillips in his last appearance for Kawasaki in 16th.
Pirelli MXD qualifying:
Championship leader Wilson Todd has topped the MXD qualifying session during this morning’s qualifying, his 1m48.798s a full second faster than Connor Tierney, with local Jesse Madden third in what is his home round of the season. Completing the top five was Jayden Rykers and Toby Stevens, while Zak Small, Ryan Eden, Wayde Carter, Kaleb Barham and Bailey Coxon were the top 10 placers.
Motul MX2 moto one:
The opening MX2 moto saw a mixture of talent at the front in the early laps including Dylan Wills, Wade Hunter and Riley Graham, but it was eventually Caleb Ward who made his way to the front and sprinted to the opening 30-minute moto victory of the round. Ward won ahead of Luke Clout, who’s still battling a thumb injury, and Taka Katsuya rounding out the podium placings. Hunter fended off a charging Jed Beaton for fourth, as directly behind them Nathan Crawford worked his way from the rear of the field to cross the line in sixth. Also inside the top 10 for the race was Jay Wilson, Luke Arbon, Geran Stapleton and Jack Simpson. Wills meanwhile was forced out of contention with what appeared to be a damaged gear lever while running inside the top three in the middle stages.
Monster Energy MX1 moto one:
Moto one of the premier class belonged to former world champion Ben Townley, the New Zealander racing to the victory in what was his first appearance of the season. Townley overcame longtime leader Lawson Bopping in the final third of the moto, despite a mid-moto stall that almost cost him a shot at the win. At the end of the moto it was Townley winning comfortably ahead of Bopping, while Luke Styke battled to third. Three of the series’ best went down in the first turn including Kirk Gibbs, Dan Reardon and Kade Mosig, forcing the trio to charge back through the field into the final stages. Gibbs was able to finish fourth, while Jesse Dobson was fifth after he fell out of a podium position in the closing laps. Next in sixth was Adam Monea, from Mosig, Reardon, Ford Dale and Dylan Long, who had run inside the top three for much of the moto before mistakes dropped him down the order. Upon return to racing Matt Moss was 17th due to a mistake that saw him take a long period to refire his Suzuki, and it was also a difficult moto for teammate Kale Makeham in 19th.
Pirelli MXD moto one:
Husqvarna’s Connor Tierney claimed a tight opening MXD moto victory this afternoon at Coolum, marginally fending off a fast-finishing Jayden Rykers in a photo finish that had the crowd on their feet. Rykers caught and moved past Tierney on the penultimate lap before Tierney was able to counter, crossing the finish just 0.035s ahead at the moto’s end. Behind them was Jesse Madden and Zak Small inside the top five, while completing the top 10 was Bailey Coxon, Jordan Hill, Wayde Carter, Trent Wheatley and Jonte Reynders.
Motul MX2 moto two:
Nathan Crawford raced to a thrilling second moto victory in the MX2 ranks, battling with Jay Wilson for much of the moto before taking charge in the final laps for the win. Behind him was moto one winner Caleb Ward, who snuck by Wilson for position in the final stages. Fourth in moto two after a fine ride was WA’s Dean Porter, Luke Arbon fifth, and then positions six through 10 were filled by Jack Simpson, Taka Katsuya, Geran Stapleton, Jed Beaton and Kyle Webster. Notable names lower down the order included Wade Hunter in 11th and Luke Clout a lowly 20th. Overall the round win went to Ward over Crawford and Wilson, while Clout maintains the red plate by five points over Katsuya and Wilson, who are now tied for second.
Monster Energy MX1 moto two:
The second moto belonged to Kirk Gibbs in a stunning performance, taking charge early and quickly establishing himself at the front of the field. Behind Gibbs it was Lawson Bopping who rode to an eventual second place, which secured him the overall for the round – his first since Hervey Bay in 2012. It was looking as though Townley would claim the round win as he sat inside a podium placing for much of the moto, but a late mistake dropped him down the order and denied him the overall for this weekend. Third in the moto was Kade Mosig in a strong effort, chased home by Adam Monea, Townley, Jesse Dobson, Luke Styke, Daniel Reardon, Cody Cooper and Dylan Long. Overall it was Bopping the victor, Gibbs extended his championship advantage in second, and completing the overall podium was Townley.
Pirelli MXD moto two:
The second and final MXD moto of the round went to red plate holder Wilson Todd by a comfortable margin, while the runner-up placing of Connor Tierney in moto two secured him a second overall round win in a row. The top three for the moto was Todd, Tierney and Jayden Rykers, with Bailey Coxon and Jesse Madden completing the top five. Also finishing inside the top 10 for the moto was Ryan Edan, Toby Stevens, Hamish McGrath, Kaleb Barham and Jaiden Corrigan. Tierney got the nod overall by two points from Wilson, with Rykers rounding out the podium. The championship now sees Wilson with a six-point lead over Tierney entering the break.
2015 MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship
Round five – Coolum, QLD
MX1 overall results:
1. Lawson Bopping 64
2. Kirk Gibbs 63
3. Ben Townley 61
4. Kade Mosig 54
5. Luke Styke 54
6. Adam Monea 53
7. Jesse Dobson 51
8. Daniel Reardon 46
9. Cody Cooper 42
10. Dylan Long 42
11. Ford Dale 40
12. Daniel McCoy 39
13. John Phillips 37
14. Ricky Latimer 34
15. Kale Makeham 28
16. Richie Evans 28
17. Darcy Jones 27
18. Aaron Tanti 26
19. Daniel Banks 20
20. Izak Maule 18
MX1 championship standings:
1. Kirk Gibbs 341
2. Luke Styke 289
3. Adam Monea 283
4. Lawson Bopping 282
5. Kade Mosig 281
6. Jesse Dobson 240
7. Dylan Long 234
8. Daniel Reardon 230
9. Cody Cooper 219
10. Kale Makeham 180
11. Ford Dale 171
12. John Phillips 168
13. Aaron Tanti 167
14. Daniel Banks 140
15. Daniel McCoy 128
16. Izak Maule 125
17. Darcy Jones 118
18. Daniel McEntee 113
19. Cheyne Boyd 83
20. Matthew McEntee 71
MX2 overall results:
1. Caleb Ward 67
2. Nathan Crawford 60
3. Jay Wilson 54
4. Takeshi Katsuya 54
5. Luke Arbon 49
6. Jed Beaton 48
7. Wade Hunter 48
8. Jack Simpson 46
9. Geran Stapleton 45
10. Luke Clout 43
11. Hamish Harwood 38
12. Riley Graham 36
13. Luke Wilson 33
14. Tomas Ravenhorst 30
15. Dean Porter 28
16. Joel Green 25
17. Kyle Webster 21
18. James Alen 21
19. Jacob Williams 20
20. Geordie McGrath 20
MX2 championship standings:
1. Luke Clout 286
2. Jay Wilson 281
3. Takeshi Katsuya 281
4. Jed Beaton 250
5. Wade Hunter 246
6. Luke Arbon 228
7. Nathan Crawford 213
8. Geran Stapleton 202
9. Hamish Harwood 194
10. Riley Graham 190
11. Jack Simpson 187
12. Caleb Ward 182
13. Dylan Wills 171
14. Kyle Webster 153
15. Joel Wightman 148
16. Dylan Leary 142
17. Luke Wilson 140
18. Dean Porter 134
19. Tomas Ravenhorst 107
20. Joel Green 94
MXD overall results:
1. Connor Tierney 67
2. Wilson Todd 65
3. Jayden Rykers 62
4. Jesse Madden 54
5. Bailey Coxon 53
6. Hamish McGrath 47
7. Ryan Eden 42
8. Kaleb Barham 41
9. Jaiden Corrigan 39
10. Wayde Carter 39
11. Jonte Reynders 38
12. Trent Wheatley 37
13. Lachlan Davis 35
14. Zak Small 30
15. Jordan Hill 26
16. Lachlan Holroyd 25
17. Brad Polsoni 25
18. Toby Stevens 24
19. Ryan Shadbolt 23
20. Tyler Bullen 22
MXD championship standings:
1. Wilson Todd 262
2. Connor Tierney 256
3. Jesse Madden 241
4. Jayden Rykers 233
5. Bailey Coxon 218
6. Wayde Carter 213
7. Jonte Reynders 187
8. Lachlan Davis 170
9. Kaleb Barham 169
10. Zak Small 162
11. Jordan Hill 161
12. Ryan Shadbolt 149
13. Toby Stevens 147
14. Trent Wheatley 135
15. Travis Silk 122
16. Jaiden Corrigan 121
17. Jamie Harvey 116
18. Lachlan Holroyd 113
19. Hamish McGrath 95
20. Joel Meikle 80
Veteran’s 30 Plus overall results:
1. Cheyne Boyd 70
2. Robbie Marshall 64
3. Malcolm Cash 60
4. Travis Regeling 54
5. Craig Anderson 54
6. Aaron Hunt 50
7. Cassidy Holland 48
8. Dean Freer 46
9. Paul Wolfe 44
10. Luke Wolfe 40
11. Aidan Porth 40
12. Lucas Burton 39
13. Steve Moreels 19
14. Sam Lyttle 18
15. Dan Peters 17
Veteran’s 30 Plus championship standings:
1. Cheyne Boyd 70
2. Robbie Marshall 64
3. Malcolm Cash 60
4. Travis Regeling 54
5. Craig Anderson 54
6. Aaron Hunt 50
7. Cassidy Holland 48
8. Dean Freer 46
9. Paul Wolfe 44
10. Luke Wolfe 40
11. Aidan Porth 40
12. Lucas Burton 39
13. Steve Moreels 19
14. Sam Lyttle 18
15. Dan Peters 17