Todd, Ward and Jake Moss top qualifying
Australian MX Champs 2014
Riders get a feel for Coolum ahead of Frand Finale 30 August 2014: Coolum, Queensland Round 10 MXD, MX1 and MX2 practice and qualifying has now been completed and we have one day of action left to decide who will be crowned the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals Champions. Beautiful weather greeted spectators, officials, teams and riders as the final round of the series roared into action at Coolum Pines MX Track in Queensland. Wilson Todd (GYTR Yamaha), privateer Caleb Ward and Jake Moss (NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki) recorded the fastest times in each of the three classes to take out qualifying ahead of the final day of racing on Sunday. Monster MX1 With a sprinkling of water on the track, the Monster MX1 class headed out for practice, on an already rough and rutty Coolum circuit. DPH Motorsport rider Kade Mosig was first to head out, leading a 40 strong pack of riders for the 15-minute session. Again eyes were firmly fixed on the lap times of series leader, Team Motul Suzuki’s Matt Moss, who looked more than comfortable in the sand, clocking in the fourth fastest lap time. It was CDR Yamaha’s Billy Mackenzie who took full advantage of the free practice session, clocking in fastest on track with a 1:47.623 lap, ahead of Jake Moss. Third quickest in the session was Jacob Wright (CDR Yamaha). By the time the MX1 class made its way onto the circuit for qualifying, there were already doubts as to whether we would see times as fast as we did in the earlier practice session. While Matt Moss posted a quick time early, it was brother Jake who set tongues wagging when he recorded a 1:47.983 on his third lap. Mackenzie also clocked in with his best laptipme on lap three – his 1:48.598 enough to secure him second spot in the session. Matt posted the third fastest time, while round nine sensation Wright and KTM Motocross Race Team’s Kirk Gibbs both qualified for the Superpole on Sunday. Motul MX2 As the heavy hitters of the Motul MX2 class lined up for their free practice session, eyes were on Serco Yamaha’s red plate holder Luke Clout, looking super relaxed prior to heading out. When bikes hit the track it was the usual suspects out first. Penrite Oil Honda’s Josh Cachia lead the pack for lap one the 15-minute qualifying session. Much to the crowds surprise Clout rode around at a leisurely pace, appearing to take his time to get to know the notoriously rough Coolum circuit. The fastest time of the session was put down by Clout in the final lap, managing a 1:50.159 ahead of Hamish Harwood (CMR Redbull KTM) and Kawasaki rider Takeshi Katsuya. In qualifying it was Ward, Clout and Jay Wilson (Serco Yamaha) who set the pace early. Ward posted a 1:52.005 on the second lap of the session and it was enough to take number one spot in qualifying, as the track conditions deteriorated throughout the session. Clout’s second lap time of 1:52.676 was enough to hand him second position in the session, while Tunetech Racing KTM Australia’s Kale Makeham posted a quick time on lap five to move into third. Harwood and Wilson rounded out the top-five – Harwood moving to fourth on the last lap, while title threat Luke Arbon (SD3 Husqvarna) had to settle for eighth. Pirelli MXD When the Pirelli MXD class headed out for their 15-minute free practice session, eyes were on Egan Mastin (Berry Sweet Husqvarna) as well as privateers Jack Simpson and Nathan Crawford, who are all locked in a tense title-fight. At the end of the session, onlookers were left stunned, with KTM privateer Jayden Rykers putting down the fastest lap, ahead of Crawford and privateer Dylan Wills. Red plate holder Mastin opted to play things safe during the practice session, crossing the line with a sixth fastest lap time. In qualifying it was Todd who looked the most impressive early – clocking a 1:50.397 on his second lap and setting the pace early for everyone to catch. Crawford came close to catching him on the same lap, but was still .144 seconds behind. There wasn’t another lap time posted sub one minute and 52 seconds, before Mastin posted a 1:51.581 on his second last lap to move into third position. Surprisingly – that is how the top three stayed, with the early hard work of Todd and Crawford landing them the top two spots in qualifying and first picks of the gates tomorrow. Rykers finished the session in fourth place, Kyle Webster (Cully’s Yamaha) clocked the fifth fastest time, while Simpson had to settle for seventh. For a full list of all the results from practice and qualifying head to www.mxnationals.com.au - ends - IMAGE: Jeff Crow / Explorer Media Media Enquiries: |