Recapping Australian ProMX Round Four from Maitland

Penrite 2024 Australian ProMX Motocross Championship
Round Four – Maitland, NSW

Maitland’s fourth round of the 2024 Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores, delivered some great racing on an immaculate trackon Sunday, as Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Kyle Webster retained his single-point lead in the Thor MX1 standings.

It didn’t all go Honda Racing’s way, though, with Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Ryder Kingsford securing a first-career round win, halting the momentum of Pirelli MX2 series leader Brodie Connolly.

The drama continued in the MAXXIS MX3 division, as Mongrel Boots Honda Racing’s Jake Cannon claimed another round victory, as the red plate changed hands to WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha’s Kobe Hantis.

Sunday also saw Seth Thomas win the Fox Racing MX85 Cup and Lewis-Jay Carafa the KTM Group MX65 Futures.

Current MX1 champ, Dean Ferris, fell in the first practice session of the weekend at Maitland and was unable to race. It was a heavy hit that saw Ferris lay motionless on the track as track marshals rushed to him.

He was taken to RACESAFE and then onto hospital for further evaluation. He was concussed from a head hit and then when assessed in hospital, they detected some broken metatarsals in his hand.

Under Motorcycling Australia protocols, Ferris must remain off the bike for 12 days before gaining a clearance to ride, but the hand injury will exceed that so he will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks has he recovers.

“I’m doing ok but pretty disappointed as I was really looking forward to this round and getting my season back on track,” Ferris stated when he returned to the track on Sunday. “I raced well in Toowoomba a couple of weeks ago, won here last year and felt the momentum was beginning to build again for me.

“I recall feeling good on the opening laps and then started to pick up the pace when I jumped the inside after turn 3 and it felt like I clipped the dirt mound that marked the track and it then spat me over the bars. I recall the landing seemed pretty violent and it took me a bit to get my head together but I was fine by the time I was on the way to hospital and was able to remember what happened.

“The aim now it to get myself fit and heathy again and target the last three rounds of the championship for when I return,” Ferris ends.

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Thor MX1 Race One

Nathan Crawford took the holeshot and raced to his second race victory of the season, but the race lead changed no less than five times as Gibbs, Beaton, and Webster all took turns at the head of the pack in a frantic exchange over the first half of the moto.

Things came to a head when Webster crashed out of the lead and dropped back to sixth, allowing Crawford to regain the lead and take a hard-earned win by 5.179s over Beaton.

Beaton’s second place was more than enough to see him again take over the series red plate, with a five-point buffer over Webster.

Luke Clout put in a measured ride to finish a satisfying third, as Kirk Gibbs crossed the finish line in P4.

Kyle Webster recovered from his crash to take fifth, while a fast-finishing Brett Metcalfe edged Todd Waters on the last lap to claim seventh.

Positions eight to 10 were filled by Zachary Watson, Joel Evans, and Blake Fox.

Thor MX1 Race One Results

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Thor MX1 Race Two

Kyle Webster rebounded from his fifth-place result on Saturday to win Sunday’s second Thor MX1 moto of the weekend. Crawford beat the pack to the first turn, but Webster shot into the lead and was never headed from, finishing 5.1 seconds ahead of Beaton.

After losing spots early as he struggled to get into the flow of the race, Crawford regrouped to finish third, making a last lap pass on Kirk Gibbs (GASGAS Racing Team) for the final spot on the podium. Empire Kawasaki’s Luke Clout rode a solid moto to complete the top five, more than 30 seconds behind Gibbs.

Thor MX1 Race Two Results

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Thor MX1 Race Three

In the final MX1 moto of the round, Webster capped off a great weekend by taking a 3.16s win over Beaton after a race-long duel.

Gibbs stole the show off the start by scoring a great holeshot and leading the opening laps, but was passed by both Beaton and Webster on the third lap, as the two series front-runners went toe-to-toe.

After stalking Beaton for most of the race, Webster pulled the trigger with 10 minutes to go to make a pass and take the victory. Crawford finished a distant third after eventually getting the upper hand on Gibbs, while Clout finished a lonely P5.

Thor MX1 Race Three Results

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Thor MX1 Round

Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Kyle Webster won two of the three Thor MX1 races to take the Maitland round win on countback over title rival Jed Beaton (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy), with Saturday’s moto winner, Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team, just one point further back.

Kyle Webster – P1

“My bike and team have been great. Everyone has maintained their focus, and we haven’t stopped trying to improve the bike. I am feeling strong. There is still a lot of racing left, and it’s nice to know we are contenders. We will keep working as the competition is tight.”

Jed Beaton – P2

“The whole weekend I just felt a bit off. Nothing bad and certainly not taking anything away from Kyle or Nathan who are both riding well, but I just didn’t gel with the track as well as I would have liked. I struggled here last year, and this year was certainly a big improvement, but I feel I could have raced better and been able to grab a couple of moto wins this weekend. The championship is tight, and we still have four rounds to go, so its time to step up and get some race wins and put myself in the best possible position to win the championship. The next two tracks we race are ones that I like and have done well at in the past, so I will bring lots of focus and energy to them and see if we can get on a bit of a roll in the back half of the year.”

In the championship standings, the one-point gap between Webster and Beaton remains as we head to Murray Bridge next month (202 points to 201), while Crawford is 25 points further back on 176.

Nathan Crawford – P3

“Maitland wasn’t bad at all! Yesterday was a really good day and I was happy to get the win in the opening moto. Today looks alright on paper with a 3-3, but I just had nowhere near the feeling on the track that I did yesterday, which was the only that frustrated me a little bit. I need to remind myself that I’m on the podium, it’s my first year back in this class, and I’m racing guys who’ve been here for a while. I’m competitive and at the front most of the time, so I’m happy to get this result for the team.”

Kirk Gibbs – P4

“It was a good weekend for me, with three P4s and I was right there in every race. I felt good, and the bike was the best it’s been. Obviously, a podium would’ve been great, but it was good to pull a holeshot in that last race, lead a few laps and just feel good on the bike. Those front boys are riding really good, so it was good to see what that pace was like, and now try and make up that gap before Murray Bridge.”

Todd Waters – P6

“After a podium result last time out at Gillman, it was tough to finish sixth today and the conditions were challenging. We kept ourselves out of trouble and banked as many points as we could. We know what we need to improve on before the next round, so we’ll keep working hard and look to get further towards the front at Murray Bridge.”

Thor MX1 Round Points

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Thor MX1 Championship Points

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Pirelli MX2 Race One

Ryder Kingsford scored the holeshot and went on to win his first race at this level after a lonely ride at the front of the pack but all hell broke loose behind him.  Brodie Connolly crashed on the start straight and remounted in last, while his Honda Racing team-mate Noah Ferguson also found himself mid-pack off the start.

Bailey Malkiewicz, who’s performing double duty in two classes this weekend, capitalised on a great start to finish the race with a well-deserved runner-up result, holding off a hard-charging Alex Larwood, who steadily moved his way forward throughout the moto.

Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Jayce Cosford and Haruki Yokoyama also both put in impressive rides to complete the top-five after both getting the better of Kayden Minear late in the race.

Noah Ferguson finished a gritty seventh after his bad start, ahead of Kaleb Barham, Cambell Williams and Rhys Budd, who ran as high as third early in the moto.

Back in the pack, Connolly scrambled his way forward to P12, but then crashed again and finished the race in a frustrating 19th, collecting just two points for all his efforts. His points lead was cut from 38 to 25, giving his rivals added hope in the championship fight heading into Sunday’s two motos.

Pirelli MX2 Race One Results

 

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Pirelli MX2 Race Two

In Sunday’s first MX2 moto, Boost Mobile Honda rider Noah Ferguson quickly dispatched of holeshot winner Rhys Budd (Raceline Husqvarna Racing Team) to take the lead and win by 7.9s over a reinvigorated Reid Taylor (Empire Kawasaki).

Behind them, the minor placings chopped and changed constantly, but it was Alex Larwood (Froth Honda Racing) who overcame a top 10 start to take the final step of the podium. A hard-charging performance from Japan’s Haruki Yokoyama (Honda) saw him surge late to take P4 over Kayen Minear (KTM Racing Team).

Pirelli MX2 Race Two Results

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Pirelli MX2 Race Three

In the third and final MX2 race of the weekend, Kingsford capitalised on late issues for long-time race leader Taylor to take the win and round victory. Taylor jumped to the front early and led until the final two laps when a late issue allowed Kingsford by, while he would cross the line in 10th.

Kingsford then had to hold off a frantic late charge from Ferguson to take a narrow 0.964s win, while Connolly finished his weekend with a third. Larwood bounced back from a P12 start to take fourth ahead of holeshot winner Yokoyama.

Pirelli MX2 Race Three Results

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Pirelli MX2 Round

Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Ryder Kingsford took two wins from three Pirelli MX2 races to claim his first round win of the year and put a stop to Polyflor Honda Racing Brodie Connolly’s dominance.

Ryder Kingsford – P1

“I’m pretty happy to get that done and get a win for myself and the team. At every round so far, my second races of the day have been strong and I was confident that if I got a decent start, I would be able to get the job done.  The team have been awesome this year and everyone there works so hard so it cool to see them so happy. I know they said it had been a while between round wins for them, so its nice that I was able to get it for them.  It was also a good round to do it as we were able to make up a heap of points in the championship and get back in the fight. I think the top three of us are now within twenty points and there is still plenty of racing left.”

Kingsford was joined on the box by Ferguson and Larwood, while Connolly endured a tough weekend to finish seventh overall. He still leads the series, but his 38-point lead has been slashed to 12 over Ferguson (182 points to 170), with Kingsford a further seven markers back.

Noah Ferguson – P2

“I still need to make changes to my riding. The team and I discussed this on Saturday night, and Sunday was a lot better, but I still need to improve in some areas. There were a lot of positives from the weekend, and I think we will come out of this stronger.”

Alex Larwood – P3

“This is a box ticked. It’s been a long time between podiums. The speed and stamina are improving, and we will continue down the path we have set together. This year is about rebuilding and getting back to where I know I should be.”

Jayce Cosford – P5

“I gave it my all in every race and had a few issues to deal with but overall, it was a pretty good weekend. I got some arm pump in the first race as the speed of the track was fast, but I think a few of the other guys did as well. Then I sucked the first few laps of race two before I got my head in the race, then in race three, I had a sore knee and was a bit stiff, but I just to go as fast as I could for as long as I could.  My mechanic Joel and the entire team did a great job and I’m ready to go for the next round.”

Kayden Minear – P6

“This weekend went decent for me. We came away equal fifth for sixth overall on countback and I’m happy with that. I’m improving on hardpack and I’m confident in my riding, but I’d say my expectations have changed after the previous round, where I’m not going to be satisfied if I’m not on the podium at this point of the season.”

Brodie Connolly – P7

“I lost a lot of points this weekend. I am really upset; the crash wasn’t my fault, but that’s racing. I will focus on recovery and come out strong in Toowoomba.”

Pirelli MX2 Round Points

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Pirelli MX2 Championship Points

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Maxxis MX3 Race One

Mongrel Boots Honda Racing rider Jake Cannon has continued his mid-season roll, comfortably winning the first of the MAXXIS MX3 motos on Saturday.

Cannon topped the class’s qualifying session, then overtook holeshot winner Cooper Rowe within a handful of corners to go on and win the opening race by a comfortable 7.916s from series leader Kayd Kingsford (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha).

Kingsford’s team-mate Koby Hantis completed the race podium, a distant 13 seconds back, after having to work his way forward from a P7 start.

GASGAS rider Ky Woods finished the moto in fourth, holding off Jack Deveson (Husqvarna), who tried to finish the race strongly and was rewarded with fifth place.

Maxxis MX3 Race One Results

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Maxxis MX3 Race Two

Cannon cruised to victory in the second of the weekend’s three MX3 motos, taking the lead from Hantis on the third lap and went on to comfortably win by 5.565s. The moto’s P3 placing went to Burchell, ahead of Jackson Fuller (KTM) and Jack Deveson (Husqvarna) with a satisfying P5 result.

Maxxis MX3 Race Two Results

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Maxxis MX3 Race Three

GASGAS rider Ky Woods bounced back from a tough second moto to take the final MX3 race win of the day, leading a of WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha riders to take a 2.667s win over Burchell, followed by Kobe Drew and Hantis. Cannon overcame a bad start, then an early off-track excursion to finish strongly in fifth and claim another round win.

Maxxis MX3 Race Three Results

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Maxxis MX3 Round

Mongrel Boots Honda Racing rider Jake Cannon continued his strong mid-season form by claiming the round victory after three entertaining MAXXIS MX3 motos. Joining him on the Maitland podium were WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha riders Koby Hantis and Seth Burchell.

Jake Cannon – P1

“It was a good weekend. I made a mistake in the final race which was costly, but we still managed to take our second overall win for the season. We also closed the points gap on the leader. My focus right now is to win as many motos as I can and take the overall. The competition is tight amongst the top 5, so I need to knuckle down and ride mistake-free.”

Koby Hantis – P2

“The weekend was good for me, and it was important I bounced back after a rough round at Gilman a few weeks ago. I was confident going into the weekend as I have raced Maitland quite a bit, so it was nice to get a good result, get the red plate back and keep working towards the championship.”

Seth Burchell – P3

“Pretty stoked to get my first podium for the WBR Yamaha team and do it with here at Maitland with my friends and family watching. The first race I had to get my way through the pack, but my starts were better in the last two and I rode well.”

Kobe Drew – P4

“I was down on myself after the first two races, so I was happy to get a decent result on the board for the final race. I felt much better on the track and my speed was right there with the guys which it wasn’t in the first.”

Kayd Kingsford – P6

“I had way too many sketchy moments out there and made way too many mistakes. I was leading in race two and just launched way to far off one of the jumps and crashed, then in the last race, I was right there in the top three and made a mistake just before the pit board area. It was a frustrating way to finish the day but I stayed close in the points so it could have been way worse.”

In the MX3 points chase, Hantis has taken over the series lead with 170 points, ahead of Kingsford (163) and Drew (162), while Cannon continues to close the gap on the front-runners, now on 152 points.

Maxxis MX3 Round Points

Maxxis MX3 Championship Points

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Fox Racing MX85 Cup Race One

GAGAS rider Seth Thomas became the standalone leader of the talent-packed Fox Racing MX85 category with one round of the series remaining, after a mature performance in Saturday’s race today.

It was his nearest rival, Heath Davy (Yamaha), who scored the holeshot and tried to distance himself early on, but Thomas grabbed the lead on the fourth lap, then went on to win by 4.16 seconds.

Cooper Danaher (GASGAS) finished a distant third, as Connor Feather (Husqvarna) and Richie Lawler (KTM) completed the top five.

Top qualifier Levi Townley (Yamaha) took a hard-fought sixth. After starting on the cusp of the top 10, he quickly worked his way up to second early on before crashing soon afterwards and tumbling down to P20. The New Zealander then clawed his way back to sixth before the clock ran out.

Fox Racing MX85 Cup Race One Results

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Fox Racing MX85 Cup Race Two

Seth Thomas scored the holeshot and never looked back as he relentlessly stretched out his lead, eventually finishing 20.7 seconds up the track from his nearest rival, Heath Davy (Yamaha).

Davy also put in an impressive ride as he overcame a mid-pack start to finish a distant P2, while GASGAS rider Cooper Danaher made the most of a good gate-jump to complete the race podium.

Zander Kruik crossed the line in P4, just 0.650s ahead of a hard-charging Levi Townley, who was involved in a multi-rider tangle on the opening lap and had to fight back from 26th place.

Fox Racing MX85 Cup Race Two Results

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Fox Racing MX85 Cup Round

A perfect weekend for GASGAS rider Seth Thomas saw him win the three-round Fox Racing MX85 Cup title, as he dominated Sunday’s final moto.

The round results reflected the final series standings for the top three, with Thomas taking the title from Davy, with Danaher finishing the day and championship in third. Danaher pipped Townley for P3 in the points, while Cooper Bowman (Husqvarna) ended the series in fifth.

Fox Racing MX85 Cup Round Points

Fox Racing MX85 Cup Points

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KTM Group MX65 Futures Race One

Our future stars of the sport took to the track for the first time in 2024 on Saturday at Maitland, and it was young Yamaha rider Blake Bohannon who took opening MX65 Futures honours, with a memorable wire-to-wire victory.

Bohannon scored the holeshot and went on to win by 5.563s over KTM-mounted Lewis-Jay Carafa, with fellow KTM rider Kye Sproule rounding out the podium, another 8.9s further back.

KTM duo Mason Ezergailis and Chase Worthington finished their day fourth and fifth.

KTM Group MX65 Futures Race One Results

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KTM Group MX65 Futures Race Two

Young Victorian rider Lewis-Jay Carafa took the second of the KTM Group MX65 Futures races to take the round victory, capping off a stellar first appearance for the new-look category on the ProMX calendar.

The Husqvarna rider led from the opening lap to come home with a 4.178s lead over second-placed Blake Bohannon (Yamaha). Bohannon, who won yesterday’s opening race, dug deep to make a last-lap pass for P2, and finish the weekend tied on points with Carafa.

Mason Ezergailis (KTM) came across the finish-line in third place in both the race and the round, ahead of KTM riders Oli Chandler and Kye Sproule. The introductory new three-round MX65 Futures series will recommence at Gympie, Queensland on 11 August.

KTM Group MX65 Futures Race Two Results

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KTM Group MX65 Round Results

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