FERRIS STILL IN CONTROL

Kyogle’s Dean Ferris has managed to keep his perfect record of Australian MX Nationals round victories intact following two days of tight racing – back-to-back rounds seven and eight – at Ranch MX, in New South Wales, at the weekend.

Ferris (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team) relied on consistency to maintain his perfect Thor MX1 round streak for the 2018 Pirelli MX Nationals season.

Ferris kept team-mate Dylan Long and Penrite Honda Racing’s Brett Metcalfe at bay for the round seven points, then used a 2-2 result to snatch the round eight win from KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Luke Clout and Long.

The opening moto of the weekend saw Ferris jump to the front from the opening lap and controlled the race on his way to a 1.8-second victory over Metcalfe. Raceline Pirelli KTM rookie Mitch Evans finished third after relinquishing second to Metcalfe with just three laps to go. Clout and Complete Parts Kawasaki Racing team rider Rhys Carter, from New Zealand, rounded out the top five.

In the second moto for round seven, Long broke through for his first race victory of the year with a wire-to-wire win. Long led runaway points-leader Ferris across the finish line by 4.5 seconds, who in turn finished ahead of Clout, Metcalfe and Carter.

Round eight on Sunday ran as back-to-back eight-lap sprint races, emphasising the need for perfect starts. Ferris rode to a consistent 2-2 result to claim his eighth overall of the year, just one point ahead of Clout, with Long rounding out the podium.

In the opening moto, Long stormed to the front of the pack and led every lap on his way his second win of the day. Ferris placed second, ahead of Metcalfe, Clout and Evans.

In the second race, Clout timed his gate-jump perfectly to lead every lap and keep Ferris at bay by just one second at the chequered flag, who in turn finished just in front of Evans. Carter finished fourth, with Long letting an overall victory slip through his fingers after dropping from second to fifth over the course of the race.

By finishing sixth overall in the MX1 class at both rounds seven and eight, Mount Maunganui man Carter has managed to move up from seventh to sixth overall in the championship chase.

Photo courtesy MX Nats

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MX1 Round 7 Results:

Dean Ferris (Yamaha) 67
Dylan Long (Yamaha) 60
Brett Metcalfe (Honda) 60
Luke Clout (KTM) 58
Mitch Evans (KTM) 55
Rhys Carter (Kawasaki, NZ) 52
Corey James (Suzuki) 46
Callum Norton (Honda) 44
Joel Wightman (Honda) 42
Keiron Hall (Suzuki) 42

MX1 Round 8 Results:

Dean Ferris (Yamaha) 64
Luke Clout (KTM) 63
Dylan Long (Yamaha) 61
Mitch Evans (KTM) 56
Brett Metcalfe (Honda) 55
Rhys Carter (Kawasaki, NZ) 52
Caleb Ward (Husqvarna) 49
Corey James (Suzuki) 45
Lachlan Davis (Honda) 49
Joel Wightman (Honda) 40

MX1 Championship Standings After Round 8 of 10

Dean Ferris – 556 Pts
Luke Clout – 450 Pts
Mitch Evans – 443 Pts
Dylan Long – 402 Pts
Brett Metcalfe – 393 Pts
Rhys Carter – 392 Pts
Caleb Ward – 386 Pts
Kade Mosig – 321 Pts
Joel Wightman – 300 Pts

MX2 CLASS

Complete Parts Kawasaki Racing’s Aaron Tanti and DPH Husqvarna’s Dylan Wills made the most of an unpredictable weekend of racing in the Pirelli MX2 class to both claim round victories at the Ranch MX circuit.

For round seven, early 2018 championship leader Tanti used consistency to take him to the top of the box with a 3-2 result card, with a one-point win over moto two winner Hamish Harwood (Davey Motorsports KTM) and series leader Wilson Todd (Serco Yamaha).

In Saturday’s opening race, Todd started on a high note with a dominant 7.6-second win over Wills. Tanti finished third following a big last-lap crash by Egan Mastin (KTM Motocross Racing Team), which in turn elevated Jayden Rykers (Raceline Pirelli KTM) and Harwood into the top five.

The second moto saw Harwood take control early on to eventually win the race, but was kept honest throughout by Tanti and Jay Wilson (Yamalube Yamaha Racing). Wills clawed his way to fourth place, ahead of Todd.

For round eight, Wills broke through for his first round victory of the championship with a 2-1 result, beating Todd’s 1-2 result on count-back. Tanti rounded out a positive weekend with hard-fought third overall.

The first of the two back-to-back sprint races saw Todd quickly take control and stretch out a relatively commanding 5.2-second lead over Wills, who snuck by Harwood in the closing corners to snatch second. Tanti and Wilson followed close behind to round out the top five.

In the second seven-lap race Wills was quick off the gate to establish himself as the leader and was never headed. Todd rode a controlled race to second, ahead of Tanti and Wilson. Wilson’s Yamalube Yamaha Racing team-mate Richie Evans claimed a weekend-high fifth place.

MX2 Round 7 Results:

1 Aaron Tanti (Kawasaki) 62

2 Hamish Harwood (KTM, NZ) 61

3 Wilson Todd (Yamaha) 61

4 Dylan Wills (Husqvarna) 60

5 Jay Wilson (Yamaha) 53

6 Jayden Rykers (KTM) 50

7 Cody Dyce (Yamaha) 47

8 Richie Evans (Yamaha) 44

9 Kale Makeham (Honda) 43

10 Jy Roberts (KTM) 41

MX2 Round 8 Results:

1 Dylan Wills (Husqvarna) 67

2 Wilson Todd (Yamaha) 67

3 Aaron Tanti (Kawasaki) 58

4 Jay Wilson (Yamaha) 54

5 Hamish Harwood (KTM, NZ) 54

6 Cody Dyce (Yamaha) 48

7 Richie Evans (Yamaha) 47

8 Kale Makeham (Honda) 46

9 Jayden Rykers (KTM) 45

10 Jy Roberts (KTM) 44

MX2 Championship Standings after round 8 of 10

Wilson Todd – 498 Pts
Aaron Tanti – 441 Pts
Hamish Harwood, NZ – 437 Pts
Dylan Wills – 419 Pts
Jay Wilson – 390 Pts
Kale Makeham – 348 Pts
Jy Roberts – 345 Pts
Kyle Webster – 327 Pts
Egan Mastin – 308 Pts
Cody Dyce – 267 Pts

MX DEVELOPMENT (U19) CLASS:

WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha’s Bailey Malkiewicz and Husqvarna racer Riley Dukes both kept their Motul MXD championship hopes alive with round victories at Ranch MX.

For round seven, Malkiewicz chalked up back-to-back wins to strike a commanding 22-point victory over Dukes and Honda pilot Rhys Budd and take over the championship red plate in the process.

In the opening race Malkiewicz passed Jye Dickson (KTM) for the lead on the third lap and tore away to a 7.1-second lead. Budd crossed the line third ahead of Dukes and Kiwi Maximus Purvis (JCR Altherm Yamaha).

The second race saw Malkiewicz come from fifth place to take the lead from a fast-starting Riley Ward (Husqvarna). He eventually won by 1.5 seconds from Hugh McKay (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha), with Dukes third, Budd fourth and Brodie Ellis (Yamaha) fifth.

Round eight points consisted of back-to-back six-lap sprint races and Dukes’ consistent 2-2 results saw him take the round overall from KTM rider Jye Dickson and Jayce Cosford (Yamaha).

In the opening moto, Cosford surprised everyone with a wire-to-wire victory, despite a desperate last-lap charge from Dukes. Dickson crossed the line in third, ahead of Ellis and Purvis.

The second race saw Malkiewicz claim his third win from the weekend’s four motos, enjoying a 3.1-second margin over the round victor Dukes and Dickson in third. McKay and Ellis rounded out the top five.