Three-time Australian supercross champion Dan Reardon has declared he’ll undergo surgery this Thursday to repair a ruptured achilles tendon sustained on Saturday night at the Monster Energy S-X Open Auckland.

Reardon, who was positioned second in the Monster Energy S-X Open Supercross FIM Oceania Championship ahead of the weekend, struck a tough-block prior to completing his Superpole lap, forcing him to come up severely short on the finish line double, ultimately resulting in the injury.

“Saturday night at the S-X Open in Superpole, I clipped a tough block, it got hung up on my rear brake pedal and forced me to come short,” Reardon explained in a statement.

“As a result I ruptured my achilles tendon and go in for surgery on Thursday. I won’t be kicking any goals in the next few weeks. 2018 was a great year, I can’t wait to be back in 2019. I want to say thank you to the Race Safe crew, you guys are world-class.”

It’s a significant blow for the Yamaha pilot, who races supercross-only and was currently in negotiations to race overseas at the beginning of next year. Depending on the severity, a ruptured achilles tendon could see a rider sidelined for a six-month period. Reardon’s recovery time is not yet known.

Josh Hook has experienced his first taste of the Energica Ego Corsa that he’ll pilot for Pramac Racing in the 2019 FIM MotoE World Cup following three days of testing in Spain.

The Australian stated he was surprised by the user-friendly nature of electric-powered machine, although acknowledged there are several key areas that require continued development.

Hook wound up ninth in the timesheets with his best lap coming in on Saturday along with the rest of the field, with Sunday’s third and final day being hampered by wet weather conditions.

“I had a great time,” Hook stated. “If I have to be honest, I was impressed by the power delivery of the bike when accelerating, but mainly the most impressive thing was how easy the bike is to ride. After two laps I was already pushing hard. I wanted to lap more but the battery doesn’t allow it

“The bike surprised me with its ease of riding even though there are many aspects that we will have to work on. Having only one bike was not the ideal condition but from the next tests we will be able to start working on the setup.”

The MotoE field will return to testing at Jerez 13-15 March 2019, which also hosts the first ever round of the MotoE World Cup.

An incredible display from Hayden Mellross in technical conditions at the weekend’s Monster Energy S-X Open Auckland saw him reach the podium while making his debut aboard Husqvarna’s FC 350.

Mellross, who has previously contested the premier class on a number of occasions over the years, stepped up to SX1 for the New Zealand event in a one-off appearance to close out the year.

The DPH Motorsport Husqvarna ace lodged a stellar 3-4-3 scorecard for second overall, defeating a host of world-class talents including Dean Wilson (DPH Motorsport Husqvarna) and Christian Craig (Geico Honda), who were third and fourth respectively.

“What a way to end my 2018 season,” Mellross commented. “It honestly was a dream to be standing on the podium with Chad [Reed] and Dean [Wilson]. With no pressure, I was looking to have some fun this weekend. I’d never ridden the FC 350 until the Friday, and after making a number of changes I was feeling really comfortable on the bike.

“I knew I would be in the mix, but to take home second overall in my first SX1 race is unbelievable. I can’t thank all those around me – the team, my mechanic, my family, girlfriend and of course my fans and supporters. I couldn’t have done it without all of you.”

Mellross finished runner-up in the Australian Supercross Championship SX2 standings, which marked his first campaign aboard Husqvarna machinery.

Recently-crowned Moto3 world champion Jorge Martin saw his maiden test in the Moto2 category come to a premature end when he crashed during Friday’s opening day in Spain.

Martin quickly adapted to the Moto2 machine, however the crash that occurred in the final session of the day resulted in an injured left humerus and right foot.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider successfully underwent an operation in Barcelona to repair the damage, with the Spaniard set to begin the rehabilitation process within four days, and his estimated recovery time is four to six weeks.

“It was a positive day despite the crash and my fracturing two bones in my foot,” said Martin. “We had a great pace and I gradually gained confidence. I was on a very good lap, but chattering caused me to crash. It’s a shame and it makes me very angry to start my time with Red Bull KTM Ajo like this, but being positive it’s better that it happens now rather than in the middle of the season. Now it’s time to work to come back stronger.”

Iker Lecuona was drafted in to complete the test in place of Martin and continue development of the newly-introduced Triumph engine, lodging the 26th fastest time. Martin’s best-time from Friday saw him positioned 23rd on the results sheet.

Penrite Honda Racing’s Brett Metcalfe has cleared himself of injury after bowing out of the weekend’s Monster Energy S-X Open Auckland in New Zealand when he was involved in a first turn incident during main event one.

The former AMA Supercross regular fell victim to the slippery turn one conditions that came as a result of over 20mm of rain prior to evening’s night show, sliding out while coming into a contact with a number of riders, including American import Christian Craig (Geico Honda).

“I’m all good,” Metcalfe declared to MotoOnline.com.au. “I had a couple of problems with the bike from that crash anyway, but I jammed my hand really hard between mine and Christian’s bike. I have a metal plate in my thumb, so when that gets jammed or compressed, it’s like pins and needles in your bone – it’s like being electrocuted almost.

“It’s weird, it’s gone in like 30 seconds, but your whole thumb is on fire. The bike sustained damage anyway, so it wasn’t really deemed safe for me to continue in a non-championship race. I was bummed – I only went there with one intention, and that was to race to win.”

Metcalfe praised the event, particularly taking into consideration the weather that was dealt with, stating he believes if wasn’t for the rain, it would’ve been the best supercross to be hosted in southern hemisphere.

“It was awesome and the crowd was huge,” he continued. “I think that was the biggest motorsport event in New Zealand, and it’s got to be close for motocross in Australia too. It was phenomenal to get that crowd, especially with the weather conditions to get that turnout, it just shows the passion and enthusiasm they have over there.

“It’s a shame for track builders and the organisers to get that weather. I think it would’ve been – it’s hard to really say – but I think it would’ve been one of the best supercross events the southern hemisphere has ever seen. The rain definitely put a hamper on it.”

It was a mixed 2018 campaign for Metcalfe, finishing sixth in the Pirelli MX Nationals after numerous DNFs, while he made an incredible assault at the Australian Supercross Championship, falling just nine points shy of the crown.

The MotoE grid has completed three days of testing in Jerez to continue getting to grips with the Energica Ego Corsa, marking the first official outing of the electric-powered category.

The weather conditions didn’t make it easy on the final day, with a damp track in the morning then getting a downpour mid-way through the day.

Given the conditions, no one was able to better lap-times from the day before, resulting in Bradley Smith (One Energy Racing) retains his best time in the combined standings, thanks to his 1m50.265s he put in on Saturday morning, when three-tenths separated him from his closest rival Niki Tuuli (Ajo Motorsport MotoE).

In third there was a bigger mover on day two as Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) moved up to P3, just over a tenth off Tuuli, with Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) another tenth and a half in arrears in P4. Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) completed the top five, but a little further back.

Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), meanwhile, was sixth fastest but from his time set on Friday, just ahead of Kenny Foray (Tech3 E-Racing). Randy De Puniet (LCR E-Team), who put in the fastest time of the final session on Saturday but couldn’t improve, was down in eighth, ahead of Australian Josh Hook (Alma Pramac Racing) and Niccolò Canepa (LCR E-Team), who completed the top 10.

The next MotoE official test will take place on the 13-15 of March in Jerez, which also hosts the first ever round of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup next season.

Detailed results

Former MX2 world champion and Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East title holder has hailed the Monster Energy S-X Open Auckland a ‘massive success’ following its inaugural showing in New Zealand on Saturday night.

Despite poor weather conditions looming over the event, over 21,000 fans packed Mount Smart Stadium to witness a selection of world class athletes take to the American-style supercross circuit, which ultimately saw Australia’s Chad Reed (Autotrader Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing) dominate ahead of DPH Motorsport Husqvarna duo Dean Wilson and Hayden Mellross.

New Zealand native Townley explained the S-X Open provides a significant boost to aspiring racers, with a domestic supercross platform for the next crop of Kiwi talents now on offer.

“It was a massive success,” said Townley. “Pre-sale was good, but for everyone to actually come out and see what supercross actually is – it’s the first time we’ve supercross at this scale – it’s been a huge success for the sport. A couple of the young kids have never been to a [supercross] event, let alone compete in something like this before.

“Hopefully if this event continues we’ll see them get in and get amongst it – it’s going to be a great springboard for our sport this event. All the kids in the crowd that I’ve seen now after the event are just fizzing – absolutely fizzing.

“This event just goes to show that motorsport as a whole, there’s appeal for events of this calibre and I know there were Kiwi kids in the stands tonight dreaming of being the next Chad Reed in the future so the sport is bright for us, we just need to capitalise on the success of this event.”

Townley put on an amazing display for his home crowd, going bar-to-bar with social media sensation Ronnie Mac to win the Boost Mobile International Showdown.

Auckland marked the second and final round of the Monster Energy S-X Open Supercross FIM Oceania Championship, where Reed was able to eclipse Wilson for the crown by just a slender

Moto2 testing continued at Jerez on Sunday to complete the first official outing for the intermediate class powered by Triumph machinery, although after a damp start to the day, conditions worsened, putting an end to to any improved lap-times.

That means Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) remains quickest after his Saturday best of 1m41.524s, followed by Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Australia’s Remy Gardner was highly-impressive to wind up in fourth during his first appearance with the SAG Racing team.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP 40) was fifth, just 0.044s off Gardner, Jorge Navarro (Speed Up Racing) began his Speed Up career in a solid P6 in a tight top 10, with Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Augusto Fernanández (Pons HP40) in seventh and eighth respectively. Tetsuta Nagashima (SAG Team) and Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), changing team, completed the top 10 with their fastest times on day two.

Reigning Moto3 world champion and Moto2 rookie Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) who stole the headlines after he crashed on day one, resulting with a left humerus fracture and a some broken bones in his foot. That means he’ll be sidelined in order to recover, with his first taste of the category cut short for now. His best time prior to incident saw him wind up 23rd.

Detailed results