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American Josh Osby has expressed frustration in falling shy of the SX2 podium at Brisbane’s first round of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship after securing victory in the opening main event of the double-header format.

The Raceline KTM Thor rider stormed to P1 in the first 10-lap encounter, however the tight confines of Brisbane Entertainment Centre caught out the number 71 in main event two, as he struggled to move forward in the field, settling for fifth.

His 1-5 scorecard, combined with an Olympic scoring system, saw the title contender granted fourth for the round. While disappointed, the race win has injected confidence into Osby in the just the early stages of the five-round series.

“Obviously I’m a little frustrated after winning final one and then not being able to match that in the second final,” Osby commented. “But I’m happy with where the team and I are at after round one and I proved to everyone including myself that I have the speed to win. We have solid points and a great base for the season ahead.”

In a quick turnaround, the Australian Supercross Championship heads to Gillman in South Australia this weekend for round two.

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Justin Bogle has been confirmed alongside Blake Baggett at Rocky Mountain ATV/MC – WPS – KTM for the 2020 season after the squad made its line-up official over the weekend.

Bogle and Baggett will pilot the KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition in both the Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross championships, while the team will continue to be led by team manager and Australian Michael Byrne.

In 2019, Baggett claimed his first and the team’s first-career 450SX and 450MX wins, and he’ss primed and ready to attack additional wins as he goes after a championship title.

Bogle, who joined the team last season as a fill-in rider, is now set to compete in the full season in 2020. KTM confirmed its entire line-up of riders across its supported teams, with Cooper Webb and Marvin Musquin headlining Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, as the TLD Red Bull KTM team will be made up of Brandon Hartranft, Brian Moreau, Derek Drake, and Pierce Brown.

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Defending champion Justin Brayton (Penrite Honda Racing) has topped SX1 qualifying ahead of tonight’s opening round of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship.

American star Brayton posted a 22.526s to lead practice pace-setter Luke Clout (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) by 0.468s inside the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

It was Clout’s teammate Dan Reardon (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) in third with a 23.326s, the top five filled by Jesse Dobson (Husqvarna) and Brett Metcalfe (Penrite Honda Racing).

Positions six through 10 included Empire Kawasaki’s Lawson Bopping and Dylan Long, plus Jayden Rykers (SB Motorsports Suzuki), Jesse Madden (Honda) and Richie Evans (Yamalube Yamaha Racing).

A couple of notable names further down the order were two-time SX2 champion Jackson Richardson (Rockstar Energy Honda) in P13 as he debuts in the premier class and the still-recovering national champion Todd Waters (DPH Motorsport Husqvarna) in 14th.

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American Chris Blose (Penrite Honda Racing) qualified quickest in SX2 this afternoon, his 22.820s lap-time the only rider in class beneath the 23s bracket within the tight confines of the entertainment centre.

Behind him came defending champion Jay Wilson (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) as the first Australian, 0.549s in arrears and directly ahead of Aaron Tanti (Serco Yamaha). The top five was completed by Mitchell Oldenburg (Penrite Honda Racing) and Jacob Hayes (Serco Yamaha).

Returning import Bradley Taft (Empire Kawasaki Racing) was sixth, followed by Connor Tierney (Yamaha), Joshua Osby (Raceline KTM Thor), outdoor champion Wilson Todd (DPH Motorsport Husqvarna) and Kaleb Barham (Husqvarna) completing the top 10.

Tonight’s official opening commences from 6:15pm AEST, with a unique double-header format including B-mains to open the championship for both the SX1 and SX2 categories.

Detailed results

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Tomorrow night’s Australian Supercross Championship opener will see an A and B main format rolled out to cater for the reduced amount of start gates in the tight confines of Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

With just 10 gates, the double-header A main will be made up of the top four finishers in heats one and two, with the remaining positions being awarded to the top two in the B main.

The B main, acting as somewhat of an LCQ, will offer riders who finish in positions three to 10 the chance to earn championship points from positions 11 to 18.

“We’re starting an indoor with 10 gates, and we want to give everyone the opportunity to start the championship and earn points,” series motorsport manager Kevin Williams explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “First to fourth [in each heat] will go straight to the A main, fifth to ninth will go the B main – it’s a B main, like an LCQ.

“First and second [in the B main], like in speedway, will move to the A main, and third through to 10th in that will score points from 11th to 18th in the championship. That way 18 people will leave Brisbane with points, not just 10.”

10 riders will start in each heat, with just the top 20 riders in timed qualifying advancing through to the night show. However, provisions are in place for riders with a top 10 championship ranking from 2018 to advance to the night show, should something drastic happen throughout qualifying.

The double-header A main format will utilise an Olympic scoring system to determine the overall winner. In the event of a draw, the strongest finisher of main event two will be granted the higher ranking. The full schedule can be viewed in via the event guide.

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Terrafirma Equipment Sales (TES) will feature as the title sponsor of American Chris Blose at Penrite Honda Racing through Saturday night’s opening round of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship.

The Yarrive Konsky-operated team has uncovered a special one-off livery that Blose’s factory-supported CRF250R will wear at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, with TES committing as a major backer of the official Honda program.

“I have known Yarrive for a long time and have wanted to align with the team for several years,” explained TES managing director, Darren Assink. “The opportunity to join the factory Honda team this year was presented to me and I felt it was the perfect fit for Terrafirma Equipment Sales. I also aligned with the Supercars team that Yarrive is associated with and achieved immediate success – people who buy our machines enjoy all forms of motor-racing.”

TES is a Brisbane-based company, with Assink a fan of racing having partaken himself back in the eighties. He is pleased to see the supercross championship return to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

“The supercross promoters are doing a great job in taking supercross to the masses,” he continued. “The Brisbane Entertainment Centre offers patrons great seating, a warm arena and the perfect atmosphere to experience supercross. Four of the five rounds are going to be on TV and we are proud to be associated with it and the Penrite Honda Racing team.”

Konsky commented: “This is fantastic. Darren’s company sells machines that we all use to build tracks, work on farms and rural land, as well as in small and large construction businesses. The alignment fits and we will work hard to ensure it’s a tangible relationship.”

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SX2 rookie Regan Duffy has indicated there won’t be any pressure as he enters his maiden Australian Supercross Championship round tomorrow night in Brisbane, his debut coming at the season-opener despite initial uncertainty after recently representing Australia at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN).

It was understood the Western Australian would make his debut following the opening two rounds of the series after he was drafted into Team Australian for the Dutch event at the last minute, allowing him additional time to prepare.

However, his quick adaptation to the discipline since returning home last week from Europe has fast-tracked his debut, and he will now line-up inside Brisbane Entertainment Centre for his very first supercross race.

“I’m really enjoying the process of learning supercross and I’m surprised how quickly I feel at home on a supercross track,” Duffy commented. “I’m not putting any pressure on myself, my goals are to learn as much as I can this year and stay healthy, but with that being said I’m looking forward to being competitive and mixing it up at round one.”

The Raceline KTM Thor rider will be joined in the team by American Josh Osby, while the squad will be absent in the premier class for at least round one after Justin Rodbell was forced to return to the US after obtaining an incorrect visa.

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Jason Anderson has revealed he’ll sit out the 2019 Monster Energy Cup, the decision coming after he spent a lengthy period in Europe preparing for the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) in the Netherlands.

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider also withdrew from last weekend’s Red Bull Straight Rhythm event, the popular contender believing it’s in his best interests to rest ahead of a selection of off-season races – which includes the S-X Open Auckland and AUS-X Open Melbourne – and the 2020 season.

“Just updating everyone about the Red Bull Straight Rhythm and the upcoming Monster Cup,” Anderson explained in a statement. “Everyone knows that after the last outdoor bational Zach and I went to Europe for a month to train for the MXoN and our country.

“My plan was to come back and do the two-stroke Red Bull Straight Rhythm first. Truth is after only two days on the bike after riding in deep sand for a month I just didn’t feel comfortable and chose to not race. I apologise to all my fans who showed up to see me ride, but switching to a two-stroke after riding a four-stroke is harder than what you think it might be.

“Because I’ve been going wide open and not having much time to prepare, not to mention I haven’t had any off-season preparing for all these events, the team and I feel it is in my best interest that I not race the Monster Cup. I wish I could have been able to race and apologise to all my fans who were hoping to see me race at these events. Right now I need to let my body rest and get ready for the long season we have coming up for SX and MX.”

Anderson will race the full Monster Energy S-X Open International Supercross FIM Oceania Championship for the first time at the Auckland and Melbourne rounds this November.

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Jay Wilson is welcoming of the increased list of Americans in the SX2 category as he embarks on his title defence, believing his rating internationally will strengthen if he can successfully earn back-to-back championships.

The Australian Supercross Championship, which kicks off on Saturday at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, will see five US talents line-up in the quarter-litre division for the full five rounds.

The influx of internationals has fired up a selection of fans following team announcements, however the Yamalube Yamaha Racing rider, who will race the opening rounds of the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, is adamant that their addition will boost the domestic series despite adding another level of difficulty to his own campaign.

“Last year we entered the season with a whole new machine which we were trying to get to know, and it was a bit of a bonus to win the title,” Wilson explained. “After a whole year of continuity, our preparation is miles ahead of what it was last year.

“This year the field is really deep with SX2 talent – plenty of internationals – which I think is great for our series. It means that, if we win the title and race well against these guys, we’re on the map internationally too – which I think is a really great thing.

“My team and I have a good grasp of championships and I have complete trust in their advice, however it’s too early to be coming up with a real specific game plan just yet – we just do what we do.”

The list of Americans in the SX2 class includes Chris Blose (Penrite Honda Racing), Mitchell Oldenburg (Penrite Honda Racing), Jacob Hayes (Serco Yamaha), Josh Osby (Raceline Pirelli KTM), and Bradley Taft (Empire Kawasaki).