‘Real racing can begin’ declares Clout following Brisbane indoor
Section: Competition
CDR Yamaha Monster Energy rider lands on the podium at the season-opener.
Image: Foremost Media.
Luke Clout says the ‘real racing can begin’ now that Brisbane’s indoor has been completed, the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy rider opening up his 2019 Australian Supercross Championship campaign with a podium result.
The tight confines of Brisbane Entertainment Centre, which saw just 10 start gates available for the double-header main event format, offered up aggressive and close racing, placing a stronger emphasis on starts to escape the carnage and earn a respectable result.
Clout, a heat race winner, was able to piece together a 4-3 scorecard for third on the night, however as the series heads into four consecutive full-size supercross circuits, the title contender is confident of unleashing his full capabilities.
“You go into the opening round of the championship looking for a positive and safe start, and that’s exactly what we did,” Clout explained. “We are in the hunt and things are looking good, but I also believe I can be better and now we are out of the tight nature of indoors, the real racing can begin.
“Racing indoors can throw up lots of things but we were able to handle them and now we have full-sized tracks at the remaining four rounds where we have time and space to make the racing better, and I can’t wait to get to Adelaide this weekend.”
A one-week turnaround will see the Australian Supercross Championship back in action this Saturday night at Port Adelaide in South Australia.
Kawasaki Racing Team signs Lowes for 2020 WorldSBK season
British contender secures world championship deal for next year.
Image: Supplied.
Kawasaki Racing Team has announced the signing of Alex Lowes for the 2020 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), joining five-time world champion Jonathan Rea.
Lowes, who will depart the Pata Yamaha squad at the conclusion of the season, has been a regular podium challenger and is currently ranked third in the championship standings.
“KRT welcomes a 27-year-old rider with a lot of pace and good experience,” said team manager Guim Roda/ “Our target is to ‘polish’ Lowes and try to make him a candidate for the title too. And he has a long career ahead.
“He has shown very good skills during these years and for sure the potential is there. We’ll try to use all the tools at our disposal in KRT to help him show his best.”
Lowes will ultimately replace Leon Haslam after one season with the team, while his position at Pata Yamaha has been taken up by Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Motorcycles might be at all-time affordable prices, but parts continue to be expensive, not just for premium brands, but even for some budget models.
So why are parts so expensive in Australia?
We asked various industry sources and found the issue is quite complex and varied.
One of the biggest influences on parts prices is the fact that Australia is a small market with high transport and staff costs as well as a falling dollar value.
Larger markets can hold more stock, lock in at better exchange rates, and operate on slimmer margins per part.
Parts sources
There are several sources for parts in Australia – authorised dealers, retail outlets, and domestic and overseas online sites.
Authorised dealers can often have the most expensive parts, but are guaranteed to have authentic parts that won’t void your warranty or cause a mechanical issue.
However, we have heard of riders ordering a part direct from the factory and getting it delivered cheaper than they can get the genuine part in Australia. Sometimes quicker, as well!
Owners can also get the same parts or generic parts of the same quality at a cheaper price from domestic retail outlets.
Parts profits
Retired industry veteran Stuart Strickland, 70, OAM, says one of the biggest problems is that some distributors push their dealers to only stock their parts.
“The exchange rate plays a part in pricing, but some manufacturers persist with regional pricing, not global pricing, which is ridiculous as we are in the global community,” he says.
“Many dealers are not making much of a profit from the sale of motorcycles, so they make their profits off parts and servicing.”
Not every distributor has expensive parts.
But if they are stockpiled in a national and/or state hub warehouse so they are readily available, they can be quite expensive.
It costs a lot of money to store parts and for dealers to buy them and keep them on their shelves.
However, many distributors and dealers have now stopped storing parts.
Instead, they order them in as needed because air freight is quick and relatively cheap these days.
That hasn’t stopped some of them still charging top dollar, though!
Stuart says that in some cases dealers can access cheaper parts through a South-East Asian subsidiary of the parent company.
Delivery problems
Not only are parts expensive, but they can sometimes take a long time to arrive, even from companies that claim their parts are stored in domestic warehouses.
Stuart says the problem is that not every part is kept in an Australian warehouse, only those parts that are in high demand.
“Crash repairs are a real problem as the parts needed are often not held in storage,” he says.
Another industry source says central ordering and international supply of parts works well because of cheap and efficient air freight.
“Many bigger brands like Caterpillar operate like this and it works well, but in an incomplete and amateur industry like motorcycles, it has some inherent issues,” our source says.
“The manufacturers don’t take it seriously enough and assume the customer will put up with delays as they already own one of their products.”
He says delays can also be caused by a lack of attention to detail in some countries, as well as national holidays, different accounting systems, etc.
For example, don’t order anything from an Italian company during August when the entire country shuts down for holidays!
“Dealers can sell their part for whatever price they want,” Edddie says.
“Sometimes when you search for a part you find the same part in different counties for several different prices. You deal direct with the seller.”
It only costs a dealer $US3 a week to upload an unlimited number of parts and accessories on the website or $US2 a week for up to 5000 parts.
Private buyers can also set up an account and use Partmart directly so long as they know the specific part number.
The Honda Shop has been using the website for a few years to buy parts from other dealers around the world and for their customers.
“We have also been able to sell heaps of our old, slow-moving and obsolete parts to other dealers,” Eddie says.
“I am surprised at how few dealers use the site as we all have heaps of hard-earned cash tied up in parts that no one knows we have.
“If we all had our parts listed on Partmart we would be able to help each other clear our stock and turn it into cash.”
Despite many dealers being tied up by contracts to buy their parts from the authorised distributor, Eddie says he doesn’t believe manufacturers would stop dealers using Partmart.
“I know Honda have told some dealers to check Partmart as they have told me that when they contacted us to buy a part,” he says.
Motoring out of town I was surprised at how well the big 1200cc bike handled the tame duties of riding through traffic.
This could very well be a reasonable commuter with its high riding position and light clutch pull.
Which started me thinking that this could be more than just a flat track racer or “street tracker”.
Peter at Brisbane Indian motorcycle with the four accessory packs
In fact, Indian motorcycle has four accessories packs that turn it into a semi-tourer with some luggage capacity, a rally pack for adventure, a sport pack full of bling and a tracker pack.
It’s difficult to know where this sporty, naked road bike with some dirt capabilities sits in the market.
Here are some of the comparative bikes that went through my head as I rode around the Brisbane hinterland: Ducati Monster 1200 (from $22,990), KTM 1290 Super Duke R ($26,795), BMW S 1000 XR (from $22,850), Triumph Speed Triple R ($20,990) and Yamaha MT-10 SP ($21,499).
that’s by no means a complete list and you could probably also include some of the big adventure bikes or the wilder street fighters like Ducati’s coming V4 Streetfighter.
Powertrain
The comparative bikes have a wide variety of engine configurations.
But if you love a meaty V-twin feel with plenty of torque and vibe, this 1203cc 60-degree V-twin mill should satisfy.
Now let’s go straight to the controversy over spluttering fuelling issues experienced by owners.
I didn’t experience it on my first ride as the bike was warmed up and I was eager to twist the throttle.
The issue is really evident when the bike is cold or warming up where some even say it can stall.
It’s also more evident in smooth on/off throttle riding, such as slower-speed manoeuvres.
There seems to be a flat spot just off idle and a lurching on constant low throttle.
The issues are very similar to those I experienced on the early Scout models.
Indian fixed that issue with a software update, so I don’t understand why they let this loose without fixing the issue first.
I found I quickly got around the issue by slipping a bit of clutch at slow speeds and just winding on the throttle a little more vigorously at other times to bypass the flat spot.
It’s more evident in the “sport” engine mode than the “standard” or “rain” modes.
Power is ok at 92kW at 8250rpm, but it runs out of a bit of puff, especially in the short first gear.
Thankfully the engine has so much grunt, you twist the throttle and slip through the gears and ride the big 120Nm wave of torque.
I love the deep and mellow tone of the Akrapovic pipes which have a devilish crackle on the overrun. (Listen to the video below through your home stereo for best results.)
While not as slick as a Japanese transmission, the six-speed box with slip assist clutch is faultless with neutral easy to find.
Despite some hard charging on test, the instruments told me the 13L tank would give me a touch over 220km of range.
Power is evenly spread across the rev range, but there is a nice bump around 3500 revs.
It sits at 3700 revs on 100km/h in sixth where you can roll on the throttle for overtaking without having to swap any cogs.
The standard model doesn’t get traction control, but the S and Race Replica do.
You can turn it off in all modes, but it also turns off the ABS and wheelie control. I’d prefer a little more latitude to turn off each individually and, ideally, the option to turn off the rear ABS only for riding on dirt.
But it’s a predictable traction control that not only saves you on wet or gravel roads, but also allows a little bit of controlled slip.
Styling
This is another controversial point.
The concept production bike with its high pipe and FTR750 influences was cutting-edge, raw and manic looking. It attracted a lot of attention.
Of course the production version with its lower pipes and “plumper” belly were a little tamer. Some were disappointed.
But it still cuts a sharp figure in the urban landscape and turns heads wherever it goes, especially with its stunning LED lighting front and rear.
It’s tall with a choice of seat heights of 805mm or 840mm, but the seat is narrow allowing me at 183cm to plonk both feet flat on the ground when stopped.
The seat is also very firm, but you can get a slimmer “race” seat or a more comfy touring seat option.
I found the standard seat good for a couple of hours in the saddle by which time you will be glad you are in search of a fuel stop, anyway.
The ProTaper bars are nice and wide, but a little low if you want to stand up in the saddle for off-road duties. A higher set of bars is also available.
Riding position is neutral except for the tight knee bend thanks to the high pegs. I think they could be lowered a little without any clearance issues as I never once scraped the pegs.
The mirrors are big and ugly, but could be replaced. However, they offer a good rear view with no elbows in the way or blurred images.
They are just short of the wide bars but high, so lane filtering can be tricky around SUVs and utes with high and wide mirrors.
My biggest concern was the heat that comes out of the rear cylinder head which is about 30mm from the backs of my thighs.
In slow traffic and while waiting at the lights, it gets very hot. A heat shield or leather pants would bemandatory for commuting duties.
While the basic model has a single, round instrument pod, the S and Race Replica have a smart TFT anti-glare touchscreen about the size of an iPad mini with all the info you would ever need and more.
Not sure why the screen doesn’t go all the way to the edge of the pod, though.
Antiglare screen in full sun
You can personalise your info, link to your phone, change modes, monitor phone calls, and manage your music, etc.
All info is available via the touchscreen which works well with all types of gloves, or you can use three lots of controls on the instruments and bars.
The indicators are self-cancelling which is a great safety device, but they stay on a little too long. Perhaps that can be adjusted in servicing.
Like all Indian products, the quality of fit and finish is exemplary.
Surprisingly, there is some messy wiring around the triple clamp, the controls are toylike, and the ugly catalytic convertor box underneath is an eye-catching eyesore.
Messy wiring
Dinky controls
Ugly box
I’m also not too sure about the models with the isolated rear fender.
Many other bikes now have these, but the FTR 1200’s rear wheel hugger/fender is attached by massive pieces of metal and it’s all a bit too chunky.
Overall, it’s a stunning steed with thick paint and a host of options including different coloured tank panels.
Handling
This American-made motorbike comes with German-made Sachs suspension on all three models.
Standard has preload adjustment on the back, but the S and Race Replica are fully adjustable.
It feels firm around town and is stable on the highways.
On bumpy back roads and gravel roads, it’s also compliant enough to soak up the big hits and has good high-frequency damping to cope with corrugations.
The FTR rides nicely on all types of road surfaces and won’t jar your spine or jackhammer your hands.
The 43mm forks are robust and provide confidence in cornering even if the 19-inch front wheel makes steering a little ponderous.
However, the weight distribution with the fuel tank located centrally and under the seat, makes it easy to change direction quickly through a series of tight esses.
The 19/18-inch tyre combo is strange and the flat-track tread pattern is handsome if a bit noisy on the highway and slightly vague when leaned over on the sharp edge.
The Dunlops were also quite slippery in the wet, although it had only just rained after a long dry spell, so the roads were very oily.
Brakes are strong and the rear is not just there for show. It works well in the gravel to dig in and steer the bike, but on those wet roads it locked up too soon and the ABS took some time to come on.
Conclusion
This handsome steed will turn heads while turning you on across several different types of terrain.
It’s a street tracker, a streetfighter and a mild tourer and adventurer.
Opening final winner Osby frustrated by missing Brisbane SX2 podium
Section: Competition
Second main event result denies American of landing on the box.
Image: Foremost Media.
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.
FIM issues statement over Argentina WorldSBK safety concerns
Federation addresses mass-rider withdrawal from race one.
Image: Supplied.
The FIM has issued a statement after six riders withdrew from race one at Argentina’s penultimate round of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) over safety concerns with track conditions.
Before the opening encounter, there was division between riders racing due to the dusty track conditions and subsequent lack of grip.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team), Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) and Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) all elected to sit out the race one, however majority returned for the Superpole race and race two on Sunday.
The FIM statement read: ” At the request of the FIM in 2018, the circuit of San Juan was resurfaced to host WorldSBK in 2019. On Wednesday, 9 October, during the inspection of the track, the FIM safety officer requested the circuit management to wash the track to remove the dust that had accumulated during the last days to ensure the safety conditions necessary for the smooth running of the Argentinean round.
“After an intensive cleaning of the track, the homologation was issued on Thursday during a new inspection. This homologation procedure valid from Friday to Sunday is identical for each event of the championship and takes place on the Thursday preceding each race according to the FIM rules. On Friday evening during the safety commission meeting, the rider representatives expressed concern over the scorching conditions and its possible effect on the newly laid asphalt.
“In agreement with all the stakeholders (riders, representatives of FIM and Dorna), it was decided that a meeting would be held on Saturday at 12pm after the free practice session thre to make a new point on the situation. At this meeting all riders were happy with the improvement of the track conditions and it was unanimously decided to go ahead with the qualifying sessions and race.
“Nevertheless, after qualifying sessions, six WorldSBK riders decided not to take part in the race two hours later. The FIM wishes to remind that the safety of all riders is its priority and wish to emphasize that neither the scorching conditions nor the condition of the track surface at that precise moment justified the cancellation of the race.
“In addition and to provide a high level of marshalling, the FIM also provided a seminar for the 150 track marshals on Thursday at the San Juan circuit with the support of the national federation CAMOD.”
WorldSBK now heads to Qatar for the season-finale on 26 October.
Track conditions in Argentina for the penultimate round of the World Superbike Championship on the weekend saw Chaz Davies, Sandro Cortese, Marco Melandri, Leon Camier, Riucki Kiyonari and Eugene Laverty not take part in Saturday’s World Superbike race.
The track was dirty and dusty and riders complained of oil seeping up from the surface of the circuit as track temperatures nudged 50-degrees celsius.
After the problems that arose last year about 70% of the track had been resurfaced ahead of this event but it did not improve the grip due to the vast amount of sand on the tarmac.
Riders such as Eugene Laverty let fly at some of their fellow riders for not sticking together and forcing the race to be abandoned.
The remaining twelve riders who lined up on the grid rode the race regularly over a distance of 21 laps on a 49-degree track temperature.
Laverty and others, such as Marco Melandri, were also highly critical of the FIM which has seen the governing body release this statement overnight in their defence.
FIM Statement
Following the decision of six riders not to participate in Race 1 at the Motul Argentinean Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship, in San Juan on Saturday October 12th, FIM wishes to provide some clarifications.
At the request of the FIM in 2018, the circuit of San Juan was resurfaced to host WorldSBK in 2019.
On Wednesday, October 9th during the inspection of the track, the FIM safety officer requested the circuit management to wash the track to remove the dust that had accumulated during the last days to ensure the safety conditions necessary for the smooth running of the Argentinean round.
After an intensive cleaning of the track, the homologation was issued on Thursday during a new inspection. This homologation procedure valid from Friday to Sunday is identical for each event of the championship and takes place on the Thursday preceding each race according to the FIM rules.
On Friday evening during the safety commission meeting, the rider representatives expressed concern over the scorching conditions and its possible effect on the newly laid asphalt. In agreement with all the stakeholders (Riders, representatives of FIM and Dorna), it was decided that a meeting would be held on Saturday at 12h00 after the Free Practice session 3 to make a new point on the situation. At this meeting all riders were happy with the improvement of the track conditions and it was unanimously decided to go ahead with the Qualifying Sessions and race. Nevertheless, after Qualifying Sessions six WorldSBK riders decided not to take part in the race two hours later.
The FIM wishes to remind that the safety of all riders is its priority and wish to emphasize that neither the scorching conditions nor the condition of the track surface at that precise moment justified the cancellation of the race.
In addition and to provide a high level of marshalling, the FIM also provided a seminar for the 150 track marshals on Thursday at the San Juan circuit with the support of the national federation CAMOD.
Bogle confirmed alongside Baggett at Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM
Section: Competition
Competitive duo remain with factory-supported team for 2020.
Image:Supplied.
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.
Selection of riders return to racing following race one controversy.
Image: Supplied.
Five-time world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) picked up a double victory on Sunday at Argentina’s penultimate round of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).
Rea stormed to top honour in the Superpole race, defeating Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), while the top five was completed by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha).
Race two was a thrilling spectacle, with plenty of hard action and big moves all the way through the pack. Despite making his own mistakes and needing to fight in the early stages, Rea romped to win number two of the weekend, holding off the opposition.
Off the start and into turn one, the current world champion held on to his first position, whilst Bautista and Razgatlioglu battled behind. Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) was a fast starter and into fourth, whilst Lowes and his teammate Michael van der Mark were fifth and sixth. Davies had dropped to seventh.
With the race beginning to take shape, Rea pulled away from Bautista, whilst Razgatliolgu was as relentless as ever, chasing down Bautista. Bautista and Rea in-turn were trading fastest lap times. Davies had picked off the Yamahas ahead of him one by one, using the top speed advantage of the Ducati Panigale V4 R down the long straights of San Juan to good effect.
The next target for the Welshman was Razgatlioglu, who was going to need to fight hard to resist the former WorldSBK runner-up. There was drama up front for Rea, who made a big mistake at turn eight and ran completely off the circuit, allowing Bautista to take the lead for the first time.
However, Rea wouldn’t give in and a lap later, on lap eight, Rea fought back and pushed his way back to the front at turn seven, shoving Bautista wide. The squabble between the two heavyweights allowed Razgatlioglu and Davies to close up.
With 13 laps left to go, Davies took third from Razgatlioglu with a strong move at turn 10 on the Turkish rider. The former WorldSSP champion from 2011 was now a move on a mission and soon, caught his teammate. Bautista tried to fight but Davies powered ahead of his teammate two laps later to take second. 2.6s to close down on the race leader, Davies had plenty of work to keep him occupied for the remainder of the race.
Bautista however was in more problems and with nine laps to go, as Toprak Razgatlioglu had regrouped and was immediately able to get ahead of the Spaniard, sweeping around the outside at turn three to take third from the race one winner. Bautista was losing time to Michael van der Mark hand over fist and needed to get to the end of the 26-year-old Dutchman got him.
Further down the field, Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was having an incredible race, climbing all the way up to the fringes of the top 10. The home hero picked off Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) and at turn 10 with eight laps left, dived up the inside of factory Kawasaki rider Leon Haslam to take eighth place.
A lap later, and Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) was up ahead of Haslam and Torres. Ahead of all of them, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was a sitting duck. With four laps to go, Mercado got ahead of Rinaldi at turn 15, sparking a massive roar from the partisan crown trackside.
However, Laverty got ahead of the pair of them on the front straight, pushing Mercado back to eighth whilst the Irishman went in pursuit of his best result since Aragon. In terms of Mercado, he had come from 19th to eighth; an astonishing comeback.
Out front on the final lap, Rea was uncatchable and took victory for a fourth time in Argentina and now, extended his consecutive point-scoring finishes run to 45 – the first time a rider has ever achieved this. Chaz Davies was up into second whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu completed a stellar weekend with another podium, his sixth in seven races.
Fourth belonged to van der Mark whilst Bautista limped home to complete the top five. Alex Lowes was up to sixth. Eugene Laverty put in a strong ride up to seventh, but ride of the day went to home-hero Mercado, who stormed from last on the grid to eighth, much to the delight of the crowd. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) was ninth ahead of Leon Haslam in 10th. Sandro Cortese slipped to 15th, having run as high as fourth in the early stages.
In the WorldSSP category, Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) claimed a thrilling win over Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing). The WorldSBK series now heads to Qatar on 26 October for the season-finale.
Americans Justin Brayton and Jacob Hayes made it an American double victory at the opening round of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship held at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Saturday the 12th of October.
Justin Brayton topped both SX1 finals to claim the full 25 championship points and the series lead for Penrite Honda. CDR Yamaha’s Daniel Reardon took second overall on 22-points thanks to 3-2 results across the two mains and CDR team-mate Luke Clout completed the podium on 20-points after posting 4-3 results.
Dan Reardon – 2019 Australian Supercross Championship – Round 1, Brisbane
American Josh Osby won the opening SX2 Final ahead of Serco Yamaha’s Aaron Tanti and Jacob Hayes. Hayes was victorious in the second bout to take the championship lead after Osby only managed a fifth place finish in the final race.
23-year-old Sydney-sider Aaron Tanti (2-3) was second for the round while Penrite Honda’s Chris Blose (4-2) rounded out the overall podium.
SX1
SX1 Qualifying
Penrite Honda Factory Racing’s Justin Brayton started his perfect night by setting the fastest time of 22.526-seconds in qualifying, with CDR Yamaha’s Luke Clout within half-a-second with a lap time of 22.994s, and CDR Yamaha team-mate Dan Reardon third fastest.
SX 1 Heat 1 (Top Four to Mains / 5th-9th to B-Main)
The opening SX1 heat was dominated by Clout, the Yamaha pilot grabbing the holeshot and leading from start to finish.
Luke Clout – 2019 Australian Supercross Championship – Round 1, Brisbane
Husqvarna privateer Jesse Dobson momentarily held down second position until he ran into trouble, allowing current MX1 National Motocross Champion Todd Waters and his DPH Husqvarna to move into second place, with Empire Kawasaki’s Lawson Bopping in third.
Yamaha Yamalube’s Richie Evans and SB Suzuki ECSTAR racer Jayden Rykers were locked in a race-long battle for the fourth and final transfer spot, with Rykers sealing the deal with a forceful pass in the final lap of the race, leaving Evans on the ground and off to the B main.
SX 1 Heat 2 (Top Four to Mains / 5th-9th to B-Main)
Penrite Honda’s Brett Metcalfe led the second heat early on ahead of the Davey Motorsports KTM machine of Caleb Ward, but both riders soon had to deal with Brayton, the current three-time Australian SX champ quickly making his way around Ward and latching onto his team-mates’ back wheel.
Brett Metcalfe & Dan Reardon – 2019 Australian Supercross Championship – Round 1, Brisbane
With three laps remaining, Brayton made a decisive move by Metcalfe to take the race win. Empire Kawasaki’s Dylan Long looked as though he was happy to settle for fourth and final direct qualifying position, but with just two laps to go Reardon – who had crashed on the opening lap – closed in on his back wheel, forcing Long to make a move on Ward for third.
Dylan Long – 2019 Australian Supercross Championship – Round 1, Brisbane
On the final lap, Reardon was also able to move around Ward, securing himself a spot in the night’s double-header main event, while Ward was forced to the B-Main that would also double as the last chance qualifying race.
SX 1 B-Main (Top 2 to Finals – 3rd-10th awarded 11th to 18th for the round)
With all racing providing bar banging action across the night, the expectation for the B-main with only the top two riders progressing to the nights A-mains was for an all-out war for the final two spots in the night’s big event.
However, it was not the case as Richie Evans and British racer Gradie Featherstone aboard his KSF Yamaha rounded the opening turn in first and second positions and held those spots comfortably until the end of the race.
Caleb Ward once again held down third spot until the final lap where he was passed by Honda Red rider Joel Wightman, leaving them 11th and 12th overall for the round.
SX 1 Final 1
Justin Brayton once again led home his Australian competition, taking the lead from the start, with Lawson Bopping and Brett Metcalfe in tow.
On lap three Metcalfe moved into second position and was able to keep Brayton in sight, but Brayton was too good – winning by just over four-seconds, Metcalfe in second position and Dan Reardon third.
Luke Clout recovered from a bad start to climb his way through to fourth, with Bopping holding on to finish in fifth position.
SX1 Final 2
In a repeat of the opening final, Brayton jumped to the race lead early, with Metcalfe once again on his rear wheel along with Reardon.
The race out front quickly became a two-horse race after Metcalfe came off second best in a battle with Reardon that left the South Australian on the backside of a berm and scrambling to get back on track.
Back out front Brayton ran away to another four-second win to cap off a perfect night of racing for the American.
Justin Brayton
“That was awesome, to be honest, it was a big relief to get that one out of the way. You never quite know coming into round one, I have done a lot of preparation myself, but you can never underestimate these guys, with the guys next to me and riders like Metty, the list is long. I just love coming over here, thanks to everyone welcoming me, this is my fourth year and it is my families second home, thanks for Penrite Honda and Yarrive for having me every year, it has been fun.”
Reardon held on to second place for the race and an amazing second-place finish overall after being on the ground at the start of the first final.
Dan Reardon
“We will take second place, the indoor race can be a funny round, it can be a little bit excitable and as I said coming in, standing on the box regardless of the position would be good. Your night can turn upside down pretty quickly. The whole day went pretty good, I had some ups and downs and I did not ride that good in the first final and it sort of lingered into the second one, but we will take it.”
Dan Reardon – 2019 Australian Supercross Championship – Round 1, Brisbane
Rounding out the podium for the round was Luke Clout with a third-place finish in the second Final.
Luke Clout
“We had a couple of crashes in practice, but it’s always good to get those out the way in practice while learning the track and pushing the track. I am a little bit angry with myself, I didn’t get off to the best starts, but my riding was pretty good, so I have to go back and keep working. It has been a stressful week this week, you can definitely lose a championship at the first round, even more so at an indoor round, so to come out of here with a third, and being on the box is as good as a win for me.”
Luke Clout – 2019 Australian Supercross Championship – Round 1, Brisbane
Metcalfe recovered to finish fifth in the second final, ending the night fourth overall, one position ahead of Dylan Long who quietly went about finishing an impressive fifth overall for the round, thanks to a fine fourth place finish in the final race of the night.
