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Star studded line-up confirmed for the 2018 Australian Supercross Championship

Filed Under: News, Supercross

With this year’s Australian Supercross championship shaping up to be the biggest in years all the action kicks off this weekend at Jimboomba Stadium, Queensland.

Supercross fans will see the sport’s deepest field of international talent with riders coming from America and Europe to take on Australia’s best.

In the SX1 class American and two-time defending Australian Supercross Champion Justin Brayton will make his return to Australia with his family after a record-breaking season in the US where the American finished 5th in the World Supercross Championship – a year where Brayton scored his maiden, main event win.

Penrite Oil Honda Racing teammate Brett Metcalfe, who signed a Motocross only deal, has decided to line up behind the gate at selected rounds this year. In 2010 Metcalfe took six podium finishes on his way to second overall to Ryan Dungey in the Pro Motocross Championship.

The pair will have their hands full in the premier class with the likes of Australia’s Dan Reardon, the 2015 and multiple Australian champion who has brought together his own deal of close-knit sponsors to create the best opportunity for him to take out the illustrious crown. Reardon will be backed by Yamaha on the all-new 2019 YZ450F.

Current Australian Motocross Champion Dean Ferris will be another one to watch as he looks to challenge the international talent on board his CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Racing machine.

Another rider to watch out for will be USA’s Jace Owen who will contest the entire SX1 championship on-board the brand new 2019 Kawasaki KX450.

American Arenacross front-runner Owen will make his first appearance in Australia during the five-round Supercross championship, recently arriving from his home in Illinois and preparing with Complete Parts Kawasaki Racing in the lead-up to round one.

“The depth of fields competing in this year’s Australian Supercross Championship is a testament to the strength of the series in 2018 and proof that we’re making a mark on the global stage,” said Australian Supercross Championship organisers.

“Both SX1 and SX2 classes are the strongest they’ve been in many years and we’ve seen an influx of young, aspiring riders join the series as they look to develop their skills to a world class standard.

“The racing is going to be intense across all five rounds and at this stage it’s impossible to guess, who will leave Sydney with the number one plate on November 10.”

The international riding talent in the SX2 class sees a stacked lineup of competition with plenty of American and European athletes on show in 2018.

The UK’s Gradie Featherstone is one of the featured riders aboard his KSF Ecstar Suzuki and the 2017 European Supercross Champion will be one to watch at Jimboomba this weekend.

Riding for the Serco Yamaha Team is American Jacob Hayes who heads to Australia full of confidence after winning the 2018 AMA Arenacross Championship.

Hayes will be joined in the Australian Supercross Championship’s SX2 class by fellow Americans Bradley Taft (Penrite Honda),  Josh Osby (KTM) and Dakota Alix (KTM).

Alix, who is 22 from Vermont USA, will ride the 2019 KTM 250 SX-F and look to take it to the Australian and international competition after finishing 15th in the 2018 World Supercross 250 West Championship, despite injuries early on in the season.

Of course, the international stars will have their work cut out for them with last year’s Australian SX2 Supercross Champion Jackson Richardson, on board a Penrite Honda to defend his crown.

Also charging for the win, will be the 2018, 250 Australian Motocross Champion Wilson Todd aboard his Serco Yamaha 2019 YZ250F.

The opening round of the Australian Supercross Championship is a great day out for all ages and will kick off from 10 am this Saturday 15 September at Jimboomba X Stadium.

For more information please visit: www.australiansupercross.com.au

2018 AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR

Rd1 – 15 September – Jimboomba, Queensland

Rd2 – 6 October – Coolum, Queensland

Rd3 – 13 October – Geelong, Victoria

Rd4 – 20 October – Port Adelaide, South Australia

Rd5 – 10 November – Sydney, New South Wales (AUS-X Open)

LIST OF RIDERS IN ALL CLASSES* 

SX1 Australian Supercross Championship – Round 1 Rider List

#1 Justin Brayton USA (Honda)

#2 Luke Clout NSW (KTM)

#5 Jace Owen USA (Kawasaki)

#7 Dylan Long VIC (Yamaha)

#16 Connor Tierney WA (Yamaha)

#24 Brett Metcalfe SA (Honda)

#30 Joel Wightman NSW (Honda)

#52 James Alen VIC (Honda)

#71 Rickie Girdwood SA

#101 Timothy Macarthur NSW

#106 Joshua Kilvington QLD

#111 Dean Ferris NSW (Yamaha)

#122 Dan Reardon QLD (Yamaha)

#151 Nicholas Sutherland QLD

#237 Zak Small QLD (Husqvarna)

#265 Jamie Harvey NSW

#J05 Jesse Madden QLD (Suzuki)

#414 Jesse Dobson QLD (Suzuki) 

SX2 Australian Supercross Championship – Round 1 Rider List

#1 Jackson Richardson QLD (Honda)

#2 Wilson Todd QLD (Yamaha)

#5 Dylan Wills NSW (Husqvarna)

#6 Jay Wilson QLD (Yamaha)

#7 Bradley Taft USA (Honda)

#8 Dakota Alix USA (KTM)

#10 Joshua Brewster VIC (KTM)

#16 Kaleb Barham QLD (Husqvarna)

#17 Cooper Pozniak NSW

#18 Aaron Tanti NSW (Kawasaki)

#21 James Brown VIC

#22 Rhys Budd NSW

#25 Dylan Wood NSW

#27 Mason Rowe QLD (KTM)

#32 Joel Cigliano NSW

#33 Gradie Featherstone UK (Suzuki)

#35 Ricky Latimer QLD

#45 Hayden Mellross NSW (Husqvarna)

#46 Hugh Mckay TAS (Yamaha)

#47 Bailey Malkiewicz (VIC)

#74 Joshua Osby USA (KTM)

#75 Caleb Goullet VIC (Honda)

#81 Joel Evans QLD (Husqvarna)

#86 Richard Evans QLD (Yamaha)

#90 Jacob Hayes USA (Yamaha)

#92 Jye Dickson NSW (KTM)

#96 Kyle Webster WA (Honda)

#100 Jy Roberts NSW (Husqvarna)

#188 Tomas Ravenhorst VIC

#514 Andrew Dinicol VIC

#602 Lachie Latimer QLD

#754 Jayce Cosford QLD

#c48 Blake Cobbin QLD

Australian Junior Supercross Championship – Round 1 85cc/150cc

#5 Zane Mackintosh VIC

#11 Anthony Atanasovski VIC

#17 Cody Kilpatrick NSW

#21 Roger Kingsford NSW

#22 Connor Towill NSW

#24 Reid Taylor NSW

#45 Brad West QLD

#81 Connor McLaughlin NSW

#93 Ethan Amos QLD

#232 Gyle Mount NSW

#244 Lachlan Winchester ACT

#253 Jake Greenhalgh NSW

#288 Cambell Williams NSW

#434 Jack Mather QLD

#999 Kaipara Clarke QLD

Australian Junior Supercross Championship – Round 1 Junior Lites

#04 Brandon Steel NSW

#25 Blake Fox NSW

#30 Zackariah Wright VIC

#31 James Davison NSW

#36 Denzel Woulfe VIC

#81 Connor McLaughlin NSW

#82 Reece Crutch QLD

#450 Riley Arabin NSW

#463 Kai Bonning QLD

#482 Jake Cuka QLD

#999 Kaipara Clarke QLD

*Riders listed above are confirmed for Round 1 at Jimboomba X Stadium as of 4pm Thursday 13 September 2018.

For further information please visit: https://www.australiansupercross.com.au/

AJMX States for the Next Three Years Revealed

Filed Under: Juniors, Minikhana, Motocross, News

Motorcycling Australia (MA) is proud to announce that the KTM AJMX will be visiting South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory over the next three years from 2019-2021. The AJMX is the pinnacle of Junior Motocross in Australia and the growth of this Championship is set to continue over the coming years. 

With a state rotation system in place for the AJMX, it allows for the Championship to visit a variety of states throughout the nation. This year’s incarnation will take place at Penguin, Tasmania on September 29 – October 6.

AJMX States 2019-2021
2019: South Australia
2020: Queensland
2021: Northern Territory

Keep an eye out, as MA will announce the highly anticipated venue for 2019 AJMX next week!

MA’s CEO, Peter Doyle sharing; “We are very excited that the AJMX states for the next three years have been announced. The AJMX is always one of the largest events on the motorcycle sporting calendar and it has truly become the pinnacle of Junior Motocross competition in Australia. Make sure to stay tuned next week, as we reveal the location of next year’s venue in South Australia.”

MA would also like to thank long time sponsors, KTM Australia that have committed to support the event over the coming years.

For more information head to www.ma.org.au 

The MA Alliance Explained: Q&A Part 1 

Filed Under: ATV, Classic Motocross, Dirt Track, Enduro, Historic Road Racing, Important Announcements, Minikhana, Motocross, News, Officials, Road Race, Road Racing, Speedway, Supercross, Supermoto, Track, Trial, Veterans

What’s in it for me? No doubt the first question you asked when the Motorcycling Australia (MA) Alliance Agreement (AA) was announced.

You, as members of MA are at the heart of the agreement. We aim to provide an economic and safe environment for participants and volunteers from all the various disciplines, whether you are a racer, a social rider, or even just an interested observer.

There are a lot of challenges and opportunities facing motorcycling in Australia – rising costs, more stringent safety requirements (higher insurance premiums), the lure of other activities (decreasing member base) and changing requirements of our riders – more ride parks, adventure riding, dirt bike rallies, ride days etc. These are real issues facing the sport which need to be faced as a cohesive team.

For quite some time all of the State Controlling Boards (SCBs) have thought long and hard about the most effective and efficient way to address these challenges and opportunities.

To retain the SCB’s autonomy (direct accountability to their members and securing their assets) while gaining the benefits of acting nationally – reduced duplication, standardising process and products, providing a national voice in support of the sport we love, the SCB’s and MA have agreed to form an Alliance where each member has an equal voice and commits to work together to achieve what’s best for motorcycling.

At this point, Motorcycling Victoria have elected not to participate in this Alliance, however we remain hopeful that they will join in the future to ensure a truly single voice in order for motorcycling to prosper in Australia.”

To stay up to date with everything involved in the new MA Alliance, head to our website, Facebook and Instagram.

Dirt Track Stars Head To Gunnedah This Weekend

Filed Under: Dirt Track, News, Track

Riders are coming from as far afield as Townsville in the north and Mildura in the west, as well as one American, to contest this weekend’s 2018 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championship meeting at the Balcary Park Raceway at Gunnedah (NSW).

A classy line-up of riders should ensure quality action across the two days of competition on Saturday and Sunday.

Home track advantage is always a bonus, and former champion Marty McNamara, young gun Jordan Dall and veteran dirt track sidecar star Darryl Woodhead and passenger Shaun Fuller stand out among those who will carry the hopes of local fans in the face of tough opposition that will come from various sources.

The Pro 450, Pro Open and MX Open classes will see a mix of former champions, in some cases almost veteran stars, and young guns challenging for honours.

Townsville rider Kayden Downing will defend the premier Pro 450 class, while there are another four former Australian championship among the entries –Paul Caslick, Luke Gough, Michael Kirkness ( all from NSW) and Rowan Tegart from Mildura.

Kempsey rider Jarryd Oram, is another star of oiled tracks, who cannot be overlooked, while Daniel Wicks was prominent at the recent Australian Track Championship meeting and the name of Canberra rider Ian Hamilton would not be out of place among title honours.

On top of those riders there are few unknowns, like well-credentialed Queensland speedway rider Ryan Douglas and American Gage McAllister who will be having his first ever meeting on a track like Balcary Park.

Anyone who saw McAllister racing supermoto at Newcastle last weekend will know what a talent he is so a prominent showing this weekend would not surprise.

Add in the youngsters like Tom Herrick from West Wyalong, Mackenzie Childs from Newcastle and last year’s Australian Junior champion Kye Andrews from Taree, in what will be his first open meeting in senior competition.

Probably the hottest favourite this weekend will be North Brisbane rider Briony Hendrickson who has been the benchmark in the Womens class for several years now.

The toughest opposition for the Woodhead / Fuller combo in the Dirt Track Sidecar class will come from former champions, and last year’s minor placegetters, Brett Pearce (passenger Andy Harrison) and David Grainger (passenger Trevor Gaze) as well as recent Australian Track Championship winner Darren Fien (passenger Shaun Fien).

There is only a small field for the ATV Open class, but it is full of quality with Newcastle rider Matthew Griffiths hell-bent on revenge over Robert Booth who took the honours at the Australian Track Championship.

Besides the championship classes, there will also be racing for the Pro 250 and Under 19s, neither of which had attracted sufficient entries to constitute a championship class at the time of writing.

Several junior classes are also programmed as support events.

Action at the Balcary Park track will get under way both days at 10.00am – on Saturday for practice followed immediately by the first round of competition, and on Sunday for a Parade Lap and Official Opening before competition.

For more information head to www.ma.org.au, MA Facebook and the MA Instagram

Editorial by Peter Baker
Image supplied by Bill McFarlane