A passionate crowd welcomed ProMX back to the Maitland track in the Lower Hunter Valley region of NSW. A fast and technical track presented riders with contrasting terrain that encouraged close racing and intense battles throughout the day!

THOR MX1

The GO24 KTM mounted veteran, Brett Metcalfe rocketed out of the gate to claim a huge holeshot in the opening THOR MX1 Moto. A furious first lap would ensue, with all the major title contenders trading plastic and placings early in the opening turns. At the conclusion of lap 1, it was BBR 102 Motorsports rider Matt Moss who would continue his momentum from claiming the fastest qualifying time, taking the lead from Metcalfe. Moss’ lead would be short lived, as KTM Australia’s Kirk Gibbs would be next to mount an attack and claim 1st position on the following lap. Moss would then be shuffled back by CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Aaron Tanti for 2nd and Brett Metcalfe who would move back into 3rd position. A freight train of Gibbs, Tanti and Metcalfe would proceed to tick off laps in close proximity until the middle part of the Moto, when Red Plate holder Tanti would pull the trigger first, passing Gibbs for the lead. As Tanti began to sprint away and establish a strong track position, Matt Moss would regroup and first pass Metcalfe for 3rd and then Gibbs for 2nd. Gibbs would fall late in the moto coming out of the split section, relegating him from the podium positions. At the chequered flag, it was Tanti in 1st, Moss 2nd, Metcalfe 3rd, Todd Waters on the Husqvarna Australia in 4th and Kirk Gibbs in 5th.

HRC Honda Racing Australia’s Dean Ferris had a point to prove in Moto 2 after a mechanical issue saw him fade back to 7th in Moto 1. After taking a massive holeshot at the gate drop of Moto 2, it was Brett Metcalfe who would first pass Ferris for the lead on the opening lap. Aaron Tanti was next to mount an attack 1 lap later, passing both Ferris and Metcalfe to move into 1st position with Matt Moss close in tow. From here, the trio of Tanti, Moss and Ferris would never be separated by more than a few bike lengths around the Maitland race track. With the afternoon sun low in the sky and a hard packed track, passing and time making positions were limited and the trio played a game of cat and mouse that stretched all the way to the chequered flag, where it was Tanti making it 1-1 Moto scores to take the overall, further stretch his points lead and Red Plate. Moss would retain 2nd in the Moto and overall in a season best day for the past champion. A frustrated Ferris would settle for 3rd in the Moto, with Todd Waters riding to yet another incredibly constant day with 4th position in Moto 2 and 3rd overall for the day. 

THOR MX1 Overall Podium 

1st – Aaron Tanti

2nd – Matt Moss

3rd – Todd Waters 

Pirelli MX2

In the opening Pirelli MX2 Moto, it was Husqvarna Australia’s Dylan Wills who took the holeshot, with HRC Honda Racing Australia’s Wilson Todd and Empire Kawasaki’s Haruki Yokoyama following close behind in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Wills would set the pace early in the Moto, keeping Red Plate holder Todd a few bike lengths behind throughout the opening 10 minutes. At the same time, the Serco Yamaha duo of Bailey Malkiewicz and Jesse Dobson were battling for 5th position, with Dobson catching fire and moving through the field, first passing Yokoyama for 3rd and then capitalising on Dylan Wills misfortune, who would fall when fending off the attacks from Wilson Todd for the lead at the half way point of the Moto. Down the stretch, Todd was too strong and would maintain solid track position and a modest lead over Dobson in 2nd to take the win, with Haruki Yokoyama claiming 3rd after Dylan Wills and GAS GAS Australia’s Noah Ferguson came together before the final lap. Malkiewicz and Noah Ferguson would round out the top 5 in Moto 1. 

In what is becoming all to familiar, Todd would execute a perfect holeshot and maintain lead track position through the opening turns. Behind Todd, a 2nd turn pile up would hold up many of the heavy hitters in the class such as Yamalube Yamaha’s Rhys Budd, GAS GAS Australia’s Blake Fox and Yokoyama. This cleared room for Husqvarna mounted Kaleb Barham and Yamaha mounted Jayce Cosford to battle for podium positions through the half way point. As Dylan Wills exited from podium contention with a mechanical issue, it would be Jesse Dobson who mounted an incredible charge through to 2nd with Empire Kawasaki’s Jai Constantinou riding to a season best 3rd position. As Todd took the chequered flag in dominating fashion, Noah Ferguson would retain 5th position and factor into the overall podium in 3rd, with Dobson 2nd overall and Wilson Todd in 1st. 

Pirelli MX2 Overall Podium 

1st – Wilson Todd

2nd – Jesse Dobson

3rd – Noah Ferguson 

Maxxis MX3

It was MX3 Red Plate holder Cambell Williams on the HRC Honda Racing Australia machine who would take the holeshot in Moto 1, however it would be short lived as hometown favourite Connor Towill on the KTM Newcastle machine would rocket past Williams on lap 1 and never look back. From there, Towill would extend an 8 second lead by the halfway point and manage the race from the front. As the battle for 2nd heated up, Williams would be quickly shuffled to 6th, feeling the effects of lingering injuries. KTM Australia’s Kayden Minear would begin his charge to the front from 9th position early in the Moto as the Husqvarna Australia duo of Jack Mather and Brock Flynn would battle for the podium spots with Ride Red Honda’s Ty Kean. As the race progressed, Towill was too strong, taking a dominant Moto win, with Ty Kean establishing a strong 2nd place and Kayden Minear making multiple passes later in the Moto to secure 3rd position at the chequered flag. 

Moto 2 would see a repeat start from Williams who would launch out of the gate to the holeshot, but ultimately his race would end one turn later with what appeared to be a mechanical issue. From there Towill would take the lead, as Minear manhandled his KTM Australia machine after losing both feet from the footpegs in the first jump section, yet somehow being able to remount without crashing. Towill would lead until just before the halfway mark, where a fall in the back split section would give the lead to Jack Mather, with Yamaha Junior Racing’s Seth Burchell in 2nd and Ty Kean in 3rd.  As the Moto progressed, Kean would manoeuvre his way through to 1st position and never look back, taking the Moto win ahead of Burchell in 2nd, Mather in 3rd and KTM duo of Towill and Minear battling furiously over 4th position to the chequered flag, with Towill just edging Minear at the finish. 

Maxxis MX3 Overall podium

1st – Ty Kean

2nd – Connor Towill

3rd – Jack Mather 

bLU cRU YZ65 Cup

The next generation of Australian Motocross talent put on a phenomenal display of skill and speed to wow the Maitland crowd. Young Heath Davy was in a league of his own all day, claiming both Moto wins in dominant fashion. Deegan Fort and Darcy Huston would also establish themselves as the riders to beat for the podium spots throughout the 2 Moto’s of the Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup.

bLU cRU YZ65 Cup Overall Podium 

1st – Heath Davey

2nd – Deegan Fort

3rd – Darcy Huston