Gibbs Soars to Victory
Australian MX Champs 2015
Australian motocross number two Kirk Gibbs soared to victory at Horsham’s opening 2015 MX Nationals round on Sunday, sweeping the premier MX1 ranks for the overall.
KTM rider Gibbs was untouchable at the Victorian venue, going 1-1 for the overall ahead of Kade Mosig (CDR Yamaha), who posted 3-2 finishes in a strong outdoor debut for the team.
Completing the podium in his comeback to Australia was Gibbs’ new KTM teammate Luke Styke, charging to second in moto two and fifth in the second leg to secure the podium.
In fourth was Lawson Bopping (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) after displaying impressive speed in the motos for a pair of fourth places in the motos, edging out Cody Cooper (Penrite Honda).
Cooper, fresh from winning a third-straight NZ crown, had a mixed day with sixth in moto one and third in the second, capitalising on a holeshot to boost himself into the top five overall.
Kawasaki’s Adam Monea also had both positives and negatives, overcoming a difficult start to both motos including a collision with Dan Reardon in race one and a first-turn crash in the second, to salvage sixth with 7-6 results.
Tattoo Racing Yamaha privateer Dylan Long stunned with his early speed on the way to seventh for the round, battling amongst the factory riders during both motos.
Penrite Honda’s Super Pole winner Ford Dale endured a tough couple of motos for eighth, taking home 10-8 placings, with Cheyne Boyd (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) and Jesse Dobson (Husqvarna) finalising the top 10.
Kale Makeham’s MX1 debut for Team Motul Suzuki resulted in 11th on paper, tied with Boyd and Dobson, but he was inside the top six during both motos before crashes stalled his progress.
Another standout privateer was Daniel McEntee (Kawasaki) in 12th, stepping up to MX1 for this season, and more importantly ahead of defending double champion Matt Moss (Team Motul Suzuki), who was 14th in both outings.
Moss went down early in moto one and the second didn’t go any better for him, finishing a lap down and now facing a 36-point deficit to Gibbs in the standings.
2015 MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship
Round one – Horsham, Victoria
MX1 overall results:
1. Kirk Gibbs 70
2. Kade Mosig 62
3. Luke Styke 58
4. Lawson Bopping 56
5. Cody Cooper 55
6. Adam Monea 49
7. Dylan Long 47
8. Ford Dale 45
9. Cheyne Boyd 40
10. Jesse Dobson 40
22nd John Phillips
MX2
Serco Yamaha rookie Jed Beaton has won the opening round of the 2015 MX Nationals in the MX2 ranks, to lead the series following the opener.
Beaton went 3-1 for the overall on a sun-soaked day of racing on board the factory YZ250F, leading home defending champion teammate Luke Clout.
Clout was denied the overall after a 10-second penalty for cutting the circuit in moto two dropped him from second to fourth, ended up second for the weekend with a 1-4 scorecard.
The podium was completed by multiple Japanese champion Takeshi Katsuya, riding his Sony Action Cam Kawasaki entry to second in moto one and third in the final outing.
JCR Yamaha’s newly-crowned New Zealand champion Jay Wilson was fourth, just two points off the podium via a solid 4-2 showing today.
Completing the top five was Husqvarna’s Nathan Crawford, who took a pair of fifths in his fulltime MX2 debut, with added factory support for the new season.
Tied for sixth was privateer duo Wade Hunter (Yamaha) and Dylan Wills (KTM), who was also top of the two-stroke runners in the field this weekend.
Anticipated title threat Caleb Ward (KTM) made his first four-stroke appearance in the nationals this year for eighth overall, but was 12th in moto one after mud made it unable to shift during the moto.
SD3 Husqvarna’s Luke Arbon has a conservative weekend by his standards, still recovering from a back injury in the pre-season for ninth, while moto one standout – claiming sixth in the first race – Riley Graham (KTM) was 10th.
2015 MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship
Round one – Horsham, Victoria
MX2 overall results:
1. Jed Beaton 65
2. Luke Clout 63
3. Takeshi Katsuya 62
4. Jay Wilson 60
5. Nathan Crawford 51
6. Wade Hunter 46
7. Dylan Wills 46
8. Caleb Ward 45
9. Luke Arbon 44
10. Riley Graham 44
11. Rhys Carter 43
12. Hamish Harwood 36
