ProMX returned to Maitland in the Lower Hunter Valley region of NSW where the fast and technical track presented riders with contrasting terrain that encouraged close racing and intense battles throughout the day.
Brett Metcalfe rocketed out of the gate to claim a huge holeshot in the opening THOR MX1 Moto. A furious first lap ensued, with all the major title contenders trading plastic and placings early in the opening turns. At the conclusion of lap one, it was BBR 102 Motorsports rider Matt Moss, who continued his momentum after claiming the fastest qualifying time earlier, taking the lead from Metcalfe.
Moss’ lead was short-lived, as Kirk Gibbs was next to mount an attack and claim the lead on the following lap. Moss was then shuffled back by Championship leader Aaron Tanti and Metcalfe. The freight train of Gibbs, Tanti, and Metcalfe proceeded to tick off laps in close proximity until the middle part of the Moto when Red Plate holder Tanti pulled the trigger and passed Gibbs for the lead.
As Tanti began to sprint away and establish a strong track lead, Moss regrouped and passed Metcalfe for third and then Gibbs for second place. Gibbs fell late in the moto coming out of the split section, relegating him from the podium positions. At the chequered flag, it was Tanti in first, Moss second, Metcalfe third, Todd Waters in fourth, and Gibbs in fifth.
After struggling with setup in the first moto Dean Ferris had a point to prove in moto two after a mechanical issue saw him fade back to seventh in the opener. After taking a massive holeshot at the gate drop Ferris succumbed to Metcalfe for the lead on the opening lap. Aaron Tanti was next to mount an attack one lap later, passing both Ferris and Metcalfe to move into lthe ead with Matt Moss hot on his heels.
From there, the trio of Tanti, Moss, and Ferris were never separated by more than a few bike lengths. 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 win and stretch his championship points lead.
Moss retained second in the moto and overall in a season-best day for the former champion. A frustrated Ferris had to settle for third in the final Moto, with Todd Waters riding to yet another incredibly constant day with fourth position and third overall for the day.
In the opening Pirelli MX2 Moto, it was Dylan Wills who took the holeshot, with championship leader Wilson Todd and Haruki Yokoyama following close behind in second and third respectively. Wills 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, Bailey Malkiewicz and Jesse Dobson were battling for fifth position, with Dobson catching fire and moving through the field, first passing Yokoyama for third and then capitalising on Dylan Wills misfortune after he fell when fending off the attacks from Wilson Todd for the lead. Down the stretch, Todd was too strong and maintained solid track position and a modest lead over Dobson to take the win. Haruki Yokoyama claimed third after Wills and Noah Ferguson came together before the final lap. Malkiewicz and Ferguson rounded out the top five.
Todd executed a perfect holeshot in moto two to lead the field through the opening turns. Behind Todd, a second turn pile-up held up many of the heavy hitters in the class such as Rhys Budd, Blake Fox, and Yokoyama. This cleared room for Kaleb Barham and Jayce Cosford to battle for podium positions through the opening half of the moto. As Dylan Wills exited from podium contention with a mechanical issue, it was Jesse Dobson who mounted an incredible charge through to second place with Jai Constantinou riding to a season best third position. Todd took the chequered flag in dominating fashion. Noah Ferguson held onto fifth position which helped him to the overall podium with third, Dobson was second overall and Wilson Todd first overall with a pair of wins.
It was MX3 Red Plate holder, Cambell Williams who took the holeshot in Moto 1, however, it would be short-lived as hometown favorite Connor Towill rocketed past him on lap one and never look back. After taking the lead Towill extended his lead out to an eight second lead by the halfway point and managed the race from the front. As the battle for second heated up, Williams was quickly shuffled to sixth, feeling the effects of lingering injuries. Kayden Minear began his charge to the front from ninth position early in the Moto as Jack Mather and Brock Flynn battled for the podium spots with Ty Kean. As the race progressed, Towill was too strong, taking a dominant Moto win, with Ty Kean establishing a strong second place and Kayden Minear making multiple passes later in the Moto to secure third position at the chequered flag.
MX3’s second moto saw a repeat start from Williams with a tear away holeshot, sadly his race ended one turn later with what appeared to be a mechanical issue. From there Towill took the lead, as Minear manhandled his machine after losing both feet from the footpegs in the first jump section, yet somehow being able to remount without crashing.
Towill led until just before the halfway mark, where a fall in the back split section handed the lead to Jack Mather, with Seth Burchell in second and Ty Kean in third. As the moto progressed, Kean maneuvered his way through to the first position and never looked back, taking the Moto win ahead of Burchell, Mather was third with Towill and Minear battling furiously over fourth position to the chequered flag, with Towill just edging Minear at the finish.
In the BluCru 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 also established themselves as the riders to beat for the podium spots throughout the 2 Moto’s of the Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup.
THOR MX1 Overall Podium
1st – Aaron Tanti
2nd – Matt Moss
3rd – Todd Waters
Pirelli MX2 Overall Podium
1st – Wilson Todd
2nd – Jesse Dobson
3rd – Noah Ferguson
Maxxis MX3 Overall podium
1st – Ty Kean
2nd – Connor Towill
3rd – Jack Mather
bLU cRU YZ65 Cup Overall Podium
1st – Heath Davey
2nd – Deegan Fort
3rd – Darcy Huston
