Aaron Tanti, took up the fight to the big name US imports to charge to a second place finish at the opening round of the Australian Supercross Championship(ASX), held at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, on Friday Night.
Tanti, fresh from his championship win in the 2022 ProMX Championship, showed he has the skills indoors as well as out, after finishing second at the opening round of the Supercross Championship, sandwiched between US based riders, Justin Brayton and Dean Wilson.
In front of 18,000 spectators, Tanti hit the front of the pack in the opening laps and set down a furious pace that saw a four rider group break away in the 20-lap SX1 main event. Tanti, Matt Moss, Brayton and Wilson edged away from the rest of the field but continued to fight for position at every opportunity.
Tanti led at the halfway point, but the pressure was coming as the four-time champ Brayton, managed to find a way through Moss and Wilson and set his sights on the lead. But Tanti wasn’t about to give it up without a fight. In an intense battle that mirrored their heat race early in the night, Tanti and Brayton locked into combat.
Brayton pulled a move, Tanti countered. Tanti would clear-out, Brayton would wind him back in. Then Tanti went on a wild ride through the whoops that saw him lose control, have both feet off the footpegs as he torpedoed down the infield. Somehow, he manged to wrestle back control of his bike as it speared off track, maintain his lead and not take out any innocent bystanders in the process.
But the moment wasn’t lost on Brayton and within a few laps, he moved by the determined Australia as he was regathering his composure and checked out for a victory. Tanti steadied the ship and despite a late race charge from Wilson, Tanti crossed the finish line in second place and won the crowd over with his desire and desperation.
“That’s all I had,” Tanti said after the gruelling affair. “I wanted to charge as hard as I could for as long as I could and I did that, but Justin was just that bit better than me tonight, so congratulations to him.
“I’m pretty happy with how the night went and it gives me some confidence knowing that I can put up a good fight against some of the most experienced and professional supercross riders in the world. I did run out of gas towards the end, but I think if I can just keep a little more composure in the early stages and manage my breathing a little better, I can stay in it for longer.
“Thanks to the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team for getting us up to speed and the crowd for having my back all weekend. I could hear them all round the track and its awesome to have so much support here In Melbourne,” Tanti concluded.
