Round three of the Australian Supercross Championship delivered everything fans could ask for under the lights at Sharks Stadium in Cronulla, NSW — from spectacular racing to a dose of post-race controversy.
In the SX1 class, Dean Wilson continued his dominant run, crossing the line first in both finals to claim the round win. Initially, Wilson was handed a five-position penalty for allegedly jumping under a red-cross flag, which briefly cost him the victory and handed the overall to Luke Clout, but the decision was later overturned on appeal, reinstating Wilson as the rightful winner.
Lux Turner extended his SX2 dominance with a third straight round win, edging teammate Ryder Kingsford after the pair traded victories across the two finals, while Tiger Wood claimed third. In SX3, American Ryder Malinoski triumphed in a tense showdown with championship leader Kade Kingsford, the pair clashing both on and off the track before Malinoski sealed the win.
SX1
In SX1, fastest qualifier Luke Clout got things off to a strong start, leading his heat race from start to finish. Although Aaron Tanti applied pressure in the closing laps, Clout held his nerve for a confidence-boosting win. Brad West and Liam Jackson battled hard for third before colliding, allowing American Mitchell Harrison to slip through and claim the final podium position.
The second SX1 heat was dominated by Frenchman Cedric Soubeyras, who looked in control from the start. Championship leader Dean Wilson made a quick charge early and was heading toward the front until he tangled—literally—with holeshot winner Dylan Walsh, sending the Scotsman to the ground. In another impressive showing, privateer Hayden Mellross rode strongly to finish second, holding off a late challenge from a recovering Wilson, who salvaged third.
With the heats run and won, the first of two SX1 finals kicked into gear with Kiwi Dylan Walsh grabbing another holeshot. It didn’t take long for Wilson to hit the front after passing Phil Nicoletti and Walsh. Clout was soon on the back of Nicoletti, who then made a mistake, giving Clout a clear shot at the leader. Aaron Tanti was showing much-improved speed, but his good night came to an end after colliding with Nicoletti on the finish-line jump in a heavy crash. Out front, Wilson was in a league of his own, stretching a seven-second lead as Soubeyras worked his way from a bad start up to fourth. With the field spread out, it was Wilson, Clout, Harrison and Soubeyras at the chequered flag, with Nicoletti rounding out the top five.
Walsh made it two holeshots in a row when race two got underway, followed by Wilson, Clout and Tanti. Wilson didn’t take long to assert his authority, blasting through the whoops and into the lead. Clout and Tanti soon demoted Walsh to third, while Mellross held fourth and Soubeyras again charged forward from another poor start. The final laps were relatively processional, with Wilson crossing the line five seconds clear of Clout and Tanti, followed by Harrison and Soubeyras.
Initially, Wilson’s clean sweep looked in jeopardy after officials handed him a five-position penalty for allegedly jumping under a Red Cross flag, which would have dropped him to sixth in the race and handed the overall to Clout. However, after an appeal, the penalty was overturned, confirming Wilson as the rightful double race winner and overall victor. He now extends his championship lead to 28 points over teammate Soubeyras, with Mellross third and Clout closing in from fourth.
SX2
In SX2, Alex Larwood impressed with a solid heat race win after suffering one of the most spectacular crashes of the season earlier in the day. Larwood overcame holeshot winner Kaleb Barham and Canadian Cole Thompson on the opening lap and was never headed. Thompson held off a fast-charging Wilson Todd to secure second, with Todd rounding out the podium.
The second SX2 heat turned into an all-Yamaha affair, with championship leader Lux Turner overcoming an impressive Jayce Cosford, who led the first half of the race. Ryder Kingsford found his rhythm in the closing stages to finish just a few bike lengths behind Cosford in third.
The first SX2 final of the double-header saw Barham grab the holeshot ahead of Larwood and Kingsford. Larwood’s promising night came to an early halt when he fell on the opening lap while challenging for the lead. Barham and Kingsford traded blows out front before Barham went over the bars and dropped down the field. Kingsford took control, with teammate and championship leader Turner right on his rear wheel. Tiger Wood was solid in third, with Byron Dennis impressing in fourth despite riding with an injured arm. Kingsford went on to take a confidence-boosting win as Turner couldn’t quite bridge the gap. Wood was a further ten seconds back in third, ahead of Seth Burchell in fourth and Jake Cannon in fifth, while Larwood recovered to ninth.
The second final saw Kingsford take the holeshot with Thompson second and Turner third. Turner quickly moved into second as Larwood’s rough night continued down in 11th. The first half was relatively processional, but by mid-distance Turner began reeling Kingsford in. A mistake in the whoops from Kingsford allowed the American through, and with the misstep aggravating a small ankle injury, Turner was able to stretch away for an eight-second victory. Turner made it three round wins in a row, with the overall going to Turner, Kingsford, and Wood in third. In the championship standings, Turner now holds a 26-point lead over Kingsford, with Larwood sitting third, eight points further back.
SX3
Despite limited passing, the SX3 final produced some of the night’s most enthralling racing. Championship leader Kayd Kingsford grabbed the holeshot but immediately came under heavy pressure from American Ryder Malinoski. On lap two, Kingsford made a mistake, allowing Malinoski through to the lead. Meanwhile, Jack Deveson was holding off Koby Hantis for third. Small errors from Kingsford gave Malinoski some breathing room, but the Australian wasn’t done. A mistake from the American allowed Kingsford back in front, though only for a few corners, as the lead swapped again. It became a tense battle of errors and strategy, an entertaining race despite little movement further back. In the end, Malinoski took the win, and as the top three headed to the podium, tensions flared with Malinoski gesturing toward Kingsford over unsportsmanlike actions. Cooler heads soon prevailed, and the podium saw Malinoski take the round win ahead of Kingsford, with Riley Burgess in third. In the championship standings, Kingsford holds an 18-point lead over Jet Alsop, who rode through injury, while Malinoski moved up to third with two rounds remaining.
85cc
A healthy grid of 18 riders lined up for the 85cc final, producing some of the best racing of the night. Tyson Williams grabbed the holeshot and led for the first half of the race, while a slow-starting Blake Bohannon worked his way past Deegan Forte for second. Bohannon soon caught Williams and made his move for the lead before contact sent Williams to the ground. From there, Bohannon powered away to his third straight round win, keeping his perfect streak intact.
A small mistake late in the race left the door open for Forte when Bohannon missed a triple, but Forte couldn’t quite capitalise and settled for second. Luis Cannon impressed to round out the podium in third.
In the championship standings, Bohannon now holds a 25-point lead over Nate Perrett, with Forte’s strong result moving him to third—just two points behind Perrett.
The championship now heads to Melbourne on November 22 for the grand finale at Marvel Stadium.
