Mother Nature reared her ugly head as the 2017 Australian Supercross Championship played out its sixth and grand final round on Saturday night (November 18) at Jimboomba X-Stadium in the Logan shire of south-east Queensland.
Consistent pre-event rains turned the popular Jimboomba venue into a quagmire, forcing officials to announce a modified schedule of practice, qualifying and racing that delivered an evening of competition that for many bikes and riders fast became a battle for survival.
Despite the horrific track conditions, the spirits of Penrite CRF Honda Racing team riders Joel Wightman and Nick Sutherland were not dampened, the duo going on to score top ten finishes in their respective Finals to wrap up the 2017 race season in fine style.
In the SX1 category, NSW Hunter Valley-based Wightman was quick to admit the mud-fest conditions made the track a challenge, as even though the rain finally stopped for the evening‰Ûªs Heats and Finals, the track actually became harder to ride as it dried and became sticky, while the base underneath was still hard and slick.
‰ÛÏI was really happy to finish second in my heat race, as I basically stayed out of trouble and rode consistent laps,‰Û
