Round 6 of the Australian Championship was a huge success for Factory Honda, with the team securing 5 race wins from 8 starts across four classes, resulting in three overall 1st places and one 2nd place finish in MXW, MX2, MX3, and MX1.
MX1 Kyle Webster maintains his lead in the MX1 class on the Boost Mobile Honda. In Race 1, Webster came from behind to take a convincing win. In Race 2, he conservatively finished 2nd as shadows and track conditions made it hard to push. “Race 1 was one of the best races of my career; the bike, the team, everything was working well, and things just clicked. In Race 2, I got a terrible start and had to come from 6th to 2nd. I couldn’t push too hard as a crash would have resulted in a much worse position, so I just settled. Equal on overall points but 2nd on the day due to countback is fine with me. I knew this weekend was going to be one of the hardest rounds for me; I don’t think I have ever been on the podium in Toowoomba.” Webster sits in first place with a 7-point advantage.
MX2 Polyflor Honda’s Brodie Connolly extended his points lead to 54 after taking his fourth overall victory for the season. This is Brodie’s second full season in Australia, and it’s proving to be a successful one. “I was smart in Race 1 and took 2nd; I didn’t want to push it and make a mistake. I was getting good communication on the pit board. In Race 2, I didn’t let up; I had one goal, to win the race and take the overall. A 54-point advantage is nice, but my goal is to wrap the championship up as quickly as I can, so I will be going all out in Round 7 to wrap this up. But I won’t do anything to jeopardise my chances to represent NZ in the Des Nations, something I hope I am picked to do.”
Noah Ferguson had a weekend he would prefer to forget, but he still sits 3rd in the championship aboard his Boost Mobile Honda, just 2 points shy of 2nd. He understands changes need to be made if he is going to fight to improve his position. “I have had some terrible rounds that are affecting my position, and I need to make some changes if I am going to see improvement. The team and I have chatted, and we will work on improving my results.”
Honda Genuine’s Alex Larwood rode two strong races to take 5th overall in the stacked MX2 class. Both race results don’t reflect the speed he showed fighting his way through the pack. “I need better starts, it’s simple. If I don’t fix my starts, I am going to struggle to race up front.”
MXW Charli Cannon swept qualifying, took both holeshots, and won both races. The reigning champion hasn’t lost a race all season, and her results have given her a 24-point advantage over her competitors. The SCT Logistics rider continues to improve her fitness and riding. “My progress is improving; I am gaining strength and improving my speed. I can’t thank everyone enough.”
MX3 Mongrel Boots-backed Jake Cannon claimed his third overall victory and gained valuable points on the class leader. Jake has one goal in mind and is doing everything he can to win the championship. “I want that red plate. I took the win in Race 1 and threw it away in Race 2. It was silly of me, but we made valuable points up, and we took the overall on the day. I have another 3 weeks to gain strength and further improve my speed. That’s what we will be working on.”
