Maitland, New South Wales, hosted the exciting fourth round of the Australian Motocross Championship. Honda celebrated a weekend of notable successes, they will run the red plate in the MX1, MX2, and MXW classes going into round 5, and gained valuable points in MX3.
The standout performer of the weekend was MX1 rider Kyle Webster, riding his Boost Honda CRF450R to victory. In the MX2 class, Noah Ferguson claimed 2nd place, while Alex Larwood secured 3rd place for Terrafirma Honda. Honda also celebrated back-to-back victories in the MX3 class with Mongrel Boots Honda’s Jake Cannon.
MX1
Kyle Webster qualified 2nd and displayed impressive resilience in race 1, recovering from a crash to finish 6th. Determined to perform, Webster rode flawlessly in races 2 and 3, securing the overall win for the weekend and retaining the red plate heading into round 5.
“My bike and team have been great. Everyone has maintained their focus, and we haven’t stopped trying to improve the bike. I am feeling strong. There is still a lot of racing left, and it’s nice to know we are contenders. We will keep working as the competition is tight,” said Webster.
MX2
Red plate holder Brodie Connolly dominated qualifying, but an unfortunate crash in race 1 left him with a broken hand and bruised body. Despite his injuries, Connolly fought hard to maintain his championship lead, finishing 3rd in the final moto.
“I lost a lot of points this weekend. I am really upset; the crash wasn’t my fault, but that’s racing. I will focus on recovery and come out strong in Toowoomba,” said Connolly.
Boost Honda rider Noah Ferguson had mixed results, with finishes of 6, 1, and 2, earning him second overall and closing the points gap in the championship.
“I still need to make changes to my riding. The team and I discussed this on Saturday night, and Sunday was a lot better, but I still need to improve in some areas. There were a lot of positives from the weekend, and I think we will come out of this stronger,” said Ferguson.
Larwood, riding the Terrafirma Honda CRF250R, claimed his first podium, demonstrating the importance of consistency.
“This is a box ticked. It’s been a long time between podiums. The speed and stamina are improving, and we will continue down the path we have set together. This year is about rebuilding and getting back to where I know I should be,” said Larwood.
Charli Cannon used the weekend to further improve her fitness and speed and is happy with her progress. She will return to the women’s class in Murray Bridge.
MX3
Jake Cannon took his second overall victory of the season on the Mongrel Boots CRF250R, improving his championship standing and closing the gap to the overall leader by 14 points.
“It was a good weekend. I made a mistake in the final race which was costly, but we still managed to take our second overall win for the season. We also closed the points gap on the leader. My focus right now is to win as many motos as I can and take the overall. The competition is tight amongst the top 5, so I need to knuckle down and ride mistake-free,” said Cannon.
Team’s Future Plans
The team remains committed to increasing their race frequency this season. They will compete in Manjimup this weekend, followed by the King of the Sand event. Team Director Yarrive Konsky believes this rigorous schedule will better prepare the riders better for the nationals.
“We are racing 30% more this season, and I believe the frequency of racing is helping our riders be better prepared for the nationals. Honda’s commitment and our partners’ support enable us to achieve this. We strongly believe this will pay off in the end,” said Konsky.
