Features 23 Oct 2013

MX Hub: 42

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Looking back on the Phillip Island round of Australian Supercross, can you believe we saw the SX-Open championship lead change hands three times in three days? Matt Moss led coming in, Weson Peick led after Saturday and Josh Hill claimed the red plates with his win on Sunday.

As always, consistency will pay off in such a short series, and Moss’ 11th place finish on Saturday was a huge blow to his title chances. The question is, can he get the momentum back in his favour for the final round next month?

Hill has been gaining momentum and confidence with stellar results in recent rounds, racing to two wins of the past three. It’s difficult to predict who will be stronger at Toowomba, but Matt Moss said earlier today he’s comfortable entering five points in arrears (click here to view).

In Sunday’s main event, Hill beat Moss straight up and set a faster lap in the process. It was Hill who led the opening lap of 20 and stayed there, while Matt worked his way past Hill’s teammate Sam Martin on lap three but wasn’t able to hunt him down.

The gloves will no doubt be off come Toowoomba and it’d take a brave man to bet against either one of them. Plus, don’t discount Jake Moss as he currently sits third just seven points behind Hill.

You have to feel for Peick, because instead of racing with his newly-earned red plates on Sunday, he was instead nursing a broken collarbone and flew straight back to the US directly following the event. It’s unconfirmed whether he’ll be back for the final round.

Sam Martin was the major talking point on Sunday though, breaking through for his maiden podium on a 450 at just 18. Yes, that’s right – he could still be racing Under 19s if he wanted to. If teams weren’t taking him seriously following the nationals (they should have been), then they will be now!

Josh Hill was the big winner during the Phillip Island double-header round. Image: Grant Reynolds/FiftySix Clix.

Josh Hill was the big winner during the Phillip Island double-header round. Image: Grant Reynolds/FiftySix Clix.

Unfortunately for Martin, as revealed on MotoOnline.com.au earlier this week (click here to read), he too has turned his final laps of the series like so many others, opting to undergo knee surgery so he’ll be 100 percent for next year’s nationals.

The trend right now, as I’ve mentioned before, is to unearth the ‘next big thing’, and Martin has to be at the forefront of rising talent who is already proven to be strong, fit and talented enough to ride a 450 at speed.

On the subject of talent scouting, many people over on the MotoOnline.com.au Facebook Page have weighed in on who CDR Yamaha should get to ride Toowoomba since both Lawson Bopping and Kade Mosig are out with injuries. From the whispers we’re hearing, you might be very surprised!

And just finally before I hand this over, how good was it to have Brett Metcalfe back in Australia racing last weekend? Honestly, his podium on Saturday despite minimal preparation was exceptional and the word is that he’s looking to complete a whole season in 2014 alongside his Canadian outdoor campaign. Here’s Makker…

Wow, does anyone else feel as if the Terex Australian Supercross Championship has whipped by in a heartbeat? With half of the series held within seven days, it has seen the end of the calendar year spring up on us super quickly.

The frantic middle part of the supercross series has paid a big toll on the riders, which drastically thinned-out starting grids across both the SX Lites and SX Open classes on the second day of racing at Phillip Island.

With the riders now having a month to catch their breath before the final round of the series at Toowoomba, hopefully we’ll again see a healthy starting line-up across both classes.

Brett Metcalfe made a welcome return to Australia on Saturday. Image: Grant Reynolds/FiftySix Clix.

Brett Metcalfe made a welcome return to Australia on Saturday. Image: Grant Reynolds/FiftySix Clix.

To keep their eyes in and their game-faces on, we’re hearing that a good number of riders are confirming their entries for the two-round Queensland Supercross Championship run and promoted by Robbie Marshall and Rob Haworth. The first round at Marshall’s place northwest of Ipswich will be held next weekend and promises to be a ripper of a day.

While all that was going on, former Motorex KTM racer Todd Waters snuck in and out of the country to get the plate removed from his collarbone before he flew back to Europe today. I hung out with Toddy on Saturday and got a bit of an insight into his antics, preparation and testing for his first season with ICEONE Racing Husqvarna team next year.

I don’t want to give away too much of what he’s up to, but we’ll have that full interview up tomorrow – make sure you keep an eye out for it.

Meanwhile, did anyone see the grainy close-up photo of a CRF450 that Cody Cooper put up on Instagram late last week? We’re hearing he’s signed to race the red weapons in New Zealand, with his good buddy Ben Townley coming on board as his team manager.

Will the Honda tie-up relay to a ride under the Australian factory Honda tent next year? With Honda on the prowl for at least one 450 rider we wouldn’t be surprised to see everything marry up, but it could be a while before we get any confirmation one way or the other.

Finally, I want to give a big high-five to Griffith FMXer Joel Brown on his amazing job claiming the Australian FMX Championships over the weekend. Brownie has been hitting his straps in a big way over the past 12 months and I couldn’t be more pumped to see him get the results and recognition he deserves.

Anyway, that’s about all I know this week. Remember to check out all of MotoOnline.com.au’s social networking channels and be sure to Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for even more behind the scenes insights. Just search MotoOnline.

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