Motul Pirelli Suzuki’s Todd Waters became the first Australian to win a round of the 2012 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, at Murray Bridge in South Australia on Sunday.

The 21-year-old topped an international field by taking two brilliant victories in the back-to-back races, before dicing with Carlton Dry Thor Honda Racing’s Brad Anderson in the final 30-minute race. He clinched the overall with a close second place, handing him a debut win for Suzuki.

Waters’ podium was his fourth in five rounds and he now sits second in the championship, just 21 points shy of leader Josh Coppins at the halfway point.

“It was a picture perfect day,” Waters explained. “I got three good starts, was in the top three for all of them. I holeshot the first moto and led from start to finish, then in the second moto I was up front again and made the pass halfway through.

“I had a ball riding with Brad in the final moto, dicing for the lead. I love this track and it’s one of my favourites, so it was good to come back and win.

“My fitness is great, I’ve been working really hard, so I’m just looking forward to this six-week break to redo my base fitness.”

British champion Brad Anderson claimed second for Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing after winning the third and final moto of the round, keeping himself in title contention after a disappointing round in WA. Anderson finished second in moto one and fifth in moto two in the South Australia sand.

“I’ve struggled with arm-pump a lot this year,” Anderson revealed afterward. “It’s something I’m going to focus on over the break. The race format here is tougher than in the UK and it’s been a challenge adapting.

“The last race was great and I had a blast fighting with Todd for the win.”

Privateer standout Tye Simmonds put a second Honda on the podium with his third overall result – his second podium of the year. Simmonds went 5-2-4 over the day’s three races.

“I had a couple of crashes during the day, but I’m pretty happy with the result, especially the second place in moto two,” Simmonds said.

“We changed the clutch for the third moto and it made a big difference. We’ll keep chipping away and do a bit of work over the break and come back hard at Hervey Bay.”

CDR Yamaha’s Lawson Bopping finished the day in fourth overall, while Waters’ teammate Cody Cooper finished fifth for the second week in a row.

“I struggled with starts all day, but I rode well in the final race to claw my way back to third,” Bopping said. “I’ve struggled with the 30-minute motos all year, so that was a good confidence booster.

“I’m about to head to the U.S. and do some training there over the break, which I’m looking forward to.”

Waters’ teammate Cody Cooper rounded out the top five for the second weekend in a row, but was still less than impressed with his own performance.

“I’ve been working hard on my starts during the week, but it didn’t seem to help today,” Cooper mused. “I just couldn’t get the jump I wanted and had to kinda push uphill from there. It was a little frustrating today, to be honest.”

CDR Yamaha’s Coppins was sixth at Murray Bridge after a tangle with Jake Moss in the final moto saw him lose a stack of points in the points’ chase.

Prior to that, Coppins had finished third in moto one and sixth in moto two. The GP legend will now head to Europe during the mid-season break.

The Pirelli MX2 category saw Josh Cachia race to JDR/KTM Factory Racing’s first overall victory of the 2012 season.

Cachia rode to fifth in the opening moto, before breaking through for a win in moto two, then he sealed the overall with a fighting second to conclude the round.

“In the first moto I rode solid, got stuck behind some people, but that’s racing,” Carpenter Rocks resident Cachia explained. “If you don’t get a good start you don’t get in clean air, so that was my fault. In moto two I sorted it out, got the holeshot and felt good.

“In the 30-minute moto, Boydy and I worked hard until the end, so it was sweet. I rode solid, so to come away with the #1 plate today feels good.”

DPH Motorsport Honda’s Cheyne Boyd claimed his second podium in a row with a well-deserved victory in the final moto, when he held off a fast-charging Cachia and Ford Dale for the win.

Boyd opened the round with a second in moto one, but a crash – and a resulting eighth in the second race dashed his hopes of victory.

“I don’t want to harp on the negative, but that crash in the second moto cost me the overall today,” Boyd reflected. “It was a small mistake that turned into a large crash and I just had to salvage as many points as I could.

“In the final moto I was chasing Cachia, but I knew he couldn’t hold that intensity up for a full half-hour, so I bided my time, then passed him late in the race.

“I can’t be happier with how both my fitness and my bike are at the moment. We’re building some nice momentum.”

The final podium position in MX2 went to moto one winner Ford Dale. The Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing rider had Ben Townley in his corner throughout the weekend, but Dale suffered from a crash in moto two that left him circulating in 15th. Dale bounced back to third in the final moto and overall.

“I qualified on pole and Ben and I worked out a great gate pick,” Dale said. “That helped a lot with my first race, which I led from start to finish.

“In the second moto I made some bad choices in the opening lap and crashed twice, but I felt my speed in the final 30-minute race was right up there. I caught Josh and Boydy, but I just ran out of time.”

Series leader Luke Styke was fifth overall on the day behind MX Factory Honda’s Justin McDonald, who scored a season-best fourth.

McDonald was on track for his first podium of the year after a 4-4 result in the back-to-back races, but a horrendous start in the final saw him caught at the back of the pack and he dropped out of podium contention as a result.

Serco Yamaha Metal Mulisha Racing’s Styke had a disastrous first moto, but salvaged his round with a second and a fourth in the final moto. Despite a fifth place result he still carries a comfortable 32-point lead in the MX2 title fight.

Kiwi Kayne Lamont became the first two-time winner of the 2012 season in the Pirelli MX Development class.

The KTM rider was sixth in the first moto, but he bounced back to win moto two and finish second in the final moto to clinch the overall. Lamont now sits nine points behind series leader Dylan Long.

Long was a solid second wrapping up his day with victory in the final moto. Dylan Leary completed the podium, making for a 1-2-3 result for KTM.

Motul Pirelli Suzuki’s Jay Wilson finished fourth overall for the round, while GYTR Yamaha’s Sam Martin was fifth. First moto winner Joel Milesevic had to settle for sixth after suffering a mechanical in moto two, but he finished the weekend with third in moto three.

The Australian Motocross Championship now heads into a five-week break before returning for round six at Hervey Bay in Queensland on Sunday, 1 July.

2012 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship
Round Five – Murray Bridge, SA

MX1 Overall Results:
1. Todd Waters 72
2. Brad Anderson 63
3. Tye Simmonds 56
4. Lawson Bopping 52
5. Cody Cooper 49
6. Josh Coppins 48
7. Daniel Reardon 40
8. Daniel McCoy 39
9. Dean Porter 33
10. Jay Marmont 30
11. Gordon Crockard 27
12. Tim Vare 25
13. Thomas Alexander 20
14. Calle Aspegren 20
15. Beau Ralston 16
16. Zak Newsome 15
17. Paul Humberston 15
18. Jake Moss 14
19. Aden de Jager 12
20. Dylan Peterson 7

MX2 Overall Results:
1. Josh Cachia 63
2. Cheyne Boyd 60
3. Ford Dale 53
4. Justin McDonald 49
5. Luke Styke 46
6. Scott Columb 45
7. Lewis Woods 39
8. Kade Mosig 39
9. Errol Willis 37
10. Nick Murray 33
11. Kirk Gibbs 30
12. Brock Winston 27
13. Luke Arbon 25
14. Adam Monea 25
15. Corey Lucas 20
16. Matt van Slooten 13
17. Peter Boyle 13
18. Tristen Cachia 11
19. Steve Duncanson 9
20. Callan Dickson 6

MXD Overall Results:
1. Kayne Lamont 62
2. Dylan Long 58
3. Dylan Leary 52
4. Jay Wilson 49
5. Sam Martin 47
6. Joel Milesevic 45
7. Jarrad Davis 34
8. Michael Crugnale 30
9. Mitch Budd 26
10. John Phillips 25
11. Shaun Redhead 22
12. Joe Gillespie 22
13. Ben George 20
14. Kale Makeham 19
15. Dion Picard 19
16. Jordan Bissaker 18
17. Dylan Wills 16
18. Lenny Magyar 15
19. Daniel Banks 14
20. Josh Melis 12

MX1 Championship (after 5 of 10 rounds):
1. Josh Coppins 301
2. Todd Waters 280
3. Brad Anderson 274
4. Lawson Bopping 255
5. Tye Simmonds 234
6. Cody Cooper 232
7. Jay Marmont 207
8. Jake Moss 171
9. Daniel McCoy 164
10. Daniel Reardon 147
11. Dean Porter 139
12. Calle Aspegren 112
13. Dylan Peterson 96
14. Ben Townley 75
15. Craig Anderson 64
16. Tim Vare 61
17. Gordon Crockard 59
18. Beau Ralston 58
19. Mike Phillips 50
20. Billy Mackenzie 44

MX2 Championship (after 5 of 10 rounds):
1. Luke Styke 306
2. Ford Dale 274
3. Cheyne Boyd 258
4. Josh Cachia 258
5. Kade Mosig 233
6. Kirk Gibbs 229
7. Adam Monea 215
8. Justin McDonald 192
9. Lewis Woods 173
10. Errol Willis 168
11. Scott Columb 168
12. Luke Arbon 121
13. Nick Murray 119
14. Brock Winston 99
15. Ryan Marmont 91
16. Geran Stapleton 84
17. Corey Lucas 45
18. Peter Boyle 35
19. Richard Egerton 34
20. David Birch 19

MXD Championship (after 4 of 9 rounds):
1. Dylan Long 201
2. Kayne Lamont 195
3. Samual Martin 195
4. Dylan Leary 193
5. Jay Wilson 159
6. Joel Milesevic 156
7. Kale Makeham 156
8. Mitch Norris 123
9. Mitch Budd 103
10. Dylan Wills 99
11. Jarrad Davis 88
12. Dion Picard 84
13. John Phillips 77
14. Wade Hunter 76
15. Joe Gillespie 67
16. Ben George 61
17. Michael Crugnale 54
18. Josh Melis 49
19. Rhys Hobson 43
20. Billy Jackson 43