HQVA press release:

Husqvarna’s squad of factory and factory supported racers just could not get the rub of the green at Green Park circuit where the third round of this year’s MX Nationals series took place over the weekend.

In the premier MX1 category it was a unique homecoming for SD3 Husqvarna rider Brett Metcalfe, who renewed acquaintances with Conondale for the first time in 16 years, last racing there as a teenager before his international career took off.

After qualifying sixth and powering his Husqvarna FC450 to fifth in the first moto, however, he was forced out of the second with a technical problem and could only add 26 points to his championship tally as rivals Dean Ferris, Kirk Gibbs and Todd Waters filled the podium in that order.

Husqvarna Synep Racing’s Kieron Hall (FC450) and Mega Motorcycles’ Zak Small (FC350) battled keenly on the edge of the top ten for 10th and 12th respectively.

In MX2, Husqvarna Synep Racing’s Dylan Wills carded ninth overall with 10-7 finishes as Mitchell Evans won the category from Jackson Richardson and Wilson Todd.

SD3/Full Throttle Husqvarna Racing’s Kaleb Barham didn’t quite manage to execute the homecoming he’d planned in the MXD class. He looked well on track after taking his Husqvarna FC250 to a moto one third place, but an uncharacteristically poor moto two start lead to misadventure and a 15th place, for seventh overall.

He was one spot ahead of Robertson’s Motorcycles racer Jy Roberts, who posted 11-6 for 8th overall, as the chocolates went to Morgan Fogarty from Cody Dyce and Callum Norton.

The round’s 125cc Gold Cup saw Husqvarna TC125-powered former pro turned movie stuntman Cody Mackie take the overall victory with a perfect 1-1 score card, to lead home Cameron Taylor and Kerrod Morrissey.

For more information on Husqvarna motorcycles visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com

Steve McKinnon – SD3 Husqvarna Team Owner: “Such a tough day for us. We had good momentum coming out of moto one with Metty finishing fifth and Kaleb in third, but moto two just bit us on the behind. Metty got baulked at the start after Peters went down but rode the wheels off it to get back from 15th to fifth. We don’t know what the problem was that caused our moto two DNF as yet, but we’ll be looking into it throughout the week. Kaleb was really primed for a good result here and his moto one ride was the best I’ve seen from him in 12 months. He was fast and smooth and just got it done. But in moto two, it was just one of those silly falls where you cross-rut and by the time you pick the bike up… well it’s pretty tight in MXD and he was back in 20th before he knew it.”

Brett Metcalfe (FC450): “I was looking forward to a bit more of a natural track. We were a little disappointed not to make it onto Super Pole – we were literally 0.1 of a second off of fifth and 0.2 off fourth. I last raced there when I was 16 so I was kind of re-learning it a bit. We really improved the setup a lot between practice and moto one with stability and turning so hats off to the guys on the team who were able to make me faster. I had a good start but in the second corner I was involved in a crash that dropped me back to sixteenth. I worked through and had another small crash but was still able to charge up to fifth and I felt I had the speed to be up front, just not the track position. I went into the second moto with the same package and was in fifth or sixth spot when unfortunately we had a mechanical failure. We don’t know what happened but it was a huge disappointment after what were definitely some positives for us.”

Zak Small (FC350): “I got 12th and eleventh for 12th overall, and that’s my best finish for the year. I’m stoked with it; I felt like I picked up my intensity heaps and it showed – I was a lot closer to the front guys. I had some awesome battles. The highlight was the second moto battle between me, Kieron Hall and Kyle Peters. It was a three-way battle the entire moto until Keiron went in to make the pass and in the next corner Peters just absolutely pumped him over the back of the berm, but until then it was sick racing.”

Dylan Wills (FC250): “I took a little bit to get the track down pat. Once I came to qualifying I just struggled a little bit but I got my lap time down pretty quick and that was a big confidence booster. In race one they held the gates for a while and I got a really bad start. I was making passes and riding really well, and I went to make a pass on Jayden Rykers and just laid it over. I only lost five seconds but got a bit caught up and could only finish where I started. So that was a bit disappointing, I was looking for better than that. Moto two I got away well, put some decent laps in but just struggled to keep with those guys. There’s no excuse, the bike’s really good, I feel like I’m riding good and my fitness is good, I’ve just got a bit of time to make up on the track and that’s it. But we’ll end up there soon.”

Kaleb Barham (FC250): “It was looking like it was going to be a good day. I felt good on the SD3 Husqvarna FC250 and I was comfortable. I definitely had the pace to run up front, but in the first one I got off to a pretty ordinary start – me and Cooper kind of came together, so I had to chip my way through the pack and I got to third. I started to chase the leaders down but I just ran out of time unfortunately so third was okay. In the second I got another horrible start and was trying to push my way through the field but I saw the leaders were getting away and I pushed too quick. It ended up biting me and I had to make my way through again and could only salvage 15th. I’ve definitely got to get those starts dialled before the next one.”

Cody Mackie (TC125): “I’m very excited with the result. It happened to fit into my schedule to race, and chasing a 450 or a 250 around – though I believe I could hold my own in the top ten in either class – it doesn’t really interest me. I also don’t have time to ride three or four times a week either. A 125 is lighter, more forgiving and you can get away with not riding it much. I had fun, the second race was very technical and Cam and I got to bang bars, though in his defence he hadn’t done as much riding as I had beforehand. I’d done a good 12 hours, so hopefully next round we can step it up again, as I’m sure Cam will. He’s a great rider.”

For more information on Husqvarna motorcycles visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com