CRF Honda Racing press release:

Round eight of the MX Nationals staged at Moree in north-west NSW on Sunday (July 28) proved to be a challenging one for Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing riders Kyle Webster and Rhys Budd, as Australia’s premier dirt bike championship moves into the closing stages of the season.

After a stellar performance at round seven of the title at Maitland earlier this month, Webster came into round eight with high hopes. Posting third fastest time in Qualifying at Moree was encouraging, but Webster’s aspirations were dashed just three corners into the opening lap of the day’s first back-to-back MX2 moto.

“Someone crashed in front of me and I went down in the melee, which put me all the way back to dead-last,” explained a disappointed Webster.

“All I could do was pick myself up and try to work my way through the pack: but I could only make it to 13th place at the end of the seven laps.”

With a short break between motos, Webster tried valiantly to regain his composure for the next race, but admitted it was a difficult proposition.

“The second race was tough as well, as I just didn’t have a flow and pretty much struggled,” said Webster, who could only muster a sixth place finish in race two.

The 13/6 moto scores gave Webster ninth overall from the back-to-back races – which proved to be his result for the round, after racing was cut short for the day when medical services at the local hospital were stretched to the limit and race organisers cancelled the second round of races in all classes. Nathan Crawford (Yamaha) was declared the MX2 round winner, ahead of Dylan Wills (KTM) and Wilson Todd (Husqvarna).

In the Pirelli MX2 championship standings, Todd continues to lead with 427 points, with Webster maintaining second and well within striking distance with 409 points with two rounds remaining. Jay Wilson (Yamaha ) is third with 403 points.

In the MXD division, Budd started the day strong and felt comfortable in practice and Qualifying, throwing down a hot lap at the end of Qualifying to snare pole position.

Then, in the day’s opening MXD moto, Budd used his first grid choice to best advantage to make a boomer start and lead the opening lap of the race.

“But then at the end of the lap I put it down really hard,” Budd explained, “and I had to make a quick pit stop for the crew to get the bike straightened out before I could continue racing. From there I just put my head down and got back up to tenth by the finish of the moto.

“The result really sucks,” Budd continued, “because I believed it was going to be my day. I felt unreal on the bike and was confident for the races after practice and Qualifying, as everyone on the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda team had done an awesome job and the bike was performing perfectly.

With the round called after the opening moto, Regan Duffy (KTM) was declared the MXD round winner after leading home Brodie Ellis (Yamaha) and Maximus Purvis (Yamaha) in race one. In the MXD championship standings, Duffy leads with 461 points, ahead of Purvis on 427 points, with Budd continuing to hold down third place with 370 points.

Rounds nine and ten of the MX Nationals will be staged as a double-header event at Coolum on the Queensland Sunshine Coast next weekend, August 3/4, in what is shaping up to be a stunning conclusion to the championship battle.