Words: Alex Gobert/Jeremy Hammer

It’s championship week in the Pirelli MX Nationals as we travel to Coolum for the title-deciding double-header weekend! This is Motoview presented by Thor MX Australia on MotoOnline.com.au.

Everybody in the industry will agree that Queensland’s finale on the Sunshine Coast is the best event on the outdoor calendar and, for this year, we will see two full rounds contested across Saturday and Sunday.

We’re used to Coolum being a two-day event with a stack of supporting categories, plus practice for the pros on Saturday, but this time around we’ll be privileged to two rounds in the one weekend. It makes for a busy event, but certainly a worthy couple of days on location.

With Todd Waters (DPH Motorsport Husqvarna) leading the MX1 championship by two points over Luke Clout (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) and Hayden Mellross (Raceline KTM Thor) a further 12 behind – albeit under an injury cloud – that title could be any of those three’s to win.

MX2 isn’t quite as close, with Waters’ teammate Wilson Todd stretching an 18-point advantage going into the finals, but don’t count out the likes of Kyle Webster (Penrite CRF Honda Racing) and Jay Wilson (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) especially. The latter is now 24 points behind.

It’s never over until it’s over, but Regan Duffy holds a 34-point lead with Raceline KTM Thor in MXD and it’s looking likely that he will go on to capture his first Under 19s crown. Although, as I alluded to, mistakes can be made and the title is still a possibility for Maximus Purvis (WBR Yamaha).

And once the weekend is complete, all attention is turned to the Australian Supercross Championship. Already it’s shaping up to be one of the better years on record, with Troy Bayliss Events hosting the first three rounds and then the S-X Open events completing the calendar.

There’s also added time to prepare for our Australian teams and riders since there’s now a handy break of over two months between motocross and supercross. Hopefully that will give our own a better opportunity of challenging the imports.

Here at MotoOnline.com.au we have substantial plans in place for the AUS Supercross season, including during the lead-up and throughout the five-round series in Australia and New Zealand. That’s it from me for this week, here’s Jeremy with more…

What a crazy weekend of MX Nationals it was at Moree! For the second time this season, racing was reduced to just one round due reasons out of the promoter’s control.

It came after the local hospital reached it’s capacity just after lunchtime, which was a result of an unusually high amount of crashes at the event, while a trail ride in a nearby region also contributed to the increasing toll on the hospital.

It’s hard to say exactly why there were so many accidents from other rounds of the series, but the technicality of the New South Wales circuit definitely played factor, catching out many riders of less experience.

While I think many agreed it was the right decision to declare racing after WEM was notified the hospital couldn’t take in anymore patients, the MX Nationals sure did cop it’s fair share of criticism.

It’s seems as though the series can’t catch a break – no matter what it does, there are a bunch of keyboard warriors criticising the brand. And while I don’t agree with everything the series does, the decision it made on the weekend was most certainly the correct one.

Riders’ safety is paramount, and in the circumstances on Sunday were highly unusual and unforeseen – never in my 19 years of going to races have I seen a race cancelled due to medical resources being exhausted. It is what is, and I’m glad we got to see home good racing in the morning. Bring on Coolum this weekend!

That’s it for this week, we’ll catch you next Wednesday with another Motoview presented by Thor MX Australia feature! In the meantime stay tuned to MotoOnline.com.au for the latest daily content and be sure to follow us on social media via @motoonline on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.