Direct updates from the second round of the championship at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Follow the 2023 Fox Australian Supercross Championship with direct SX1 and SX2 updates from the second round of the season at the McDonald Jones Stadium through Racefeed.
SX2 practice:
Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Max Anstie led practice as the action got under way at Newcastle. The defending champ put in a fast final lap to become the only rider to break the 44-second mark, with a 43.969s lap. A surprise second was NSW’s Ayrton Hibberd (Honda), who was 0.4s behind. Jayce Cosford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) finished the session third-fastest, ahead of Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team) and Ryder Kingsford (WBR Yamaha). Robbie Wageman (WBR Yamaha), Wilson Todd (Terrafirma Honda Racing), Noah Ferguson (GasGas Racing Team), Reid Taylor (Husqvarna) and Liam Atkinson (KTM) completed the top 10.
SX1 practice:
Empire Kawasaki rider Matt Moss signalled he’s playing for keeps at Newcastle by topping the SX1 practice timesheets. Moss threw down a 42.692s lap-time to beat Honda Racing’s series leader Dean Wilson by just 0.49s, with CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Luke Clout impressing in third. Defending champion Justin Brayton (Honda Racing) finished the session fourth-fastest, ahead of the returning Dylan Wills (Husqvarna). Kyle Webster (Honda Racing), Josh Hill (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy), and privateers Liam Jackson (KTM), Robbie Marshall (Husqvarna) and Jackson Richardson (Kawasaki) finished the session inside the top 10.
SX2 qualifying:
Max Anstie led a Honda 1-2 in SX2 qualifying, as he set a scorching final lap around the McDonald Jones Stadium. Anstie led most of the session, but logged a 43.090s final lap to beat his team-mate, Wilson Todd by 0.9s. Serco Yamaha’s Cole Thompson finished hot on Todd’s heels, just 0.05 adrift, as Nathan Crawford and Ryder Kingsford filled the remaining top five places. American Robbie Wageman finished sixth-fastest, ahead of the quickest of the unseeded riders, Rhys Budd (Serco Yamaha). The remaining top 10 lap-times were set by Jayce Cosford, Kaleb Barham (Yamalube Yamaha Racing), and Noah Ferguson.
SX1 qualifying:
Two intense laps at the end of the session saw Honda Racing’s Dean Wilson set a high bar during the SX1 qualifying session. In hot conditions, the Scottish-born rider posted a final time of 42.124s, to unseat early pace-setter Luke Clout by 0.83s. A further 0.3s adrift, Justin Brayton secured third pick of the gate for his efforts, as Kyle Webster ensured three of the top four qualifiers were claimed by the Honda Racing camp. Josh Hill finished the session in fifth, as Dylan Wills, Joel Wightman (Yamaha), Jackson Richardson, Liam Jackson ad Dylan Wood (Honda) rounded out the top 10 fastest times.
SX2 heat one:
Nathan Crawford won the opening SX2 heat. It was Wilson Todd who came through the first turn at the front of the pack, but Crawford quickly passed him for the lead and checked out for a comfortable 8.9-second win. Second was Robbie Wageman after a late mistake from Todd saw him finish third. Cosford, Ferguson, Ben Novak (Honda), Reid Taylor (Husqvarna), Caleb Goullet (Empire Kawasaki), Zane Mackintosh (Kawasaki) and Connor Rossandich (KTM) finished in the top 10.
SX2 heat two:
Cole Thompson scored the holeshot of the second SX2 heat, but Anstie wasted no time moving to the front of the field within two corners. A mid-race move from Budd saw him slide into second before Anstie crossed the finish-line 7.1 seconds up the track. Barham and Atkinson finished fourth and fifth, as Brock Flynn (GasGas), Mackenzie O’Bree (GasGas), Kingsford, Kobi Wolff (Husqvarna) and Ryan Kohlenberg (Yamaha) completed the top 10 positions.
SX1 heat one:
Clout took a wire-to-wire win in the opening SX1 heat, finishing with a lead of 5.93 seconds. Webster got the better of Richardson after a spirited battle, as Marshall ad Wills finished inside the top five. P6 through 10 were claimed by Joel Cigliano (Kawsasaki), Brandon Steel (Yamaha), Sam Larsen (Yamaha), Dylan Wood (Honda), and Joel Evans (Yamaha).
SX1 heat two:
Justin Brayton scored the holeshot and held on to take the heat win, but Josh Hill was able to keep the pressure on around the slick track to finish 1.1s behind the five-time champion. Dean Wilson was able to move forward into third place, ahead of a banged-up Matt Moss and Liam Jackson. Wightman, Ricky Latimer, (Yamaha), Cory Watts (Honda), Blake Cobbin (GasGas) and Luke Kielinski (Yamaha) finished in the top 10.
SX2 final one:
The first 25 points of the night went to Max Anstie who put on an incredible come-from-behind display to take a 2.3-second win. Nathan Crawford scored the holeshot and quickly built a gap, while Anstie was buried on the cusp of the top 10 after a mediocre start. Anstie put on huge charge to slice through the pack and pass Crawford with a lap to go. Kaleb Barham put in a consistent race to finish third, while Cole Thompson and Wilson Todd – who were both mid-pack early on – finished fourth and fifth. Noah Ferguson, Rhys Budd, Ryder Kingsford, Reid Taylor and Robbie Wageman completed the top 10 placings.
SX2 final two:
Anstie claimed the win in the second final by 5.6 seconds. It was Wageman with the holeshot, but Todd sniped past and tried to build a lead. It was short-lived though, as he’d crash at the midway point of the race, handing his team-mate Anstie the lead and win. Wageman finished second and Crawford third, as Barham and Jayce Cosford filled P4 and P5. Positions sixth through 10th were filled by Taylor, Ferguson, Thompson (who crashed early), Budd and Ryder Kingsford.
SX1 final one:
Dean Wilson took the opening SX1 final victory after a great battle with Justin Brayton. Matt Moss scored the holeshot, but it only took two corners for Brayton to slide into the lead and started to check out. Wilson also worked his way past Moss – who then crashed hard late in the race – then made the most of lapped traffic to take the lead from Brayton and finish with a 1.2-second lead. Josh Hill stayed consistent in third, as Clout fought back from P13 to finish fourth. Dylan Wills finished fifth, ahead of Joel Wightman and a fast-starting Robbie Marshall. Jackson Richardson, Dylan Wood, and Luke Zielinski rounded out the top 10.
SX1 final two:
A composed performance from Wilson saw him take his second SX1 final win of the night. Clout was awarded the holeshot, but Wilson efficiently made his way into the lead and sailed to a 4.6-second win. Behind him, Clout and Brayton engaged in a race-long battle, with Brayton only finding his way past the Yamaha rider with just two corners to go. Webster was solid in P4, while Hill worked his way from P13 early on to finish fifth. Wightman, Marshall, Wills (who was 19th on the first lap), Zielinski and Evans were the remaining top 10 racers.
SX2 final three:
A slick track greeted the SX2 riders for the final race of the night, but again Anstie proved to be the class of the field, extending his undefeated 2023 campaign with a 2.4-second lead over holeshot winner Crawford. Thompson put in a late charge around the hardpack circuit to finish just 0.67s behind Crawford and finish on the podium. Todd and Taylor finished fourth and fifth, while P6 to P10 were filled by Kingsford, a fast-finishing Budd, Cosford, Barham and Liam Atkinson (KTM).
SX1 final three:
Wilson made it three from three with a wire-to-wire victory on an increasingly slippery track. While Wilson scored the holeshot, carnage broke out behind him as team-mates Brayton and Webster tangled, crashed and retired, while Clout also crashed in a separate mistake in the same turn. At the front of the pack, Hill finished second to Wilson, with Wills putting in a clean race to finish third, Wightman crossed the line in fourth, ahead of a Clout, who dug deep to finish fifth. Zielinski, Marshall, Evans, Cory Watts and Joel Cigliano finished their night in the top 10.