Veteran Todd Waters in for double duty at Mackay ProMX and Enduro this week
By Press Release on 7th Apr 22
This weekend sees the first co-round of 2022 as the best Australian dirt bike racers arrive in Koumala, Queensland, about an hour south of Mackay.
The Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) will join the Penrite ProMX Championship (ProMX) at the Gum, Valley MX track as both championships kick off their second event for the 2022 season.
The AORC have completed their first two rounds due to their two-rounds-per-venue format with Cherrabah, Queensland playing host to some 14 classes and several hundred riders.
In the championship races, Kyron Bacon leads the E1 class with Korey McMahon and Jeremey Carpenter all very close behind.
In the E2 class, Joshua Green took the top spot in rounds one and two and leads the championship from Todd Waters and Michael Driscoll.
In the E3 class, it was Andrew Wilksch who emerged victorious from Jonte Reynders in second and Stefan Granquist in third.
The AORC will be centre stage this Friday and Saturday as Rounds two and three of 2022 season take place at the picturesque and tricky Gum Valley MX track and surrounds.
In the ProMX ranks, round one at Wonthaggi, Victoria offered plenty of action and posed plenty of questions.
Reigning THOR MX1 champion CDR Yamaha Monster Energys Luke Clout took the double victory, but many were talking about the sensational debut of Team HRC Honda Racings Kyle Webster who was the fastest in qualifying and took the holeshot in Moto 1, only to throw it all away with an early crash. This precipitated a sensational charge through the pack only to again find himself in the Wonthaggi dirt after another crash. Clout took the win from Webster and CDR Yamaha Monster Energys Arron Tanti.
Webster repeated his Moto 1 pace in Moto 2 and unfortunately replicated his crashing antics as well- and left Wonthaggi as the talk of the event while being only fourth in the championship.
Luke Clout showed that while he might not have had the pure pace of Webster, the motorsport adage that to finish first, first you must finish is as true as always.
In Pirelli MX2, it was Team HRC Honda Racings Wilson Todd who also took the double win at Round One, although in a slightly less unusual style than the Thor MX1 Motos. Todd would be challenged for the entire moto by Yamaha Racings Alex Larwood. Serco Yamahas Jesse Dobson rode a constant moto to finish third in Moto 1.
Moto 2 was a familiar affair with Todd out front from Larwood and Serco Yamahas Bailey Malkiewic in third.
As we head to Gum Valley this weekend the questions surrounding ProMX remain almost the same as they were pre-season: Will Clout continue his winning ways? What can Webster do? Tanti: ready to contend?
One stand-out competitor worthy of mention is wily veteran and apparent ironman - Husqvarnas Todd Waters who will race in both the 450 class E2 of AORC and the 450cc class of ProMX in Thor MX1. Whether the double duties will sharpen him or make survival the bigger issue remains to be seen.
Waters himself noted that lets see how the body copes. The hard truth is that Waters has been on the podium and well in contention in the early rounds of both championships, so it is hard to imagine him doing anything other than being near the front in both events while the rest of us look on in wonder.
After the AORC do their thing Friday and Saturday, Sunday sees the competition baton passed to ProMX as they line up for Round Two- also at the Gum Valley MX track. Its not only early in the season, but also a different track and track type so its no exaggeration to say the competition remains wide open.
Its a weekend that teases much and offers even more to the dirt bike fanatic!