#ausx

Dean Wilson lets fly after injury Dean Wilson has spoken out against competitor Vince Friese in an Instagram post, saying he ‘just drove it into me‘ at Round 3 of World Supercross, dislocating his shoulder and tearing his labrum, putting the rest of Wilson’s season in jeopardy. Dean Wilson “I wish it was something positive after the weekend. But enough is enough. I got hit really hard, didn’t see it coming, cause… I had guys in front of me, I didn’t see any need for it, typical Vince shit I’ve said this millions of times, where’s the punishment now he’s actually hurt someone, what’s his next goal to paralyse someone? He never gets penalised for anything he does and I’m sick of it, he raced a race the night before – the Super Final – he didn’t even make it into and got points for it.

Dean Wilson “I may need to get surgery, all the races I have planned is all in jeopardy. To say I’m frustrated is a very light way of putting it. It just sucks I was on a pretty good roll, my racing was good, I’ve just seen the doctors last night and got the MRIs done and all that. So I’ll do therapy and figure out if I want to get surgery or not. But I just think it’s bullshit.” Kaleb Barham breaks wrist at Perth SX Kaleb Barham crashed in the whoops while contesting the Perth event which left him with a broken wrist and some what battered and bruised. Barham has since returned to Brisbane where he will undergo surgery on his wrist and will be out of the remainder of the year. Kaleb Barham “It’s a disappointing way to end the year,” Barham laments. “I was feeling pretty good and had a good run going through the whoops when the front end missing one and then dropped into the next and spat me over the ‘bars. The bike then come over and slammed me as well. I knew my wrist wasn’t good and was a bit dazed, so I was taken to hospital where I was checked out and then kept overnight as my hand was also dislocated and it took it sometime to get it back in again. It’s part of racing, but it’s the part that sucks the most.” AUSX OPEN returns to Melbourne this weekend Australia’s largest and most prestigious Supercross event, the AUSX Open, makes it’s emphatic return this Saturday night, November 30, inside Marvel Stadium, in Melbourne.

Jett Lawrence Queenslanders Jett and Hunter Lawrence, departed Australia to compete professionally nine years ago, with this weekend’s event marking their first race on home soil since climbing to the pinnacle of global motorcycle racing in Europe and the USA.

Hunter Lawrence Joining both, is American superstar and two-time World Champion, Cooper Webb. Fresh off a victory in the famous Paris Supercross event and runner up placing in the AMA Supercross Championship in the USA, Cooper aims to be the spoiler in the Lawrence brothers homecoming parade. Set to be the largest supercross event in history outside of the USA, over 40,000 people are expected to descend on Marvel Stadium.

AUSX OPEN Champions will be crowned in the Fox Australian Supercross Championship as the Melbourne event marks the fifth and final round of the series. In the SX1 (450cc) category, American Joey Savatgy , leads over Honda team-mate Dean Wilson with 97 points over Wilson’s 89. Kawasaki mounted aussie favourite Luke Clout, sits in third, with 80 points and might be able to move forward if Wilson’s injury woes from Perth last weekend holds the Scot back. In the SX2 (250cc) class it is another American, Shane McElrath who is poised for Championship victory with a ten point lead (88 points), over his Honda team-mates, Brodie Connelly (NZ) and Cole Thompson (CAN) with 78 and 74 points respectively.

AUSX OPEN In SX3 (250cc), the future of Supercross shines with promising young riders aged between 15 and 18 years old. Seth Burchall, Koby Hantis and Jake Cannon, currently lead the charge, all hoping to prove their capabilities and earn a professional, factory backed ride, for 2025.

AUSX Open Fan Day  AUSX Open Fan Day – This Friday! The AUSX Open Fan Day is set to take over Marvel Stadium Square this Friday, November 29th, giving fans early access to meet the world’s best supercross riders ahead of the Australian Supercross Championship Grand Finale AUSX OPEN! This is a FREE family-friendly event promises an action-packed afternoon filled with early rider access, autograph signings, Q&A sessions, giveaways, and exciting brand activations – all bringing fans closer to the action than ever before. Meet the worlds best supercross stars, including Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, and Cooper Webb. Australian Championship contenders include Joey Savatgy, Dean Wilson, Luke Clout, Matt Moss and more. Enjoy live Q&A sessions with riders, special guests, and event ambassadors Charlie Dixon. Plus exclusive autographs during rider signing sessions, and giveaways. 2024 AUSX OPEN details - Date: 30th November 2024 - Location: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne - Event Type: 2024 Fox Australian Supercross Championship Grand Final round - Format: Triple Crown, featuring three main-event races for each of the SX1 (450cc) and SX2 (250cc) Championship classes - Talent Line-Up: Supercross stars including Jett & Hunter Lawrence, Cooper Webb, Dean Wilson, Joey Savatgy, and more - Fan Opportunities: Meet-and-greets, rider signings, Merchandise, Live Music, FMX stunts, Activations and the ultimate Fan Fest. - Tickets: for AUSX Open are now available, with various packages and general admission options to suit all fans. - Visit www.AUSXOpen.com.au or www.ticketmaster.com.au to secure your seats - Broadcast: For fans who can’t attend in person, the action will be streamed live on KAYO Sports in Australia, Sky sports New Zealand and MAVTV worldwide.

King Kellett defends FIM Sand Races World Cup title Todd Kellett stormed to his second consecutive FIM Sand Races World Cup title in the Moto class when he claimed victory on day two of the Monte Gordo Sand Race – the fifth and penultimate round of the series – to secure the weekend’s overall win, maintain his maximum points score and move into to an unassailable lead. Kellett secured the title last year in Portugal’s famous Algarve sand and made sure of a repeat performance today after his conclusive win on Saturday. Already leading Valentin Madoulaud by over five seconds following the opening lap, the 27-year-old British star quickly asserted full control of the hour-long race.

Todd Kellett – Image by Frederik Herregods Photography By the halfway mark he had stretched his advantage over Madoulaud out to 32 seconds and by the time Jérémy Hauquier moved into second he was out of reach, eventually winning by 51 seconds with an impressive total of twenty laps. Todd Kellett “It’s absolutely awesome to wrap it up today,” said Kellett. “It feels like it’s been a long time coming with the opening round back in February making it a long season so to get the victory is incredible, especially to do it again in Portugal.” With second added to his third-placed finish on Saturday, Hauquier is virtually assured of second in the series and Madoulaud’s two-three finishes make him a solid contender for third at the end of the year alongside Maxime Sot – Fantic who was fourth. Winner of Monte Gordo last season, former MXGP racer Yentel Martens was running fourth in the early stages, but slipped back to fifth at the finish on twenty laps as he continued his comeback from injury. Already confirmed as Moto Women class champion at the previous round in Italy, Amandine Verstappen repeated her win from day one while unbeaten French sensation Paolo Maschio also doubled up to top Moto Junior 2, a result that guarantees him the title with next weekend’s deciding round – the Ronde des Sables Hossegor Capbreton – still to run.

Amandine Verstappen – Image by Frederik Herregods Photography After finishing second last year, 25-year-old Verstappen has dominated all season and the Belgian remains unbeaten in 2024 with her latest victory in Portugal following wins at the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais, the Enduro del Verano, the Ronde des Sables de Loon-Plage and the Bibione Sand Storm. In a reversal of day one’s top-two, Dominique Mieuzet led home Moto Veteran series pace-setter Gregory Deleu – Fantic who retains his points lead and Felix Faure raced to his second win of the weekend in the Moto Vintage class to make sure of the title after Sebastien Antony once again failed to finish. Completing his double win in Moto Junior 1, series leader Matheo Gerat finished twenty-one seconds in front of Maxime Miet with both riders one lap ahead of Moto Junior 1 Women class winner Ema Satabin. Mattia Guadagnini joins Seewer on Desmo450 MX for MXGP Mattia Guadagnini will be Jeremy Seewer’s teammate on the official Desmo450 MX that the Borgo Panigale manufacturer will field in the 2025 MXGP World Championship in collaboration with the Maddii Racing team.

This weekend’s highly-anticipated return of the AUSX Open at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium has all the ingredients for a spectacular night of competition, featuring a full-sized, world-class track, all Australian Supercross Championship titles still on the line, and of course, the much-awaited return of Hunter and Jett Lawrence to Australian shores. These are the must-see storylines you need to follow in this Countdown feature.

Image: Octopi Media.

7. Last chance for best-placed Australians to shine:

Melbourne signifies the last opportunity for Australia’s top-performing Australians to end the 2024 season on a high note, especially in the SX1 class. With Cooper Webb and the Lawrences descending on this final round, wins/podiums are going to be harder than ever to earn for Australian national front-runners Luke Clout (Empire Kawasaki) and Jed Beaton (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy). Clout has been the only Australian to steal a race win from Honda Racing imports Joey Savatgy and Dean Wilson, while Beaton has steadily improved as the season progresses, culminating with his first-ever supercross round podium in Adelaide. In the SX2 class, Empire Kawasaki’s Reid Taylor and KTM Racing Team’s Kayden Minear will be aiming to finish their seasons strongly after contrasting wildcard appearances at the Perth round of the FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) last weekend. Taylor dislocated thumb on his way to 14-14 results from the two rounds, while Minear impressed there with 8-7 results.

6. Dean Wilson’s status:

Wilson’s AUSX SX1 title defence took a knock at Adelaide’s fourth round when he finished runner-up to series leader Savatgy in what really was a must-win round for him. If he’d managed to beat his Honda Racing team-mate there, the gap between the two would only be two points instead of eight heading into the season finale. But Wilson’s entire campaign has a big question-mark hanging over it after a SuperFinal clash with Vince Friese at Perth’s WSX round saw him end the night with a torn labrum (shoulder). It’s a major blow for Wilson and it’s unclear if or when he’ll undergo surgery. Even if he does line up on Saturday, he could be operating at a lot lower capacity and will need to rely on some luck going his way if he wants to secure back-to-back championships.

Image: Octopi Media.

5. The Connolly vs Thompson showdown:

There is little love lost between Honda Racing team-mates Brodie Connolly and Cole Thompson, and just four points separate the New Zealander and the Canadian heading into the AUSX Open. They’ve found each other on the track at every round so far, with little to separate them once the gate drops. Both the SX1 and SX2 classes will again race three finals on Saturday night, meaning there will be plenty of opportunities for these two to clash again. The fast-starting Connolly has been something of a revelation in his first-ever supercross attempt, while Thompson has proven multiple times that he can quickly slice through the pack and position himself well for wins, should the opportunity present itself.

4. The AUSX Open reboot:

It’s been five years since the AUSX Open was last held in 2019 in front of more than 35,000 fans. The covid pandemic put the brakes on, shortly afterward, then the promoters – Adam Bailey and Ryan Sanderson at the time – focused their energy on trying to get the WSX off the ground with SX Global. Now effectively operated by AME Group, which is now led by Kelly Bailey, the AUSX Open has finally been resurrected and expectations are high that it’ll carry on where the previous events left off. Securing the Lawrences and Webb is a real coup and carries on the event’s tradition of attracting the world’s best riders, while the return of the FMX Best Trick competition, the Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup, and the final rounds of the SX3 and CR22 85cc Cup will ensure plenty of on-track action all evening.

3. Honda Racing to again win both titles:

Regardless of how things shake out on Saturday, it’s looking likely that Yarrive Konsky’s Honda Racing team will again secure both major championships, capping off a spectacular year of racing for the team. In SX1, Savatgy has won three of the four rounds after being beaten by an in-form Wilson at Redcliffe 1. He might now have an eight-point lead over Wilson, but he’s got a 17-point gap on third-placed Clout. Meanwhile Shane McElrath has asserted his dominance on the SX2 class and comes into Melbourne with a 10-point lead over Connolly. The highest-placed non-Honda Racing rider is Taylor in fourth, but he’s 24 points off the top spot. While Clout and Taylor are both mathematical chances for the two titles, it’s a very long shot against the log-jam of Honda riders ahead of them.

Image: Foremost Media.

2. Cooper Webb and the role of spoiler:

While most of the hype has been around the Lawrences’ homecoming, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb is more than capable of throwing cold water on the party. Just two weeks ago, the double AMA 450SX champion was crowned ‘King’ at the Paris Supercross, where he also went up against the Lawrences over two nights. While Jett won five of the six races and DNF’d one after crashing into a lapped rider while leading, Webb proved consistency is key. He finished the weekend with one race win, three runner-ups and two P3s. Afterwards he paid respects to Lawrence as the fastest racer on the weekend, but also stated that he’d gained confidence from the fact that he was never that far behind the young Australian. Hunter also raced at Paris and finished the event fourth overall behind Webb, Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) and Jett.

1. The Lawrences return home: