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Australian Supercross

Just days remain until the Monster Energy Super X series kicks off in Melbourne on Saturday night. All titles are wide open and nobody is really certain to say who will win the opener just yet.

It’s been a quiet couple of months since that spectacular finish to the MX Nationals in July, however things have really started to gain momentum in recent weeks as excitement levels raise ahead of round one.

If there was one thing that spoiled much of last year’s series it was the weather, so fingers crossed its fine at Melbourne Knights Stadium come Saturday night.

Right now the predictions say partly cloudy and isolated showers for the area on Saturday, but to be honest we probably won’t really know until we wake up on the morning of race day down there!

Monster Energy Kawasaki team manager Troy Carroll confirmed today that they will have just one Pro Open rider in Super X, unable to lock in a teammate from the U.S. alongside Billy Mackenzie on the 450.

While Kawasaki’s official factory team won’t have an American rider, don’t forget that Chris Blose will be on the brand new Hart and Huntington/InsureMyRide team riding a KX450F. He’s a top 10 guy in America, so whether that’s good enough to win with the unique formats we have in Australia we’ll have to wait and see.

Suzuki has finally confirmed its Lites rider in Steven Clarke, the British talent proving a very wise and proven choice for the team. Interestingly, Rockstar Energy Drink isn’t part of the team’s sponsor line-up anymore as Pirelli has taken over alongside Motul.

British talent Steven Clarke has been revealed as Suzuki's Lites rider for Super X. Image: Sport The Library.

Over at Yamaha, Sam Duncanson will step into the factory-supported GYTR Rockstar Energy Drink Yamaha team alongside Luke Arbon, since Shaun Redhead suffered a knee injury recently.

Another interesting prospect is the addition of Matthew Phillips with Yamaha support in the Under 19s. For those who aren’t aware, he’s the talented teenager who dominated the final rounds of the Australian Off Road Championship for Ballard’s Yamaha.

JDR Motorex KTM has an all-star line-up and following a frustrating outdoor season where injuries struck both Ryan Marmont and Dan Reardon, both are back and ready to set things straight. Add in Tye Simmonds and KTM has a great chance at the title this year.

Their Lites team is just as impressive, and what I’m hearing is that Josh Cachia is absolutely flying after a trip to America training alongside Malcolm Stewart and the U.S. JDR Motorsports squad. Between him, Matt Moss and Brenden Harrison, KTM could paint the podium orange more than a few times this year.

Honda has an interesting line-up, spread across three teams with some very quick riders. The official Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing team has Cheyne Boyd, Todd Waters and American Gavin Faith, all three flying in under the radar in some ways.

Craig Anderson’s Berry Sweet/Lucas Oil Honda team has Ando himself, plus another young American in Austin Politelli. Gordon Crockard will be in for selected rounds, while Kade Mosig may be back for the final two if his collarbone injury allows.

Mosig is actually a favourite in the Lites class stakes at this point when it comes to sourcing a seat for 2012 and we’re hearing from a variety of sources that Monster Energy Kawasaki has spoken to him about a position for next year already. After the outdoor season he had, he deserves it.

Kade Mosig is being scouted by factory Lites teams for the 2012 season.

The final Honda team that could make waves in Super X is Team 07 Axis Motorsports Honda, together with Cody Mackie in the Opens, as well as Kieron Hall and Adam Monea in the Lites.

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American Supercross

Chad Reed came close to making an earlier than expected V8 Supercars debut this weekend in the Gold Coast 600, where teams are required to use an international-based co-driver alongside series regulars.

The motorsports world was rocked over the weekend when IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon was tragically killed in a multi-car incident during Las Vegas’ season finale. Sadly, Wheldon was supposed to head to Australia directly following the event for this weekend’s GC600 as a guest driver alongside defending champion James Courtney and the Holden Racing Team.

And that’s where Reed comes into it, because after the tragedy and three IndyCar drivers understandably pulling out of the event in Sufers Paradise, teams were desperate to source new co-drivers with just days to spare.

Reed has spent time in a couple of V8s over the years including one from TeamVodafone, however it would have been a massive ask for him to suit up on the unforgiving street circuit that they race on this weekend.

We’re not sure what team it was for, but @CRtwotwo did have some interesting back and forth discussions with Courtney over Twitter yesterday morning. Instead, Reed’s apparently gone out bush for a couple of days.

RV's dream season wrapped up with a million dollar prize in Vegas last weekend.

On another note, last weekend saw the Monster Energy Cup run and won in Las Vegas, with Ryan Villopoto taking home the $1-million prize for sweeping all three 10-lap finals.

The word is that he’ll be paid the million over 20 years at $50,000 per year, so I wonder if they’ll run it again next year? Either way, it was a unique event and one that capped off Villopoto’s season nicely with a dominant display.

One person who was particularly impressive was Kiwi Ben Townley, finishing second in the first final and proving he still has what it takes to run with the world’s best given the right equipment and a healthy body. Hopefully it will help him lock in a deal for 2012.

Red Bull KTM and Ryan Dungey decided to race at the 11th hour, which was a positive choice considering he put it on the podium and certainly didn’t disappoint aboard the ‘Dungey Special’ 450 SX-F. Expect a lot more from him come Anaheim 1!

You also have to hand it to South Australian Brett Metcalfe for taking third overall, but really we should expect such solid results from him by now after a great couple of years outdoors on the 450. Bring on next year.

It’s now the off-season for the AMA guys now, but really they’ll be working hard behind the scenes testing within a couple of weeks or even less. Thanks to all over there in the U.S. for a great season.

That’s it for this week, make sure you stick with MotoOnline.com.au for the ultimate Super X info all season long. We have plenty in store, so spread the word!

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