Following the penultimate round of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals, MotoOnline.com.au breaks down the specifics from race day Sunday at Gladstone’s retro-themed Jono Porter Memorial round.

Image: Jeff Crow.

MX1

Pole position: Jacob Wright (CDR Yamaha) 2m08.411

Moto one results:
1. Jacob Wright (CDR Yamaha)
2. Kirk Gibbs (KTM Motocross Racing Team)
3. Matt Moss (Team Motul Suzuki)
4. Adam Monea (NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki)
5. Billy Mackenzie (CDR Yamaha)
6. Kade Mosig (DPH Motorsport Yamaha)
7. Sam Martin (DPH Motorsport Yamaha)
8. Hayden Mellross (Raceline Suzuki)
9. Jesse Dobson (KTM)
10. Lawson Bopping (SIC Racing Kawasaki)
11. Brock Winston (Husqvarna)
12. Jake Moss (NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki)
13. Joel Milesevic (TM)
14. Lewis Woods (Suzuki)
15. Brad Groombridge (Husqvarna Motocross Racing Team)
16. Dean Porter (KTM)
17. Riley Graham (Penrite Honda)
18. James Booth Elliott (Suzuki)
19. Robert Lovett (Honda)
20. Darcy Jones (Husqvarna)

Race time: 32m23.194
Margin of victory: 8.342s
Laps completed: 15

Moto two results:
1. Mackenzie
2. Monea
3. Gibbs
4. Moss
5. Moss
6. Wright
7. Jay Marmont (CDR Yamaha)
8. Mellross
9. Dobson
10. Martin
11. Winston
12. Groombridge
13. Bopping
14. Booth Elliott
15. Jones
16. Milesevic
17. Woods
18. Graham
19. Porter
20. Izak Maule (Yamaha)

Race time: 32m40.485
Margin of victory: 1.685s
Laps completed: 15

Overall results:
1. Kirk Gibbs 62
2. Billy Mackenzie 61
3. Adam Monea 60
4. Jacob Wright 60
5. Matt Moss 58
6. Hayden Mellross 46
7. Jake Moss 45
8. Sam Martin 45
9. Jesse Dobson 44
10. Brock Winston 40
11. Lawson Bopping 39
12. Brad Groombridge 35
13. Joel Milesevic 33
14. Kade Mosig 32
15. Lewis Woods 31
16. James Booth Elliott 30
17. Darcy Jones 27
18. Riley Graham 27
19. Dean Porter 27
20. Jay Marmont 24

Championship standings:
1. Matt Moss 713
2. Kirk Gibbs 676
3. Billy Mackenzie 632
4. Adam Monea 615
5. Jake Moss 528
6. Jacob Wright 525
7. Kade Mosig 500
8. Hayden Mellross 472
9. Sam Martin 436
10. Brock Winston 415
11. Jesse Dobson 412
12. Lewis Woods 391
13. Jay Marmont 362
14. Rhys Carter 351
15. James Booth Elliott 209
16. Jesse O’Farrell 159
17. Joel Milesevic 153
18. Ben Townley, Ben 139
19. Brad Groombridge 131
20. Darcy Jones 119

Verdict:
On paper with Kirk Gibbs taking victory and Matt Moss finishing fifth, you’d be forgiven for thinking the title race has somewhat tightened up. But the overalls at Gladstone were so close, Gibbs only made up three points in the standings (it would have been four save for Moss going one spot better in Super Pole). And despite Gibbs taking the round, the on-track spoils went to CDR Yamaha duo Jacob Wright (Super Pole and moto one) and Billy Mackenzie (moto two). What we’ve seen is that if Wright gets a start, he has what it takes to win races. Without that, he still needs to build experience coming through the field quicker. Mackenzie faded from the front in moto one, but in the second he didn’t put a foot wrong for a convincing moto victory. As for Adam Monea he made a welcome return to the podium in third on board a slick retro KX450F. Moss won’t be overly happy with fifth (the second time this season alongside Murray Bridge that he’s been off the box), but considering his position entering Coolum’s final round, he’ll be content ahead of this weekend – probably just that bit more determined to win the title in style if all goes to plan.

Image: Jeff Crow.

MX2

Pole position: Luke Clout (Serco Yamaha) 2m11.057

Moto one results:
1. Jay Wilson (Serco Yamaha)
2. Hamish Dobbyn (CMR Red Bull KTM)
3. Luke Arbon (SD3 Husqvarna)
4. Kale Makeham (Tunetech Racing KTM)
5. Luke Clout (Serco Yamaha)
6. Caleb Ward (KTM)
7. Hamish Harwood (CMR Red Bull KTM)
8. Errol Willis (Yamaha)
9. Josh Cachia (Penrite Honda)
10. Joel Evans (TM)
11. Dylan Long (KTM)
12. Dylan Peterson (SIC Racing Kawasaki)
13. Geran Stapleton (Raceline Pirelli Suzuki)
14. Luke Wilson (Wilson MX Honda)
15. Tomas Ravenhorst (KTM)
16. Caleb Gasbarri (Yamaha)
17. Joel Green (Kawasaki)
18. Matthew Kehl (Yamaha)
19. Mathew McEntee (KTM)
20. Zane Keleher (KTM)

Race time: 33m19.909
Margin of victory: 1.756s
Laps completed: 15

Moto two results:
1. Arbon
2. Clout
3. Makeham
4. Dobbyn
5. Ward
6. Cachia
7. Wilson
8. Harwood
9. Long
10. Luke Reardon (KTM)
11. Evans
12. Peterson
13. Wilson
14. Ravenhorst
15. Green
16. Gasbarri
17. McEntee
18. Zaccari Luzzi (TM)
19. Tyler Goullet (Suzuki)
20. Keleher

Race time: 33m51.053
Margin of victory: 7.284s
Laps completed: 15

MX2 overall results:
1. Luke Arbon 65
2. Hamish Dobbyn 60
3. Jay Wilson 59
4. Luke Clout 58
5. Kale Makeham 58
6. Caleb Ward 51
7. Josh Cachia 47
8. Hamish Harwood 47
9. Dylan Long 42
10. Joel Evans 41
11. Dylan Peterson 38
12. Luke Wilson 35
13. Tomas Ravenhorst 33
14. Joel Green 30
15. Caleb Gasbarri 30
16. Mathew McEntee 26
17. Zaccari Luzzi 23
18. Errol Willis 23
19. Zane Keleher 22
20. Matthew Kehl 22

MX2 championship standings:
1. Luke Clout 606
2. Luke Arbon 574
3. Hamish Harwood 567
4. Kale Makeham 543
5. Jay Wilson 537
6. Caleb Ward 492
7. Brenden Harrison 464
8. Errol Willis 395
9. Kayne Lamont 395
10. Josh Cachia 310
11. Joel Evans 285
12. Riley Graham 281
13. Ryan Marmont 234
14. Geran Stapleton 224
15. Wade Hunter 215
16. Hamish Dobbyn 210
17. Dylan Long 209
18. Luke Wilson 199
19. Joel Milesevic 199
20. Jake Emanuelli 187

Verdict:
At the start of the season following a full year out of the series, nobody would have predicted Luke Arbon having three round wins to date. But like Murray Bridge, South Australian counterparts Arbon and Kirk Gibbs stole the show at Gladstone, which is one of Arbon’s most important performances to date and that saw him pass Hamish Harwood into second for the series. Luke Clout will carry a 32-point lead into Coolum next Sunday, but make no mistake the pressure is mounting with Arbon’s string of wins late in the season. Hamish Dobbyn was again a welcome surprise up front and this time on the podium in second, with moto one winner Jay Wilson grabbing his second podium in a row with third despite an early fall in moto two (plus a confidence-boosting first moto win). As for Clout in fourth, he has been maintaining the series lead through consistency (at least in overall results as he pulls through each time), but hasn’t won a round since Appin’s second stop of the season. On top of all that, Kale Makeham continued his return to form with fifth overall after a strong third in moto two.