Clout the new MX2 champion, Ward sweeps Coolum finale
Serco Yamaha makes it two MX2 championships in succession.
Image: Jeff Crow.
Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout is the new MX2 champion in the Monster Energy MX Nationals, as privateer KTM rookie Caleb Ward put forward a dominant performance at Coolum’s season finale.
Ward once again starred in moto one, racing away from the field to win by over 10 seconds from Luke Arbon (SD3 Husqvarna) and Clout, who did what he had to do in the championship chase.
Josh Cachia (Penrite Honda) and Hamish Dobbyn (CMR Red Bull KTM) completed the top five, while Takeshi Katsuya (Kawasaki) was a solid sixth in just his second appearance of the season.
Moto two was again the same in terms of the top three, with Ward topping Arbon and Clout, while Katsuya climbed to fourth this time around in front of Dobbyn.
Cachia was absent after an off-track incident (officially labeled a ‘scuffle’ by officials) involving Dylan Peterson prior to the opening moto, which resulted in both fined $1000 by Motorcycling Australia. Soon after Cachia departed the venue and didn’t race again for the round despite his moto one result.
A third moto win handed Ward his third overall victory of his stellar rookie season, but it was Clout’s conservative ninth that clinched his first professional title and Serco Yamaha’s second in a row.
Behind Ward in moto three was Katsuya and Jay Wilson, with Riley Graham (KTM) rising to fourth ahead of Hamish Harwood (CMR Red Bull KTM), whose fifth have him second in the series after Arbon DNF’d with a crash early on.
For the round it was Ward who won ahead of Katsuya and Clout, while in the series Clout reigned supreme from Harwood and Arbon.
2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals
Round 10 – Coolum, QLD
MX2 overall results:
1. Caleb Ward 105
2. Takeshi Katsuya 85
3. Luke Clout 82
4. Jay Wilson 76
5. Hamish Harwood 74
6. Joel Evans 70
7. Dylan Long 69
8. Riley Graham 67
9. Luke Arbon 64
10. Nick Sutherland 54
11. Hamish Dobbyn 52
12. Joel Green 51
13. Tomas Ravenhorst 51
14. Dylan Peterson 44
15. Caleb Gasbarri 44
16. Lachlan Stanford 43
17. Luke Wilson 41
18. Boyd Hocking 35
19. Josh Adams 32
20. Zane Keleher 31
MX2 championship standings:
1. Luke Clout 688
2. Hamish Harwood 641
3. Luke Arbon 638
4. Jay Wilson 613
5. Caleb Ward 597
6. Kale Makeham 543
7. Brenden Harrison 464
8. Errol Willis 414
9. Kayne Lamont 395
10. Joel Evans 355
11. Riley Graham 348
12. Josh Cachia 338
13. Dylan Long 278
14. Hamish Dobbyn 262
15. Luke Wilson 240
16. Joel Green 235
17. Ryan Marmont 234
18. Nick Sutherland 231
19. Geran Stapleton 224
20. Wade Hunter 215
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