MotoOnline.com.au pulls out the microscope and takes a closer look at some of the standouts and disappointments from an enthralling round three of the Australian Supercross Championship at Wayville, SA.

Hit

Image: Jeff Crow.

Brett Metcalfe:
South Australia’s favourite moto son returned home for a one-off appearance on Saturday night and had the crowd in raptures as he charged through the field late in the SX1 main event to pass defending champion Matt Moss and finish second to CDR Yamaha’s points leader Dan Reardon. Metty proved he’s still got pace and style to burn as he raced a 2016 model SD3 Husqvarna FC 450 to the runner-up position – the first podium result for the brand’s new batch of machines.

Jimmy Decotis:
Three wins from three starts. It doesn’t get much better than that and Penrite Honda Racing’s Jimmy Decotis has well and truly established himself as the man to beat in the SX2 field this year. He didn’t have it all his way at Wayville though as a slow start saw him having to muscle his way through the field before claiming the lead from Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout in the dying laps. It was a hell of a statement to make – it doesn’t matter if it’s wire-to-wire or he’s faced with a come-from-behind scenario, Decotis never panics and knows his way to the chequers.

SX1 action:
While the quantity of SX1 riders on the gate has dropped sharply over the past couple of rounds (more on that in a minute), the quality of racing on display at Wayville between Dan Reardon, Matt Moss, Adam Monea, Kade Mosig and Brett Metcalfe was first-rate. Monz grabbed the holeshot but was overtaken by Reardon, who then proceeded to stall in a corner, allowing both Monz and Mossy past. Moss then passed Monea before Reardon swung back by both of them, including another brief, heated exchange with Moss. Then Metcalfe gate-crashed the party by sneaking past both Monea and Moss for second overall, while Monz also fell victim to a fast-finishing Kade Mosig. If you could follow all that, you’re doing well!

Miss

Image: Jeff Crow.

Luke Styke:
The night started so promising for KTM Motocross Racing Team’s sole rider Luke Styke (Kirk Gibbs has been ruled out of the rest of the series with a broken hip), but it ended up being a bit of a fizzer. While sitting in second place in the SX1 main he was stalled by another rider and he came up short on a jump. The impact winded him so badly it took eight laps to get his breath back, and once he pulled up after the race he took another look at his dinner. Come Sydney, Styke will be eager to put himself in podium contention again, but will expect a different outcome.

Big-name riders DNF:
The DNF list from Wayville is something to behold. In SX1 NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Dylan Long had a huge crash on lap eight and rung his bell hard (he’s still undergoing concussion tests), while Penrite Honda Racing’s Gavin Faith tangled with Matt Moss in the early stages of the race and went down. After four more laps he retired with a misfiring bike. Sam Martin also DNF’d. Then in the SX2 main Taylor Potter and Jed Beaton both were forced out on the opening lap when they were both landed on by other riders. Potter’s bars were snapped in the incident while Beaton was also shown the way to an early ice-bath. Both riders will be back on the line in Sydney.

Struggling SX1 field:
Injuries from the opening rounds of this year’s championships have ravaged the SX1 ranks. In the SX1 main there were only 13 starters and just 10 who finished, meaning there were an embarrassing number of empty gates at the start of the race. It begs the question why don’t we see more local heroes line up for their home events? In SX1 it was great to see James Booth-Elliott back, but with thousands of spectators lining the fences and a killer track on hand, we’re surprised and disappointed that we’re not seeing more privateers getting behind the gates and having a crack at the big show.