Image: Jeff Crow.

Australian Supercross Championship leader Dan Reardon was the lone SX1 class factory regular in Sunday’s second AUS-X Open program after injuries took their toll on the majority of front-running domestic racers.

A number of awkward incidents during night one in Sydney made for depleted day two fields, however the AUS-X Open action still delivered live on 7mate with an iconic fight for victory between eventual winner Cooper Webb, Chad Reed, Lawson Bopping and Reardon.

Current national SX1 title holder Matt Moss crashed out altogether on Saturday to end his 2015 Australian Supercross Championship title bid, suffering a head-knock and severely corked thigh after two costly main event crashes. He plans to return for this weekend’s finals in Melbourne.

“The day could not have gotten off to a better start, we were the fastest in practice and qualifying and I was feeling great,” Moss commented. “The heat race win in front of that massive crowd was an amazing feeling and at that point I knew if everything went to plan we could take the win later in the night when it counted.

“Obviously things didn’t go to plan in the main event, that second crash left me pretty beat up and unable to continue. I banged my head pretty bad, but that is feeling all right now. The leg is still very sore at the moment, I will have physio every day this week, and will hopefully be ready to race on Saturday.

“The championship is out of reach for us now, but it would be great to finish my time with the team with a round win and we are still in a position to finish second in overall. There is still a lot to race for at the last round.”

Moss’ Team Motul Suzuki teammate Kale Makeham was also a casualty on Sunday after re-aggravating his ankle during the opening practice sessions. He’s also hoping to line-up this weekend in the final round.

With Dylan Long previously sidelined, NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s AUS-X Open was over before the opening night show even started when Adam Monea went down in the technical rhythm section out of the first turn during qualifying. He’s undergone surgery on a badly broken wrist and will undergo further evaluations.

“Adam was riding so well and the team was confident that we were in for a podium,” explained team manager Troy Carroll. “The crash happened during Qualifying. Adam over-jumped a section and to be honest we expected worse because it was a really big cash.

“Adam will be released from hospital today (Monday) after the surgery on his wrist that he received yesterday and he will be having his other wrist and ankle checked out for suspected ligament damage in due course.”

“The NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team won’t be in attendance at the last round of the Supercross as it is too late in the season to find a suitable rider. Moving forward, we are excited to begin preparing for the upcoming motocross season.”

KTM Motocross Racing Team was also absent altogether on Sunday. MX Nationals champion Kirk Gibbs was injured prior to the Adelaide round, with Luke Styke joining him on the sidelines following Saturday’s AUS-X Open when a case in the main event ruptured his Achilles tendon.

“We’re seeing the specialist today (Monday) and if we need to operate, I’ll be pushing for it to happen either tomorrow night or Wednesday morning, but there are also some new treatments now where an operation may not be necessary and will discuss option A, B and C shortly,” Styke said.

“I think I was about fifth or sixth in the main and riding fairly good, then on about lap 10 I got a bit squirly in the whoops and I crashed and bent my bars up. I got going fairly quick, but just tagged the backside of a fairly big jump and fell into the up-ramp of the next one. When I hit I felt it pop – I knew I’d done something.”

Penrite Honda Racing’s assault was left to SX2 points leader Jimmy Decotis, who dominated both nights, after fellow American import Gavin Faith crashed at the end of his heat race. Faith was second on Saturday, but suffered extensive injuries on day two.

“I am really bummed about Sunday,” Faith commented. “I was feeling good and everything was on point for another good night. We will review what happened when everyone gets settled, but I am just feeling bummed right now. I hit hard and got mild concussion, broke two vertebrae, my collarbone and three ribs, but I will make a full recovery.”

While Yamaha dominated the Sunday SX1 main event, filling the first six placings, it was without title threat Kade Mosig as he was benched with a leg injury following the semi-final. He will enter this weekend’s final round as the lone rider in position to challenge teammate Reardon for the crown.

The SX2 field was also affected by lingering injuries, with night one runner-up Wade Hunter (DPH Peter Stevens Yamaha), Serco Yamaha factory entries Luke Clout and Jed Beaton, SD3 Husqvarna’s Luke Arbon and KTM Newcastle rider Dylan Wills all notable absentees. Penrite Honda Wilson MX’s Luke Wilson was also injured, finishing Sunday’s final with a broken scaphoid.

Yamaha-mounted privateer Brody Cassidy remains hospitalised in an induced coma with multiple major injuries at Westmead Hospital after his scary fall during Sunday’s non-seeded SX2 qualifying session (further information was posted yesterday in this news story).