MotoOnline.com.au pulls out the microscope and dissects some of the standouts and disappointments from a highly entertaining final round of the Australian Supercross Championship at Knights Stadium in Melbourne.

Hit

Image: Jeff Crow.

Lawson Bopping:
We’ve always felt it was only a matter of time before DPH Peter Stevens Yamaha’s Lawson Bopping experienced the taste of champagne again from the top of the box, but he waited until the final event of 2015 to make it happen. Boppo hit some serious form over the last few rounds and it’d be gratifying for him to finish the year on a high, much the same as he did last year. Let’s hope he can carry that form over the long off-season and enter 2016 with all guns blazing.

Dan McCoy:
After a knocking on the door of the podium at the AUS-X Open last weekend, SFC Racing’s Dan McCoy was hauling all night in Melbourne. He grabbed a memorable heat win over Joel Newton and Bopping, then looked more than comfortable up front as he and Boppo tore up the technical circuit. Sure, the omission of a tonne of factory-backed riders has helped give him a serious chance to shine, but at the same time DMC is a class supercross rider and deserves his moment in the limelight.

Jackson Richardson:
Penrite Honda Wilson MX’s Jackson Richardson had one of the rides of his life at Melbourne. After winning his heat Jatz was caught up in a big first turn pile-up and remounted in dead last, but tore through the pack like a bat out of hell and crossed the line in first place. The result cemented his second overall in the championship to fellow Honda rider Jimmy Decotis and gives him bucket loads of confidence as he prepares for another AMA Supercross campaign that starts in a couple months’ time.

Miss

Image: Jeff Crow.

Factory team representation:
The heavy toll that this year’s supercross championship had taken on Australia’s best racers was broadcast loud and clear on Saturday night. The only manufacturer-based teams with riders on the gate were Penrite Honda Racing and CDR Yamaha, while Team Motul Suzuki, KTM Motocross Racing, NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki and Serco Yamaha were all either absent or by-and-largely deserted. While it made the pits feel a little different to usual, the absence of so many top riders gave the local heroes a chance to shine out on the track.

CDR Yamaha in the heats:
Melbourne was supposed to be an easy waltz to a 1-2 finish in the SX1 championship for the CDR Yamaha riders Dan Reardon and Kade Mosig, but you couldn’t make up the drama that unfolded in the heats. First Mosig went down and badly hurt his wrist, then Reardon took a trip over the bars and dislocated his shoulder. Both guys dug deep and still lined up for the final and their shot at glory. Still, you can imagine the heart palpitations that would’ve been running through the CDR personnel early in the night.

Dylan Wills:
KTM privateer Dylan Wills’ rookie SX2 season has been a tough nut to crack and he ended the year on a frustrating note at Melbourne. After hole-shotting and leading the SX2 main for the vast majority of the race, Willsy snapped his shock bolt within sight of his first senior victory and was forced out of the running. It seems cruel that a $10 part can screw up a rider’s result so much, but the 2014 SXD champ seemed to take the loss on the chin. It’ll only make him hungrier and provide him with extra motivation next year.