Team Honda Racing press release:

Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Dylan Long and Jay Wilson raced to consistent results despite wet and muddy track conditions, at Round 7 of the 2016 Motul MX Nationals at Conondale in Queensland yesterday.

With the Green Park venue soaking up the rain throughout Saturday night, when Long and Wilson arrived at the track for racing on Sunday, they were treated to a circuit holding plenty of moisture, and when bikes headed out for qualifying Long took to the conditions well, making it through to a second consecutive GoPro Superpole, where he finished in fifth due to a crash, while Wilson qualified in 6th position.

In moto one, Long launched out of the gates, snatching up the the first holeshot of the day, however a few small mistakes saw him drop back to 6th position by the end of the moto. In moto two, Long, was consistent once again – fighting through pain in his injured thumb to wrap up the final race of the day in 6th place. With 6,6 finishes Long wrapped up the round in 6th overall.

“It was a bit of a tough day today. I was really happy to get in to GoPro Superpole again, but I crashed on my hot lap and that forced me to have to settle for fifth gate pick,” Long shared.

“In race one I got the hole shot and even though I’m carrying an injury I felt really good, but the track caught me out a little, and I hit some slippery stuff which cost me positions.

“In the second one, I just tried to keep it consistent and ride smart which we did. I’m glad to get through this weekend especially being a mud race, and now I’m just looking forward to Round 8 which will be at my home track at Shepparton.”

For Wilson, race one handed him his best result of the 2016 season – putting in a tidy and consistent ride to cross the finish line in 5th place. In moto two, the conditions on track were nothing short of gruelling, however it was Wilson’s Crankt Protein Honda CRF450 machine which took the second holeshot of the day. However, due to a small mistake Wilson was forced to drop positions, eventually crossing the line in 7th place in race two. Wilson’s 5,7 results saw him finish on equal points with Long, however was awarded 7th overall on a countback.

“It wasn’t a bad day for me. I’m not entirely happy with where I finished, but fifth in moto one was definitely a step in the right direction,” Wilson shared.

“Every race that we’re out there we are taking steps forward, and we are also taking positives from every round, so even though it doesn’t show on paper, we’re making the right improvements every weekend.

“The past eight weeks have been tough because I’m playing catch up and trying to get my wrist back to 100 per cent. It’s going to take some time, so I’m just doing my best every round and making sure I finish as many races as possible.”

After today’s racing Long continues to maintain 6th position in the MX1 Championship standings on 359 points, while Wilson sits in 7th on 296 points with three rounds remaining.

The Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team will now begin preparations for round eight of the 2016 Motul MX Nationals being held at Shepparton in Victoria on Sunday July 31.

For more information on the Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team, head to www.teamhondaracing.com.au

For more information on the MX Nationals, head to www.mxnationals.com.au