CRF Honda Racing press release:

With interest in the all important final rounds of the 2016 Motul MX Nationals reaching fever pitch, yesterday’s (August 21) ninth and next-to-last round of the Australian championships at the famed Echo Valley circuit at Toowoomba in south-east Queensland lived up to all the hype, with CRF Honda Racing riders Kyle Webster and Joel Wightman mixing it up with the front runners in the hotly-contested MX2 division.

Webster, who was returning to racing after being sidelined recently by a serious third-degree burn injury suffered at the Conondale, Queensland, round of the MX Nationals last month, delivered an outstanding comeback, that was only hampered by a rare and extremely unfortunate electrical component failure while leading the day’s opening moto.

Using a boomer start in the opening race, Webster fired his HGO lubricated CRF250R thumper to the front of the pack through lap one and looked set to be on the way to repeating his moto winning form from the WA round of the Championship in May.

“It felt awesome to be back on the bike and even better to be back out in front of a moto again,” enthused Webster initially … “But then after leading for about three laps my bike had a problem and stopped. It turned out the stator let go, which is pretty rare these days, but that’s racing sometimes.”

Regrouping for race two, Webster made a top five start in the day’s second MX2 moto and ended up running his own race to finish in a solid fourth place, showing once again he has the pace to run right up the sharp end of the pack, and leave him keen for next weekend’s tenth and final round of the Championship at Coolum on the Queensland Sunshine Coast.

“I can’t wait for next weekend,” explains Webster, “because I reckon I really am due for some better luck at these Queensland races, because the Conondale and Toowoomba rounds this year certainly have not gone my way!”

Meanwhile the CRF Honda Racing team’s NSW Hunter Valley young gun Joel Wightman maintained his solid top ten form in the MX Nationals this year, pushing his potent CRF250R to back-to-back tenth place finishes on the horsepower hungry Echo Valley circuit, that is renowned for its brake boiling elevation changes.

“Overall it was another solid round for me,” explained Wightman after the event. “Once again I didn’t find myself where I wanted to be off the starts of my motos, but I charged through to get two tenth place finishes.

“A mistake that resulted in a fall towards the end of the second moto cost me two places, however I fought back to regain one of those positions. I was only one point off eighth overall for the day, which was a little frustrating knowing that mistake cost me possibly getting that result.”

Wightman now holds down eighth place in the Championship, one spot ahead of team mate Webster, and he too is itching to get to next weekend’s grand finale round at Coolum.

“I’m feeling really pumped about racing at Coolum next weekend,” Wightman reveals, “because it is a track where I have had some good results over the years.

“I am really hoping for some top seven placings on the day, and maintaining my eighth overall in the Championship,” Wightman added.

“But that said, Coolum is a sand-based track, and anything can happen in those conditions, however hopefully I can bump it up a little more and bring home a big result to wrap up the Championship.”

CRF Honda Racing will now focus on its final MX Nationals hit out of the year, at the prestigious Australian Championships’ conclusion next weekend (August 27/28) at Coolum on the Queensland Sunshine coast.