Penrite CRF Honda Racing press release:

The country’s elite motocross racers descended on the rural Victorian township of Horsham on Sunday (May 21) for round four of the prestigious MX Nationals series, which saw Penrite CRF Honda Racing rider Kyle Webster charge onto the podium in the hotly contested MX2 category.

Muddy conditions greeted riders for the morning’s opening practice and qualifying sessions, but as the day went on the track continued to dry out and race fans were treated to an exciting day of national calibre motocross competition.

The Penrite CRF Honda Racing team was in the thick of the Horsham action, with Webster leading the way by scoring a satisfying third overall podium placing for the round and in the process hold down sixth overall in the championship standings.

Aboard his potent FMF-equipped and Pirelli-shod Honda CRF250R thumper, Webster charged home in third place in the opening MX2 moto, then backed up with fourth in the next race to secure third overall for the round behind arch rivals Wilson Todd and Hamish Harwood.

“It was actually a really tough event, because the track took a real beating in the muddy conditions,” Webster explained after climbing down from the post-event MX2 podium.

“It was so muddy and slippery first thing in the morning and then by the time our first moto fired up, the track surface was like glue!

“I was happy to finish third in the first moto and just to be able to cleanly make my way around the track, it was that tough.

“In the second moto it wasn’t quite as bad, but conditions were still muddy and there were long, tacky ruts all the way around, so if you were forced off the main line, the surface was really heavy.

“I m just really happy to come away with a third overall on the podium for the round on such a full-on track,” said Webster.

In the MX1 category, Penrite CRF Honda Racing’s Joel Wightman made his return to MX Nationals competition after recently being sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Wightman, who hails from the NSW Hunter Valley, is in his debut season in the MX1 class and carded 12th and 13th places in his two motos at Horsham, to give him 12th overall for the round, which sees him 19th overall in the series standings.

“Conditions were really tough, especially when coming back to national racing from a shoulder injury,” Wightman explained.

“Rain leading up to the event left the track muddy and rutted, and in both motos I didn’t get the best of starts, and with the start straight being slop, I took on a lot of roost.
“In the first moto I ran the whole moto with no goggles and salvaged a 12th place finish.

“Then in the second moto I had a tip over on the first lap and had to stop in to get a fresh pair of goggles, which put me a long, long way back, so I just had to try and ride my way back and eventually finished 13th for the moto to give me 12th overall for the round.

“I was reasonably happy with the result, considering the lack of training and riding I’ve been able to do while injured, and given the tough conditions I was thrown back into. But I’m looking forward to the next round at Murray Bridge,” Wightman added.

In the MXD category, the Penrite CRF Honda Racing team’s young development racer Nick Luksich carded 12/19 moto results at Horsham to finish 13th in the round and now sits 24th in the overall MXD championship standings.

The Penrite CRF Honda Racing squad now heads to South Australia for round five of the MX Nationals at the Murray Bridge track on May 28, which will feature this year’s Retro round festivities.

To keep up to date on the Penrite CRF Honda Racing team’s activities, be sure to follow their social media accounts: Facebook: CRF Honda Racing + Instagram: crf_honda_racing