Image: Jeremy Hammer (Foremost Media).

Penrite Honda Racing’s Justin Brayton is on course for a second-consecutive Australian Supercross Championship after putting forward another dominant SX1 performance at Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, tonight.

The first 450 heat was led by Crankt Protein Honda Racing’s Luke Clout for much of the duration, until a mistake and fall in the whoops enabled Dylan Long (CDR Yamaha) to go ahead for the victory.

A full 15.5s behind him came DPH Motorsport Yamaha’s Kade Mosig, as American import Nick Schmidt (Wilson’s Coolair Motul Suzuki), Jesse Dobson (Penrite Honda Racing) and Clout completed the top five after he managed to remount and claw his way to the position.

Reigning MX Nationals champion Dean Ferris made it a CDR Yamaha sweep of the 450 heats as he put together a solid eight laps to head red plate-holder Brayton, the American recovering from the bad start but lodging the quickest lap of both heats in the 1m04s.

Third, but 25 seconds in arrears, was Todd Waters (Crankt Protein Honda Racing), while Mega Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki teammates Nathan Crawford and Dan Reardon were the top five. Of note, on double duty was Stapleton, going sixth in the SX1 heat.

It was another commanding ride from Brayton in the 20-lap SX1 main event at Bacchus Marsh, getting out front early and then counting down the laps from there. In posting a fastest lap of the final a full second quicker than his opposition, the points leader finished 7.947s ahead of Ferris.

Just back from the Motocross of Nations, Ferris once again proved his consistency in supercross with another runner-up result. Making it two CRF450Rs on the rostrum was Waters, also showing that his skills extend further than the outdoors in a deserving result for the outgoing factory Honda organisation.

An in-form Long followed closely behind for fourth, comfortably ahead of Reardon, who in turn kept Schmidt behind him aboard the new RM-Z450.

Clout crossed the line in P7 after running in podium contention for the first part of the race, only to fall and then be forced to fight back for position. The top 10 was rounded out by Crawford, Mosig and Cheyne Boyd (Park4MX Yamaha).

The 2017 Australian Supercross Championship will continue in two weeks time at Virginia in South Australia, for round three on Saturday, 28 October.