Raceline Pirelli KTM press release:

Raceline Pirelli KTM’s Jay Wilson and Morgan Fogarty have completed the third round of the Australian Supercross Championship at Virginia in South Australia over the weekend, with some positive results but more work to do.

The weekend’s race which marked the halfway point in this year’s series, dished out highs and some mediocre results on Saturday night, however both Wilson and Fogarty were able to finish healthy and with consistent points, plus take some valuable positives from their performances at round three.

For Wilson, the Queensland based rider was quick from the get go in South Australia. After qualifying in sixth, Wilson charged to second place in his heat race, however a tough first lap in the main event proved costly. In the final, Wilson was forced to come through the field from 13th back to eighth position after 15 laps. Wilson now sits in fifth in the SX2 championship standings with three rounds remaining.

“It was a bit of a disappointing weekend to be honest. We had a great lead up, and we had good speed at Virginia, but in the main we just couldn’t make the passes we needed to,” Wilson shared.

“I felt really good in my heat race, and knew I had the track all dialled in, but I got caught up in the carnage of the first lap and it was a track where it was very difficult to make passes, so your position in the early stages of the race was really important.

“I am happy with my riding and I know that if I can make things happen in those first few laps that we will be on the podium – I just need to make sure I’m not leaving my run as late as I am at the moment. I’m one of the fastest guys on the track in those last few laps, but we need to make it happen earlier.”

For the team’s SX2 rookie Fogarty, round three was about putting together a strong outing, and learning more of what is a brand new discipline for the talented youngster. After qualifying in 20th at Virginia, Fogarty raced to an impressive 7th in his heat race, allowing him to progress straight through to the evening’s final. Then in the main event, Fogarty came from close to dead last through the field to 15th, showing solid determination at only his second Supercross outing.

“Round three was a little tough for me and not exactly what I wanted but we’ll just move on to next round,” Fogarty explained.

“My heat race was good, I ended up getting a decent start and made a few passes and went straight to the main, which was the goal.

“In the main event I ended up getting a good jump out the gate but got pushed wide and ran off the track, I was running mid pack and came together with another rider and that put me dead last, but I was able to catch a few riders and came home with 15th. We’ll keep working and be ready for Sydney.”

The fourth and fifth rounds of the Australian Supercross Championship (the AUS-X Open) will take place in Sydney, New South Wales on Saturday and Sunday November 11-12.

To follow Raceline Pirelli KTM’s progress this year, like ‘Raceline’ on Facebook or follow @raceline_motosport on Instagram.