The Australian Supercross Championship served up a whole lot of exciting on-track action in 2017 across both the SX1 and SX2 categories, but it was the latter that stole the show as we reflect on the six-round series. We saw multiple points lead changes, multiple injuries and multiple winners throughout the series, which is exactly what we’re focusing in on in this latest edition of Rated. Although Serco Yamaha’s Jackson Richardson captured back-to-back SX2 titles this year, he never actually won a main event and it was Hayden Mellross, Gavin Faith, Wilson Todd, Chris Blose and Jay Wilson that managed to cross the line first throughout the season. Let’s take a closer look at the performances these riders put in during the challenging series and see who comes out on top amongst the victors!

Image: Monster Energy AUS-X Open.

Rider: Hayden Mellross
Rating: 9/10
Rundown: It was yet another rough series for the DPH Motorsport Yamaha rider who barely missed out on the 2016 SX2 title due to a mechanical issue at the AUS-X Open in Sydney. Mellross was forced out of the championship at Bacchus Marsh’s second round due to injury, but he was certainly on fire leading up to the moment he saw the number one plate again slipping out of his grasp. Mellross kicked off the year at Jimboomba in Queensland by winning his heat race before tracking down Gavin Faith early in the main event, making the move for the lead and stretching a substantial gap over the American. Mellross took his single victory of the year by a winning margin of 10.765s and at round two he was replicating his round one form before going down and suffering multiple series injuries that would force him out of the following four rounds.

Rider: Gavin Faith
Rating: 8.5/10
Rundown: Penrite Honda Racing’s Gavin Faith kicked off his year with a distant second place finish behind Hayden Mellross at round one and then went on to claim victory at round two after the DPH Motorsport Yamaha rider crashed out of the race in spectacular fashion. The multi-time champion’s Bacchus Marsh victory would see him move into the series lead, but at the same time he would also pick up a wrist injury at that event and this proved very troublesome at the following round. Faith did contest the following event in Virginia, but he wasn’t his usual self and finished fifth in the main event before announcing he would return to America to undergo surgery on the injured wrist. Although he did claim one victory and carry the series lead for two rounds, Faith wasn’t setting the world on fire in 2017 and will most likely go down as a series to forget for the former champ.

Rider: Wilson Todd
Rating: 9.5/10
Rundown: DPH Motorsport Yamaha’s Wilson Todd was the only rider to capture dual main event victories in the SX2 category this season and he showed impressive form in doing so. Todd began the year with a fifth place finish at round one followed up by a third place finish at round two before he broke through for his first ever main event victory at Virginia in impressive fashion – the kid was on fire all day in South Australia. Todd backed up that win at Sydney’s Monster Energy AUS-X Open where he rode took the chequered flag on Saturday’s opening night aboard his chromed out YZ250F inside Qudos Bank Arena to the roar of the fans. Unfortunately for Todd, Sunday night saw his championship begin to fall apart following an incident with American Chris Blose and further dirt samples throughout the race. Todd would eventually hand over the red plate to Jackson Richardson entering the final round and fall short of the title by nine points.

Image: Foremost Media.

Rider: Chris Blose
Rating: 8.5/10
Rundown: Racing three rounds of the 2017 Australian Supercross Championship as a replacement for the injured Gavin Faith, Blose entered the series as serious threat when it came to race wins. With plenty of experience under his belt in both Arenacross and supercross, the American showed strong form at the Monster Energy AUS-X Open as he took second on the opening night and backed it up with a victory on Sunday’s night two. Blose adapted very quickly to his last-minute deal and it was clear that he was comfortable aboard the CRF250R instantly. He then followed up his strong Sydney performances with yet another podium finish at Jimboomba’s round six in some of the most challenging conditions we’ve seen to date domestically. Blose rounded out the year by taking the runner-up spot in Queensland and although he was here for half of the series, he certainly made his presence known in that time.

Rider: Jay Wilson
Rating: 8/10
Rundown: Raceline Pirelli KTM’s Jay Wilson was quite strong throughout the 2017 Australian Supercross Championship and his only real downfall was Virginia’s third round where he finished down the running order in eighth place. The 2015 MX Nationals MX2 champion has been continuously building in 2017 following a challenging period of time that saw him enter the premier class in 2016 before making his way to Europe to compete on the world stage. Wilson made his way to the podium for the first time at the Sydney event on Sunday in third place and then wrapped up the year with a convincing win in the muddy conditions at Jimboomba. It was a strong series overall for Wilson as he finished out the year tied on points with runner-up Wilson Todd for third spot.