Kawasaki Motors Australia press release:

Coolum’s final round of the 2018 Pirelli MX Nationals saw Complete Parts Kawasaki Racing’s Aaron Tanti clinch third in the MX2 championship, while premier class contender Rhys Carter earned a season-best fifth-place finish at the Queensland venue.

Qualifying in 10th, Tanti was out to make amends in Sunday’s two motos, charging to 11th in a challenging opening affair before bouncing back for an improved ninth in the race two.

His 11-9 scorecard granted him eighth overall and cemented his position of third in the final series rankings, marking his best championship campaign to date.

“It was a tough weekend for me,” Tanti admitted. “I didn’t have the flow from the get-go – I wasn’t happy with how I was riding and I was a little tight, but in moto two I improved in my riding.

“It would have been good to get second in the championship, although third is a huge achievement for me from where I came from. I’m happy with it and I’m really thankful for the team believing in me.”

Carter displayed blistering pace from the beginning of the weekend, qualifying for Super Pole and setting the fourth-fastest time. He was able to convert that pace in race one as he collected fourth position, while a late crash in moto two saw him salvage eighth.

Credited fifth overall on the day, the New Zealander was able lock in seventh position in the series rankings, rounding out what has been a positive year on return to Australian competition.

“It was a good weekend,” said Carter. “I got into Super Pole for the second time this year, so that was real good. In the first moto I charged through quite quickly and got lucky that Brett Metcalfe ran out of fuel, so that gave me fourth.

“I was chopping through the field in the last one before a crash put me out, but I got back to eighth, which gave me fifth for the day. It was a good way to finish the season and a goal of mine all year, so thank you to everybody in the team for their efforts all season.”

The Complete Parts Kawasaki Racing squad will now shift its attention towards the Australian Supercross Championship, scheduled to commence on 15 September at Jimboomba X Stadium in Queensland.

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