Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

A fighting fifth place finish at round eight of the MX Nationals at Moree has kept Jay Wilson’s championship aspirations alive as he sits in third place, just 24 points away from the MX2 championship lead.
Wilson was confident of a strong showing at the Moree circuit, a track he raced regularly as a junior, and after taking the fastest lap in qualifying, Wilson was ready to do battle and make a lunge at the championship lead.

As race one was competing the first lap, Wilson made a bold attempt at the race lead but as he surged to the front, he front wheel knifed in a soft section of the track and was spectacularly ejected from his bike. Then as he scrambled to his feet, he was then hit again and put on his back-side for the second time.

But he continued to fight and clawed his way back to 12th place by moto end and salvage some valuable points. Then within minutes he was back behind the starting gate and ready for race two of the back to back sprint races. This time with no major incidents, Wilson slotted into third place and despite his best efforts, wasn’t able to pass the riders ahead of him. His 12-3 scores gave him fifth for the day as the afternoon races were cancelled due to medical reasons.

The MX2 championship fight all comes down to the final round this weekend as the final two rounds of the MX Nationals takes place at the Coolum circuit, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. With two rounds and 140 points still available, the championship is well and truly up for grabs.

“The day didn’t go as I would have liked and that crash in the opening race was a result of me just wanting to get to the front as fast as I could. Looking back, I probably could have been a little more patient but I felt I had opportunity to make it happen, I just didn’t execute it as well as I should have.

“Race two was better and I was applying plenty of pressure to Wilson Todd but couldn’t find a way past.

“The championship is still tight and with five riders still a mathematical change of winning it, no one can take it easy. It’s an exciting end to the championship and I can’t wait to hook in at Coolum and give it my best,” Wilson said.

The Moree round proved to be the best of the season so far for Richie Evans in the MX1 class. Evans gelled with the track early in the day and then after a good start in the opening race, he was able to move from seventh, up to fourth, before losing one spot later in the race.

At the end of the 15 lap event, Evans bought his YZ450F home in fifth place in a confidence boosting performance. Race two was unable to be ran so Evans was awarded fifth overall for the day and now sits eighth in the championship with two rounds to come.

“Fifth is a good result and one that I am happy with,” Evans said at days’ end. “I was able to get a good start and run with the lead group and found that they weren’t really getting away. I tried to stay calm and keep pace with Brett Metcalfe who was a couple of seconds ahead of me.

“Dylan Long closed in and past me just past half way and a made a mistake which cost me a few seconds, but I was able to keep my composure and finish fifth,” Evans explained.

The team are already hard at work preparing for a huge weekend at Coolum that will see each rider compete in five races over the weekend on a tough, gruelling and physically demanding track.