Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

Round four certainly provided plenty of action when the Australian Supercross circus rolled into Auckland, New Zealand, for what proved to be an exciting and thrilling event that has both major championships on a knife’s edge.
CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team racer, Luke Clout, made his move in the SX1 (450cc) championship battle and claimed second place on the night behind 2018 World Supercross Champ, Jason Anderson. Hi success on the night leap frogged him to a slender one point lead in the championship over Justin Brayton, with Dan Reardon a further eight points back.

In SX2, the points are just as tight with Serco Yamaha’s Aaron Tanti sitting in third, seven points off the championship lead and Jay Wilson is in fifth.

To review the action from Auckland: https://www.youtube.com/embed/GPUVgeqJr1c

Craig Dack – CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team
2nd Luke Clout – SX1
5th Dan Reardon – SX1

“It was great to see a good crowd roll up to Auckland and the stadium buzzing when the racing was on. The riders and teams can feel the atmosphere in the stadium when the crowd is lively and the Mt Smart crowd made for a great night.

“From a team point of view, we are up to our necks in this championship with Luke taking the lead after Auckland. He has proven to be so consistent not just at each round, but also within the round in the multi race formats. His second in Auckland now gives him a one point lead so it comes down to Melbourne and the final round to determine the winner and Luke is in impressive form.

“Dan and Josh both had good and not so good races in the triple crown format. Its intense in the sprint races and both guys got caught in the washing machine effect this style of racing can produce. Dan is still in with a shot at the championship and likes the big stage while Josh is just determined to win a round before he heads back to the US, so it all be all in from the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team in Melbourne.”

Gavin Eales – Serco Yamaha
3rd Aaron Tanti – SX2
6th Conor Tierney – SX2

“The top six riders in SX2 make for great racing and there is plenty going on out on the track as each rider is fast and aggressive and determined to win. Aaron was right in the middle of it on the weekend and was up to secure a third place finish with three good rides to keep his championship hopes alive. He was smart when he used the short-cut and then raced well in the other two and deserved his podium finish. With seven points to make up at the final round, he will be going all out to secure this championship.

“We bought in Conor Tierney for the final two rounds after the injury to Jacob and he made a solid start with us to finish sixth on the night. He was clearly nervous when he started the day as it’s a new bike and new team, but he settled well during the day and to finish sixth in this field is a solid result. With this under his belt, I’m sure he can relax and enjoy things more in Melbourne and lead to a better result.”

Scott Bishop – Yamalube Yamaha Racing
4th Jay Wilson – SX2
13th Richie Evans – SX1

“For Jay it was another positive step in his riding as he is racing well, but just having some things not go his way as he missed the podium by one point. He has won a race in both the last two rounds and shown he is fit and fast but just the small 1 percenters aren’t working for him at the moment. He had three good races in Auckland and finished with 5-1-4 results, but he is determined and driven to finish the season strongly at Melbourne and I expect him to come out all guns blazing in the last race of the season.

“Richie started off well and took sixth in the first race and was right up there with the big dogs. Unfortunately, a crash in race two slowed his momentum as he incurred some bike damaged and basically just rolled around until he could get back to us and have it all straightened out.

“He is in sixth place in the championship so there is still a lot to race for and as he gets used to racing with some of the biggest names in the sport.”

Travis Whitten – WBR Yamaha
“With Jack Kukas injured at Wollongong, we elected to help Jayce Cosford at Auckland and keep our profile up on the track. Jayce showed plenty of courage and took on advice all day. His results were hampered by crashing in the main races, but he is a fighter and I like his attitude towards racing.

“With Hugh, I think he just needs to get a start and run up with the faster guys more often to he can get used to the pace. I’m sure he can run a good speed towards the front of the field but just needs to keep putting himself in that environment and learn from racing with the best riders in the class.”