In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out in the sixth round of the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship at Toowoomba.

MX1

Image: Foremost Media.

Luke Clout (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team) – Sixth:
It simply wasn’t a good day for me at all. I have never really raced well at this track in the past and struggled to read the dirt and get the feeling I need to generate the pace. When there is moisture in the dirt, I can go ok, but once it dries and the surface becomes hard pack and a little shiny, I find myself second-guessing traction and how much throttle to use or I override it and end up going slower. But the high-speed track with the big hills and G-outs put plenty of pressure on my wrist so I had to be aware of that and I couldn’t attack areas of the track like I wanted to. Thanks to the team for the hard work and I will be back at QMP determined to get back on the box and reward everyone for their hard work.

Aaron Tanti (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team) – Third:
Race two was better and I had good speed. I was able to get past Dean and lead it for a few laps. Dean kept the pressure on and got around me. I stayed with him for a while, but I fatigued just after the halfway point and then I decided that because of what I did in race one, I needed to finish in second place and with no more mistakes, which is what I was able to do. I’m still within 20 points of the lead so well and truly in the championship hunt. The next round is at QMP, and I have done a lot of riding and training there, so hopefully I can turn that into a round win and give myself every chance heading into Coolum.

Jed Beaton (Boost Mobile Honda Racing) – Second:
We are improving each week, we were much better this weekend on hard pack, we lost some points to the new points leader but we are in a good position going into the final two rounds. We have a plan in place and I am confident we can only move up from here.

Kyle Webster (Boost Mobile Honda Racing) – Fifth:
I had a bad crash a few weeks ago and spent the night in hospital. I wasn’t 100 percent this weekend, we got some decent points and we have a goal going into the final two rounds and I am focusing on that.

Kirk Gibbs (KTM Racing Team) – Fourth:
I had a decent day today, ended up with second in the pole shootout, which was cool. Got off to a solid start in the opening moto and sat second for a while, but just rode a little bit tight and lost a few positions to come home in fourth. Then the second moto, another good start, just lacked a little bit early, and ended P4. Went 4-4, so it was a nice consistent day, although I want to be on the podium, so I was right there, but just need to execute a little better and we’ll be on the podium.

Regan Duffy (GasGas Racing Team) – 16th:
Decent day for me at Toowoomba. First moto, I came out of the first turn with a good start around the top five – that was my first good start for the year, so it was cool to run up front and get out of the chaos. Ended up having a little crash down the hill, which bent up my bike, so once I got up, I struggled for flow. Second moto, I got tangled with someone down the start straight and came back to 15th. Improvements are being made and I felt faster today, so just got to work on the sprint speed in these coming rounds.

MX2

Image: Foremost Media.

Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team) – First:
I had a really positive day today at Toowoomba! It was almost a perfect weekend, topping every session, minus the second moto. Finished in P2, which gave me the overall, so I’m really happy with that and I’m stoked on my weekend. The team and I worked great together and we are looking forward to the next round.

Kayden Minear (KTM Racing Team) – 10th:
Mixed emotions here for round six at Toowoomba. Definitely saw a lot of improvement in my riding, I felt really good in the last race and overall I’m happy to come away with another top-10 result.

Wilson Todd (Terrafirma Equipment Sales Honda Racing) – Second:
Race one was hard without a rear brake, in race two I controlled the win and pace. We have two rounds and four races left and I am focused on the championship, not race wins. I am still managing my stomach irritations and forever changing my diet. It’s improving but it’s far from perfect right now. 35 points is a nice gap but anything can happen and I am not willing to take any risks.

Brodie Connolly (Polyflor Honda Racing) – Fifth:
I made some dumb mistakes in race 1 and paid the price. Race 2 was much better; I caught the leaders and learnt a lot from following them. I can run their pace but I am not comfortable enough at that speed for the entire race. I need to be patient and take the positives. With two rounds to go my goal is to finish on the podium overall.

Rhys Budd (Serco Yamaha) – Fourth:
I felt like I raced well, just the front three guys were better than me today. I didn’t get a great start in race one and had to make some passes early to get to fourth. Then I got a better start in race two and had a good battle with Brodie and Noah there for a while but couldn’t hold them both off. It’s back to work on Monday and keep trying to improve. Two rounds to go and plenty to race for with a championship podium within reach.Thanks to the Serco Yamaha team for their efforts this weekend and we will be ready to go at QMP.

Kaleb Barham (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) – Ninth:
I knew coming into this weekend I was underdone but it’s a local race for me and I was desperate to do it. We now have a six-week break between now and round seven so I will be able to get plenty of time on the bike and get back to full speed and fitness.

Charli Cannon (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) – 21st:
I would’ve liked to have got a top 15 result but the level in MX2 is pretty deep at the moment and I haven’t been well this week and just didn’t have the energy I needed after the first 10-15 minutes. I like racing with the guys and its great practice for me and I have a few more local races coming up before the next round of the WMX at QMP.

Noah Ferguson (GasGas Racing Team) – Third:
On one hand I’m happy with the day, while on the other I want more! Good starts in the motos, but I know I can battle with the top guys, and I want to be fighting for wins in the next couple of rounds. Happy with my bike and the team, they’re working great, and now onto the next one.