Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Kyle Webster rebounded perfectly after Wonthaggi’s second moto DNF, capturing a perfect 1-1 sweep of the Penrite ProMX Championship MX1 class in Appin. For the MX2 category, controversy surrounded the final result, with Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha’s Ryder Kingsford being credited with the round victory the day following the event. MotoOnline caught up with both riders after the races for this Debrief interview.

MX1

Image: Foremost Media.

Kyle Webster, a perfect day for you here in Appin at the Penrite ProMX Championship. Take us through the day.

Yeah, it was a solid day. I couldn’t have asked for too much more, other than some better starts as the first moto we were pretty buried, even though my jump was good. Anyway, it was a good day for the points – we had some gnarly racing, and the lappers were hard to navigate. Other than that, though, it was really good.

Take us through that first moto. You and Jed [Beaton] were both buried but managed to come through, then you and Kirk Gibbs, that was a good one as well. But take us through navigating that opening moto.

The first race was slippery – they had done a bit of track work beforehand and had watered it a lot. So it was tricky, as you needed to take it easy in those first few laps, but also capitalise on everyone else doing the same thing at the same time, so I think that was what I was trying to do was search for lines and passes, while everyone else was being a bit nervous out there. Managed to make my way to the front, and sure enough, Jed was right there, and it was a battle right until the end.

Do you think we’ll stop hearing about the home track thing now?

I think we’re always going to hear about it [laughs].

I think we’re safe for now. And then, moto two for you, the track had obviously dried out quite a lot, so take us through that race.

Yeah, it did. I think I was in a better position being behind in that one, I got to follow and see where everyone was going and what they were doing, and then once Jed got around Nathan [Crawford] that was enough for me to give a push because I wanted to stay on him otherwise he gets going quickly. I felt I had some lines where I could’ve made the move on him, but then he got caught up with the lapper down the bottom, and fortunately, I was able to make the move.

Did you find it a bit easier that moto where you guys could go together and make passes together?

It’s always kind of nice being behind [laughs]. When you know you’ve got someone breathing down your neck, it’s pretty hard, and I can always hear when Jed is behind me. So to be able to sit there and watch the lines, then maybe make a move towards the end is always nice.

I asked Jed Beaton the same question, like when you have someone like Kyle who has a great program, team, bike, all of that, how can you be one percent better? What can you find that will give you that extra edge?

I actually don’t know, if I am honest. I think that we are so close, all over, and obviously, everyone says that I’m a sand guy, but then today was the total opposite of that, and we’re still right there throughout the motos and right there at the end, too. So I don’t know, to be honest with you, and it’s the same during the week too. You throw Brodie [Connolly] in there, when he’s hanging on to the back of us, revving and yelling during the motos [laughs]. So I don’t know. Like I said, leading and setting the pace is almost harder is all I can say.

Coming into Gilman next, you guys had a big battle there recently. Are you looking forward to that one?

Yeah, definitely. It’s another track that can be a bit more one-lined, but it’s more sandy, rougher, and more my style, so I am looking forward to it.

How do you think Appin formed up today? It looks a little harder to pass in some areas with lines crossing over each other, which is a bit different to ‘23. Thoughts?

I felt like today was pretty raceable, there were a lot of lines, and it was really fast. It was actually pretty nice. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard to pass at times, although it wasn’t super slot car style where it’s very upright and hard to pass. So I thought it was raceable.

Both you and Jed race each other very respectfully. Sometimes we in the media look for those gnarly battles, although there is a lot of respect there, and it’ll be a battle to the end.

Yeah, I think that’s an important thing. You know, if we were out there trying to kill each other, then there’s a fair chance that we won’t be first and second because we’ll both be on the ground. Another thing is that we ride and train together during the week so much that it’s kind of only elevating both of us, which is good. But I mean, racing is racing. Some things happen at times, but it won’t be intentional, and we’ve always been really respectful, so it’s going to be good.

MX2

Image: Foremost Media.

Congratulations on the weekend, Ryder. A bit of a weird way to get the overall with it coming the day after, so what are your initial thoughts and feelings about how it all went down?

Yeah, definitely. In a way, it’s good, but at the same time, it’s definitely not the way that I would like to win. I mean, Brodie [Connolly] was riding better than all of us that race – he won the moto, but unfortunately, there were little things that went down [for him] mid-moto. I got told on the pit board what was going on while at the same time I was trying to push and win the race for myself. Unfortunately, there were a few mistakes on my side, and yeah, Brodie got away from me in the end. It’s a bit of a bittersweet feeling, I guess, with all that happened. Waking up this morning and finding out the news was a bit weird, so like you said, I am happy in a way, but also, if I was going to win the round, I would love to win [it] on my terms.

Yeah, for sure, that sounds a pretty gnarly thing to balance, especially throughout the race. What was the mechanic putting on the board?

Yeah, just a few different things were going on. I think on the third lap, once I got into the lead, an MA official put out a big white board saying ‘rider penalty’ with a big number one on it. So, at the time, I saw [that] and wasn’t too worried about what was going on with all that drama. Then, as the laps went by, I read the pit board each lap, and it said ‘stay where you are for overall’ and stuff like that. I have a great team around me, and they knew what was going on with the situation I was in, so I relied on them while going for the race win myself. But in the end, Brodie just got the better of me.

Talk about your day. A pretty good day, all things considered, with two moto podiums, so how did it all sort of shakedown from morning until the end?

It was a really good day. From the first lap we spun, I felt very comfortable on the track and the bike that I had underneath me. Second in qualifying, then [I] didn’t get a great start in moto one – I think I was in seventh and settled there for a few laps, then realised that I needed to go and made three or so passes pretty quickly. By the time I got to second, I think Brodie was around 10 seconds down the race track, and yeah, I just put my head down and felt good. I think I got that gap down to around three or four seconds at one point, and I felt very comfortable on the bike. I felt like I could push in places where others maybe couldn’t, but unfortunately I probably slept a bit too much at the start by the time I got within that distance the last lap board came out there and I just rode it home smart for a second place, so overall it was a good day.

Two rounds into this thing now, and I feel like you’re establishing yourself as the guy to take it to Brodie – what’s it going to take to run him down as he’s fast right now?

I mean, it’s hard to deny Brodie. He had a really good year last year and is doing so again this year. It’s starting to show that he’s in really good form, but the same goes for me. I feel like I had a really good pre-season and a good start [to] this year and put myself in positions that I probably haven’t been in the past. So, to be in the position I am in, after the first rounds, I feel good. There’s of course always room for improvement and I know I need to make a few more improvements on certain things to give myself the best chance of actually running it with Brodie and go the whole 25 minutes plus one lap to push one another and, like I said, I want to be able to beat him and if I’m going to win, I want to win it fair and square. But there are improvements to be made, and we’ll get onto those before the next one.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Lastly, the next one is a little bit of a different surface to both Wonthaggi and Appin in Gilman. Are you excited? And what’s the game plan heading into that one?

The game plan is always the same – I roll up with the expectations of winning, especially with the position we’re in now. You know, Brodie is riding well, but yeah, I want to win this as much as he wants to win. I like the track out there. We travelled over and did a state race there a couple of weeks ago, so I am familiar with the surface, and yeah, I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got.