CRF Honda Racing press release:

Round two of the 2016 Motul MX Nationals roared into life at Sydney’s Appin Raceway last Sunday (April 17) and once again saw CRF Honda Racing riders Joel Wightman and Kyle Webster amongst the thick of the MX2 class action.

In his best Qualifying performance of the series, Webster nailed down fifth fastest time and carried that form into the first of the day’s two MX2 motos. Utilising a great start in race one, Webster pushed forward from sixth place early to get into third to start to chase down arch rival Jake Moss.

But then Webster crashed heavily and was fortunate only to wind himself, allowing him to carry on to finish the race in 22nd place.

In the second MX2 moto, Webster suffered a poor start but put his head down and fought through the field, passing more riders than most, to nail down an impressive fifth place finish.

“It was another difficult day,” Webster said after the Appin event. “But I learned a lot and plan to put that to good use through the rest of the Championship. I’m getting really confortable on my CRF Honda Racing race bike and my confidence is growing and I’m looking forward to getting closer to the pointy end of the pack.”

Wightman also had a testing day at Appin, suffering a shocking start and then a crash in the first moto that left him to claw his way to a 16th place finish. In the second moto he made a better start and posted a tenth place finish.

“Overall it was a rough day,” Wightman admitted. “I wasn’t pumped on my results but there were still plenty of positives to take away from the round, so I’m excited to head toward the next round at Broadford and put to good use everything we’ve learned from the opening two rounds of the Championship.”

Webster and WIghtman now hold down 13th and 14th places in the MX2 Championship standings and CRF Honda Racing team manager Mark Luksich remains upbeat and is looking forward to the Championship rounds ahead.

“Both Kyle and Joel are showing the speed and skills to deliver results better than the scoreboard shows,” Luksich explains. “They just need to keep their heads down and working toward our goals. I know they have it in them and are working hard.”

CRF Honda Racing will now focus on its next outing, which comes at round three of the Motul MX Nationals at the Broadford circuit just north of Melbourne, Victoria, on May 1.

CRF Honda Racing’s Joel Wightman (left) and Kyle Webster