HQVA press release:

The Husqvarna brand continued to punch well above its weight as this year’s MX Nationals categories roosted through their final turns at Coolum, with wins and podium finishes across a number of categories.

A week after clinching the 2017 Rising Star Rookies 250cc Championship at Toowoomba, Husqvarna Junior Racing Team rider Bailey Malkiewicz used two blistering rides to go within four points of overall victory in the 125cc Junior Cup Championship.

After qualifying fastest by more than 1.6 seconds, the Husqvarna TC 125 rider blasted to two huge wins over title rival Regan Duffy in the first, and Mason Semmens in the second, bringing him up one point clear of Semmens and just four points short of championship winner Duffy.

In the Vets 40+ category, Husqvarna Australia’s Off-Road Team Manager – former MX Pro Christian Horwood – roosted his Husqvarna FC 350 to third in class behind multiple Aussie Motocross Champion Cameron Taylor and Travis Regeling.

Horwood was determined to make good at the track upon which he lost the tip of his finger three years ago, and after riding around arm pump to fourth in the opening moto, he took a well-deserved second in the final race to secure the podium.

In MX2 Dylan Wills completed the season in sixth overall on the R&D Husky FC 250, taking 7-9 results on the day for 6th for the round.

SD3 Husqvarna rider Kaleb Barham (Husqvarna FC 250) had his second taste of the second tier of pro racing in Australia at Coolum, but couldn’t match his Toowoomba top-tens in the sand and finished with 16-14 results for 15th.

Other Husky heroes at Coolum included Steven Powell, who took his Husqvarna FC 350 to third in the Vets 30-39 class behind Chase Mosig and Malcolm Cash, and Chelsea Carter, who was fifth overall in the Australian Women’s Championship on her two-stroke Husqvarna TC 250.

Husqvarna FC 450 rider Jordan Flaherty was second in the Australian Amateur Cup Championship final standings after finishing third at Coolum, behind Chase Mosig and Jesse Bishop.

For more information on Husqvarna motorcycles visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com

Bailey Malkiewicz (Husqvarna TC 125): “The weekend was perfect, it was a nice way to finish it off – winning everything. It turned out I was only four points off in the end, so like I said going in, we had a chance. At the start of the day the wind was real strong and they couldn’t get a lot of water into the track so it turned out to be not what we were expecting – the corners were still sand, but the straights and the jumps were hardpack. My Husqvarna was handling great, the setup was really good as the lap times show. I was two seconds faster in qualifying. Not that it helped; I picked the gate, but on the sighting lap my gate didn’t fall all the way, so I just waited, but then I got told to turn around because I’d waited too long. So I didn’t get a sight lap, and then I had to pick another gate, so I got the last gate pick! I still got a good start and won the race though.”

Christian Horwood (Husqvarna FC 350): “Coolum is always a really good weekend, being the last round of the MX Nationals. There’s normally great weather and you get to see a few championships decided. I always enjoy racing in the Vets class, but have missed this event since losing the end of my finger on the same track, so I was keen to come back and conquer it.Preparation wasn’t great with me being away a lot with the enduro team recently, so in the first race arm pump set in, and I dropped from second back to fourth. Moto two was the last race of the day so the track was a lot rougher, but it was a much better race for me. I slotted into second behind Cam Taylor and held the position for the whole race.Cam’s been around as a top rider for many years and is a really strong competitor, and he was on another level, but it’s always fun to race him. I did have a goal of trying to get into second, but with the lack of preparation, I was happy to get third for the day.The 350 was awesome. It still had the power in the sand, but it wasn’t as brutal as what a 450 would have been so, with me only having one or two rides in the last month, it was the perfect bike. I loved it.”

Kaleb Barham (Husqvarna FC 250): “It was a gnarly weekend; the track was nuts on the Sunday! I just wanted to keep getting starts and getting experience in MX2 and whatever came out of it, did. In the first I got a bad start and a little tip over which kind of cost me, then in the second I got a better start, but I wasn’t on the pace. The other guys were just a tiny bit more intense everywhere, and all those bits add up. It’s definitely something I can work on and I’m looking forward to working on it on the off-season. Now I’m just looking forward to moving on and getting ready for supercross and Jimboomba 1.”

Dylan Wills (Husqvarna FC 250): “You’ve got to be happy with sixth in the championship. It’s not exactly where I want to be – everyone wants to win races and stuff, but I feel like every weekend we were getting closer to the front. I feel like I had a great bike underneath me and the team was good. Sixth in the country in such a deep pool of talent is something to be proud of. I just want to say a massive thank you to all the sponsors that get us to the races, and I looking forward to doing it again next year, that’s for sure.”