In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out in the second round of the 2022 Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX) at Adelaide Showground.

SX1

Image: Foremost Media.

Aaron Tanti (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) – First: 
I’m pretty happy with that one. Justin is a great rider and competitor and I knew had to do race 20 good laps to give myself a chance to win this as he doesn’t make many mistakes out there. The track was fast and you had to ride it with intensity as it was easy to lose time, but very hard to make it up, so every corner and every jump had to be done at 100 percent or I knew Justin would be all over me. I’m happy with myself that I was able to stay composed under pressure and keep focused on what was ahead of me for the full race. That was something I wanted to improve from last week, so it’s good to be able to execute that here in Adelaide. Thanks to the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team and everyone that supports us. It’s a real team effort and to have both Josh and myself on the podium shows how hard everyone works and how we all pull together. I’m pretty pumped on this one so it might take a while to get to sleep tonight.

Josh Hill (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) – Third:
I didn’t start the night well as my times in both qualifying and the heat race weren’t great so I’m happy to be able to turn that around in the main event to finish third. The boys out the front got away from me early and they kept their pace the entire race so I could never get in the battle for the lead as they were already too far up the track. Congrats to Aaron on his win, he rode an awesome race and I can see how determined he is with his racing. I’m happy I get to share that with him and the team on a memorable night for him. I love racing here in Australia and everyone treats me so well. The CDR Yamaha team do an amazing job and working with them is so easy. Hopefully, we can sort something out as I would love to do the last two rounds with the team and spend more time down here.

Hayden Mellross (GasGas Racing Team) – Seventh: 
Today was an okay one for me, definitely not where we want to be in terms of the end result, but I feel as though our speed is definitely there. While seventh was the finish tonight, we are now fourth in the championship and right there within reach of the top three, so we will keep working from here and come back strong next time out.

Justin Brayton (Honda Genuine Polyflor Honda Racing) – Second: 
It was a solid day. I qualified in first, got the heat win and ended second in the main event. I started in third in the main – it was good enough – but I struggled with the track. It was very simple, more motocross like and quite short. It is all good though! I’m looking forward to regrouping at home before the final two rounds here in Australia!

Kyle Webster (Honda Genuine Honda Racing) – Fifth:
It has been an up-and-down day. I am happy that I finished the main with a solid result! I did not get the best of starts, but managed to ride through the field a little bit and get back to fifth. I was actually right there with third and fourth. My riding was a lot better today, so hopefully we can do some work over the next couple of weeks and come out swinging at the next round.

Dylan Wills (Husqvarna Racing Team) – Sixth: 
I really enjoy coming to Adelaide as the dirt is always awesome. The track might’ve been mediocre, but we Australians don’t get to race as much supercross as the Americans, so an easier track tightens the gap between us all. I’m really happy with how today went though and particularly with how I was able to brush myself off and get straight back into my flow after making a mistake late in the race. I felt a lot racier and that was a big step forward from the opening round last weekend. We’ve got four weeks now to keep working and come out swinging at Newcastle!

Jackson Richardson (Empire Kawasaki) – Eighth: 
We might’ve got the same result as we did in Melbourne, but overall we made a big improvement. I’m a little disappointed with the end result after a promising start to the day, but we know what we need to work on to close the gap on the front guys.

SX2

Image: Foremost Media.

Jai Constantinou (Empire Kawasaki) – 10th: 
I struggled a bit with the track today, but considering this was only my second supercross, I feel like it was a good night of learning. I’m nursing a bit of an injury as well, so while a top 10 result isn’t where I’d like to be, I’m happy to keep learning and progressing as the championship goes on.

Haruki Yokoyama (Empire Kawasaki) – 11th: 
I’m not happy with the result, but I’m happy to finish a full race and get some points. I’m disappointed to have crashed early in the race as I felt good and it could’ve been a much better result for me.

Noah Ferguson (GasGas Racing Team) – Third:
It doesn’t feel real yet! I’m stoked with the result, just over the moon and speechless at the moment. To finish P3 in my second-ever supercross, I’m really happy. The track tonight was more mellow and you really had to stay consistent for the whole 15 laps, which I was able to do after a strong start. I’m really grateful to be in this position with the GasGas Racing Team and am looking forward to preparing more leading into Newcastle next.

Max Anstie (Honda Racing) – First:
I had a really solid race. There was a bit of carnage on the opening lap – the guys were going everywhere! My teammate, Wilson, was riding a great race and out front. I managed to click off my laps, stay consistent, pass him and bring home a one-two finish for the team. It was cool to race here. There was a good crowd! I am looking forward to the final two rounds.

Wilson Todd (Terrafirma Honda Racing) – Second:
It was a decent day. I was the fastest qualifier this morning and then I pulled the holeshot in the main event. I led a bunch of laps, but Max ended up getting by me. I managed to bring it home in second though.

Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team) – Fourth:
Qualifying went well and I got a great start in the heat race, then went on to win that really comfortably and that was good. I had another good gate-pick for the main event, but I just blew the start and got pushed off the track a few times on the first lap – I would have been close to last – and I clawed my way back for 15 laps to finish in fourth. It was a case of salvage mode, I knew I needed to get up towards the front and every position counted, so I’m second in the championship now. I am disappointed with the result on the night when we had so much promise, but happy to improve on the position in points.

Rhys Budd (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) – Fifth:
There was some good I can take from the night, and it was certainly an improvement over last weekend in Melbourne despite the results not being that much different. With my result in the heat race, I had last pick of the gate for the main event and the options were either the full outside or the first gate on the inside. I went for the inside gate but didn’t get the track position I wanted to make it work, so I was a fair way back in the pack. I worked hard early to make some passes and got myself into a good flow as I kept moving forward. I was able to fifth and wasn’t far from fourth but I made a mistake and dropped a position. Overall, I leave feeling sore, but ok about the night. It was a step in the right direction from round one, but it’s also still not where I want to be. I think I should be on the podium, so that’s what I will continue to work towards for the last two rounds.

Jayce Cosford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) – Sixth:
That last lap crash left a sour taste in my mouth. It’s not a good feeling to do all that hard work, get yourself into a good position in the race to then crash within metres of the finish line. That should have been a fourth-place finish so I’m feeling a little bit dirty with myself. The positives were that I was better than last week and I rode well for 14 laps. My pace didn’t drop, I kept my breathing under control and was pretty strong until the end. I think the mistake came as I felt Nathan [Crawford] was a bit closer to me than what he really was, so I sent it a bit going into the whoops thinking he was coming up on me, when I actually had more time and space to work with. The last two rounds have proven to me that I can be a top-five guy in supercross and that I just need to get it done. We have a couple of weeks off before Newcastle, so I can go back, work through what happened tonight and make more improvements at the next round.