Follow the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship with direct MX1 and MX2 updates from the second round of the season at Appin through Racefeed.

Image: Foremost Media.

MX2 qualifying:
Terrafirma Honda Racing’s Wilson Todd set the qualifying pace as the second round of the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship got under way at Appin. The defending champion’s lap-time of 2m05.448s was just 0.15s quicker than Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Alex Larwood, with Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team) a further 0.36s back in third. Reid Taylor (GasGas) impressed with a fourth-fastest time, ahead of Polyflor Honda Racing’s Brodie Connolly in fifth. Jayce Cosford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing), Kayden Minear (KTM Racing Team), Serco Yamaha pairing Rhys Budd and Jesse Dobson, and Husqvarna rider Kaleb Barham completed the top 10.

MX1 qualifying:
Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Jed Beaton claimed the honours in the first MX1 qualifying session, with a scorching lap-time of 1m49.631s, more than 1.3s faster than Brisbane Motorcycles Yamaha’s Dean Ferris and Boost Mobile Honda Racing team-mate Kyle Webster.  Kirk Gibbs (KTM Racing Team) and defending champion Aaron Tanti (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy completed the top five, while WBR Yamaha stand-in Matt Moss, GO24 KTM’s Brett Metcalfe and Kiwi Hamish Harwood (KTM) finished in the top eight. Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing’s Todd Waters finished ninth, while CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Luke Clout was given a three-position penalty for entering the mechanics’ area incorrectly and finished 10^th. Regan Duffy (GasGas Racing Team) also struggled with the rutted track and qualified 16^th.

MX2 moto one:
KTM Racing Team’s Nathan Crawford made a statement ride in the opening MX2 moto with a convincing race win. After being penalised and docked all his points at Wonthaggi, Crawford grabbed the holeshot and never looked back as he controlled the moto with an 11.5-second lead over Terrafirma Honda Racing’s Wilson Todd. Polyflor Honda Racing’s Brodie Connolly crossed the line in a distant third after some spirited battling with his team-mate early in the race. Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Jayce Cosford and KTM Racing Team’s Kayden Minear completed the top five positions. Serco Yamaha’s Jese Dobson worked his way from outside the top 10 to finish sixth, ahead of Kaleb Barham (Husqvarna), Ryan Alexanderson (KTM), Reid Taylor (GasGas) and Rhys Budd (Serco Yamaha).

MX1 Pole Shootout:
Brisbane Motorcycles Yamaha’s Dean Ferris put in a stunning lap around the already-rutted Appin circuit to claim the Top 10 Pole Shootout. His time of 1m46.547s was quarter of a second quicker than Jed Beaton, who set the early pace in the session. Kirk Gibbs stayed in contention with a good lap-time to finish third-fastest, ahead of Kyle Webster and Aaron Tanti.  Matt Moss, Brett Metcalfe, Hamish Harwood and Todd Waters filled positions sixth through to ninth. Luke Clout was demoted from seventh to 10th in the Shootout results after incorrectly entering the mechanics’ area during the first qualifying session.

MX1 moto one:
By gaining the holeshot, pole-setter Ferris ensured he escaped the first-turn chaos that took down Clout and Webster. The former champion and returning privateer quickly checked out from the chasing MX1 pack, and by the time he crossed the finish-line, he’d checked out a 33-second lead over second-placed Gibbs. Defending champion Tanti and Beaton finished a hard-fought third and fourth respectively after both starting on the cusp of the top 10. Waters crossed the line in fifth, ahead of Metcalfe, Moss, and Harwood. Clout clawed his way back to P9 after going down in the first turn, with Joel Evans (Honda) rounding out the top 10.

MX2 moto two:
Crawford made it a perfect day with an impressive come-from-behind moto win as on-track temperatures soared past 38 degrees. It was Rhys Budd who claimed the holeshot from Todd and Larwood, as Crawford found himself just inside the top 10. The KTM Racing Team rider wasted no time dispatching of his rivals, hunting down Budd and race leader Todd and taking the lead by the halfway mark. From there he marched to a seven-second win over Todd, and Budd, as Larwood and Connolly finished in the top five. Barham, Liam Andrews (Honda), Minear, Brock Flynn (GasGas) and Hugh McKay (KTM) completed the top 10.

MX1 moto two part one:
Ferris tore off the gate with another good holeshot in the first of the back-to-back races, with Tanti and Clout giving chase. Midway through the shortened moto, Ferris crashed hard and remounted in 13^th, handing Tanti the race lead and eventually a four-second race win over his team-mate Clout Beaton and Webster finished in the top four, as Ferris rebounded to take fifth. Harwood, Gibbs, Moss, Metcalfe and Waters finished P6-P10.

MX1 moto two part two:
Dean Ferris made it three holeshots from three race starts with another perfect gate-jump in the second of the MX1 back-to-back races. In the energy-sapping heat he cruised to a comfortable six-second lead over Beaton and Tanti, who held their positions from the first turn. Clout and Waters finished fourth and fifth respectively, as Gibbs, Webster, Harwood, Jai Walker (KTM) and Metcalfe filled the top 10 positions. Moss, who was circulating inside the top 10, retired late in the race.