In Quotebook, a selection of riders detail how their races played out in the fifth round of the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship at Gillman.

MX1

Image: Foremost Media.

Luke Clout (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team) – Fifth:
I feel good leaving here today. While I didn’t win, I think it was another good step in the right direction in terms of speed and I feel a race and round win isn’t that far away. We have a month’s break before we head to Toowoomba, so it’s back to work on Monday and let’s aim to get our first round win of the season there.

Aaron Tanti (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team) – Second:
I came into the weekend pretty determined to get my season back on track and myself back into the championship fight and although I didn’t get the round win, I was able to do that, so it was a positive weekend for me. I have always enjoyed racing here and the track was in amazing shape considering the weather the area had in the lead-up, so congratulations to the club and the crew for the effort they put in to make the weekend happen. I’m now back to within striking distance of the lead and we have three rounds to come all in Queensland, so it’s game on. Thank you to everyone on the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team as weekends like this are always hard work but everyone chipped in and we were able to get the results we needed.

Jed Beaton (Boost Mobile Honda Racing) – Third:
We were definitely better today – I could do 30 minutes without fatiguing. The bike is much better and everyone is working hard. We need to keep working on everything so we can refine the little things. I am much happier with everything today and we are focused on being better in round six.

Kyle Webster (Boost Mobile Honda Racing) – First:
I said it before I turned up, I need to race for the win in each and every race I line up in and today was one of those days that turned out better than I could have imagined. It has been a tough season and today was amazing. The bike, team and everyone involved at Honda Racing are working amazingly well and this result is a credit to their efforts.

Kirk Gibbs (KTM Racing Team) – Fourth:
It was a decent race weekend for us here in South Australia. It was good to get back in front of the hometown fans and finish third in the opening moto after qualifying eighth. Second moto was crazy with the rain out of nowhere, so struggled a little bit in that moto and got sixth. All in all a decent weekend, and my sights are now set on Toowoomba in a few weeks time.

Todd Waters (Raceline Berry Sweet Husqvarna) – Eighth:
It was an average day for us today. I went the wrong way with my bike set-up in the first moto, and after a good start I sort of got flustered and rode terribly. In the second race I got off to a better start, then it poured down with rain. I had a goggle problem and some bad mistakes made me lose two positions late in the race, which I’m pretty angry at myself about. Gillman is one of those tracks that has never been good to me and I’ve never really done well there, so I’m looking forward to finishing the series on home ground in Queensland.

Regan Duffy (GasGas Racing Team) – 13th:
Bit of a sub-par day for me here in Gillman, got a decent start in the opening moto, but then made a mistake on the first lap whilst in seventh, then a banner got wrapped up in my rear wheel, so I had to stop and pull that out. Was last after that, then tried to make moves from there, but just wasn’t really gelling with the track. Moto two was a bad start, but worked my way close to the top 10, which was good. I’m looking forward to working on some starts in the break and to keep building.

MX2

Image: Foremost Media.

Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team) – Second:
Good day here in Gillman for round five of this year’s championship. I need to put myself out front in order to get closer towards the championship, although can’t complain with a 2-2 result. We’ll take it, put in work between now and the next round, and thanks to the whole team for working hard this weekend.

Kayden Minear (KTM Racing Team) – 11th:
A difficult day for me here in South Australia, just never really found my flow and my starts hurt me. Second moto, felt better, I think I was seventh in that one, but after a tough couple race weekends, I’m ready to regroup and move towards the front for the last few rounds of the championship.

Wilson Todd (Terrafirma Equipment Sales Honda Racing) – First:
Unreal weekend! We are getting on top of my stomach issues, and I am feeling better. It showed. Thanks to the team for being patient and super supportive during these challenging times.

Brodie Connolly (Polyflor Honda Racing) – Fourth:
We were terrible in Maitland – I was sick and had no energy. This weekend was much better. I know we have more in the tank, and I will be working hard to be on top of everything at the next round.

Rhys Budd (Serco Yamaha) – Fifth:
It was a good weekend without being a great one. The first few riders had a bit more speed than me and were able to inch away but I just stuck to putting in good laps and staying focused on what I was doing as it was easy to come unstuck on a track like this. Like most riders, I thought were we in for another full mud race and there was even some rain overnight but we got lucky with the weather during the day and the track couldn’t have been better given the circumstances. But now looking forward to the next few rounds and finishing the championship off strongly. All three are in Queensland so it’d be nice to get a few wins near the teams’ home base.

Jesse Dobson (Serco Yamaha) – Sixth:
The last couple of weeks and even months have been challenging with my health, but I’m doing my best to put my Serco Yamaha at the front of the pack at these events. I didn’t have anything for the guys at the front today, but I gave it my all and feel drained but satisfied with the day. The last three rounds are at Toowoomba, QMP and Coolum, which are tracks I have had good results at in the past. The focus now will be on winning as many races and rounds as I can and see where it puts me in the championship at the end.

Noah Ferguson (GasGas Racing Team) – Third:
Stoked to come away from round five with a podium! I know that this is what I’m capable of, so it feels really good to put it all together today and make it happen. Felt comfortable on the track, the bike was working great, and I had some good battles out there. Overall, I’m really satisfied with that result and am looking forward to the next one already.

Blake Fox (Raceline Berry Sweet Husqvarna) – 13th:
Today went well and we took some good steps forward. I had a really good qualifying session, and that made my gate-pick for the two races a lot easier. In the first moto I had an average start, struggled to pass on a track that was a bit one-lined, and I pumped up a little towards the end. I felt really good on the bike in the second moto and made a few moves forward, but then ended up with a flat rear tyre and had to really fight to the end. All in all, my riding was better and we made a couple of good changes to the bike for this round that I really liked.