HQVA press release:

When results are all you live for, lean days are the worst and the breakthrough days, well they just make all the hard work worthwhile.

After enduring a tough Broadford round, the young men of Husqvarna’s factory support squad bounced back like champions in South Australia as the fourth round of the Monster Energy MX Nationals unfolded.

MXD competitor and Craig Anderson Racing rider Connor Tierney took his first National win in the MX Development series, powering his Husqvarna TC 250 to second in the opening moto, before coming back with the win in Race Two, to win the day from KTM’s Jayden Rykers.

The outstanding result has given Tierney a handy leg up in the championship, hoisting him from fourth to second, and now within just eight points of championship leader Wilson Todd.
In MX2, Luke Arbon’s target of returning to the front in South Australia was achieved in no uncertain terms, the Husqvarna FC 250 rider finishing second in both motos for runner-up on the day behind KTM’s Caleb Ward and ahead of Takeshi Katsuya. Sunday’s haul sees Arbon move from ninth to sixth in the championship.

MX2 rookie Nathan Crawford raced with a taped shoulder after his Broadford injury, salvaging ninth place on the day and moving back inside the top 10 overall. Last but not least, MX1 competitors Jesse Dobson and Aaron Tanti both had solid hauls at Murray Bridge.

Eighteen-year-old Dobson (9-5) recovered from two falls on the first moto to post another spectacular top-five result in the second, moving himself one rung higher on the overall ladder to be seventh in the MX1 championship.

For Craig Anderson Racing rider Aaron Tanti (13-10) the round was a milestone, as it saw the young MX1 rookie and Husqvarna FC 350 pilot achieve his season goal of a top-10 result in the premier class.

Jesse Dobson – FC 450: “I ended up ninth in the first one after two lay downs from just silly mistakes. I was pretty disappointed with that – I thought I had it kind of sorted going into this weekend, but… In the second I changed my starting technique, just to try to shift third a bit quicker and it seemed to work, we got a decent start. I was running inside the top 10 and made a few passes and a couple of boys went down and I moved my way into fifth. In the second one it felt like we ironed out the mistakes, so I’m glad that we got it dialled.”

Aaron Tanti – FC 350: “I got 13th in the first and then in the second I got tenth, so I finally cracked the top ten. It felt really good and I’m just working my way better and better really. Ando was pumped for me with how I rode today. The 450s had the upper hand a bit in the heavy sand but I just came out of the corners alright really – I think I was in the top ten in both starts.”

Luke Arbon – FC 250 “I got two seconds here and it feels so great to be back on the podium. I kind of had a feeling about a week or two ago, I changed up my suspension on the bike and I just clicked with it straight away and had a bit more confidence in myself and my bike. It seemed to work well. I qualified fourth which is like qualifying first for me – I always suck a bit at that. It was good to go out and enjoy the ride and enjoy the day. And finish the day with a smile, too.”

Nathan Crawford – FC 250 “It was one of those days for me. I was pretty confident and the shoulder wasn’t too bad – I got Race Safe to strap it up for me and then I went out and qualified third, but in the first one I didn’t get the best of starts, and was coming through pretty well, and got stuck battling with a rider who was a bit more focused on me than going forward. He held me up and I ended up not even getting around him so I ended up sixth then. In the second I got a better start, but unfortunately with the lack of riding in the last three weeks I just went backwards from fourth to tenth. I made a pretty good charge and was close to being inside the top three when I crashed and stretched out my shoulder a fair bit. It was pretty sore for a few laps. Once it came good I started putting some laps back together but by then it was too late.”

Connor Tierney – TC 250 “Two-one for today and the overall win! I feel awesome, the best feeling in the world. So good. I always wanted a win to come this quick but I don’t know if I was expecting it to. I just woke up this morning and felt good, went out for qualifying and just thought, ‘this is my day’. It all just went to plan – it was awesome. The first moto I started sixth, but got up there in just a few turns, made the right choices, made some fast passes and ended up getting to the front quick. I know I can do it now, so, no excuses!”

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