MotoOnline.com.au pulls out the microscope and takes a closer look at some of the standouts and disappointments from an enthralling round two of the Australian Supercross Championship at Jimboomba, QLD.

Image: Jeff Crow.

Hit

Dan Reardon:
Okay, we know we included him last week as one of the class acts of the SX1 field at Bathurst, but the CDR Yamaha racer impressed the hell out of us on Saturday night. Not only did he win the most recent battle against defending champion Matt Moss, but he dominated the vast majority of the main event and left his home round with the red plate on the front of his YZ450F. In doing so Reardon also snapped Mossy’s seven-race supercross win streak – something you can bet that galls the Team Motul Suzuki rider no end.

The track and atmosphere:
Under the eye of promoter Scott Bannan, Jimboomba threw up a monster of a track that had the racers on their toes and the thousands of spectators on the edge of their seats. Based on the St Louis round of the AMA Supercross, Jimboomba was described by many as a ‘man’s track’ that separated the wheat from the chaff. With the more challenging track came more crashes and injuries to some of the regular gate-fillers, but when all is said and done, Jimboomba delivered a great night of racing.

Jackson Richardson:
After missing the podium by one position last week at Bathurst, Penrite Honda Wilson MX’s new recruit Jackson Richardson reveled on the hard-pack, technical Jimboomba track. Richardson stuck to the rear wheel of Penrite Oil Honda Racing’s red plate-holder Jimmy Decotis for a large part of the main event, eventually finishing six seconds behind the American. Richardson’s form will give him a stack of confidence heading into Wayville next weekend as he tries to peg back Decotis’s growing lead.

Image: Jeff Crow.

Miss

Nathan Crawford:
Young Husqvarna-mounted talent Nathan Crawford was one of the most high-profile casualties of the night when he broke his leg. Crawford qualified in fourth place and was running in third in the main at the time of the crash when he got bad wheelspin on the lead-up to a triple, high-sided off the jump and came up short on the down ramp. It was a rough end to what was promising to be a good night for the Brisbane local and his snapped tib and fib will see him out of action for the remainder of the series.

Gavin Faith:
Two-time Australian Supercross Champion Gavin Faith isn’t dominating in the same fashion he has in the past, even though he hasn’t looked like he’s out of his depth by any stretch. Jumping up to the SX1 class after some highly successful outings in SX2, Penrite Oil Honda’s American import is still coming to terms with the premier class and will improve as the season goes on. A third in his heat race was the highlight of his evening as he then circulated for seventh in the main. Okay, that’s not terrible, but we were expecting more of him on an American replica track.

Jed Beaton:
Serco Yamaha’s rookie Jed Beaton is having something of a baptism of fire in his first season of supercross. An outstanding talent on outdoor tracks, the jury was out as to how he’d take to the technical supercross style of racing. A 15th at the opening round was followed by a slightly improved 11th on Saturday night. Hopefully he’ll continue to improve on that same path and we’ll see him inside the top 10 next round. He’s certainly capable of it, so if he gets more seat time and better starts he’ll be able to turn the tables on the privateers he’s surrounded by.