EP#56 - ProMX Rd3 Gillman Wrap with Kyle Webster, Danny Ham and Jeff Briggs

ProMX Rd3 winner, Honda's Kyle Webster joins ADB's Mitch Lees and Jeff Briggs as well as ProMX commentator Danny Ham to break down the weekend of racing in Gillman, South Australia. Hear all the things you may have missed as Kyle talks about finally breaking Jed Beaton's win streak.  

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the ADB podcast, where we talk all things dirty with your host, Mitch Lee. Okay, man. We're back with another podcast this time. We uh reviewing the promex round three at Gilman South Australia, like we always do. After one of our uh national events uh has a round, we kind of jump on the on the mic and talk about everything that's happened, especially with someone who's there. That is as always is Danny Ham. Danny Ham, uh Australian motocross commentator, thanks for coming on.

SPEAKER_04 0:27

Buddy, it's always good to be here. Talk about the weekend and and the goings-on that uh maybe some people might not get to see everything, but we'll do our best to fill in the blanks.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Yeah, it looked like a fun weekend. Um Briggsy, Jeff Briggs is my co-host, he's here as well. Briggsy, thanks for coming on.

SPEAKER_02 0:44

No problems. Uh not in truck this time, so hopefully we get some good audio and get to make the whole podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:49

Brig Briggsie missed round two podcasts because he was in his truck moving a digger on the freeway and he got stuck in an accident and couldn't get there, and he kept sending us, he was trying to jump on the audio, it was terrible, and he kept sending us uh photos of traffic pole up. So anyway, it's good to see that you're here, mate. Um, all right, so we're gonna rip straight into it because we're hoping that uh Gilman winner, Kyle Webster, is gonna join us on the phone. He's actually in a meeting at the moment with his team in the workshop. He's gonna try and jump on as soon as he uh jumps out of that meeting, and also he's just gonna jump straight in his car. So if the order doesn't work, I apologise to everyone. We're gonna try and get him on. We're hoping it does, we'll see how we go. But let's talk about Gilman. Um Jed Beaton came into it undefeated. It was pretty impressive kind of run coming in. So there's a lot of hype. Kind of can someone take him down? Um, but before we even get into the racing, let's talk about the track and and um and the event itself. Hami as someone I only got to watch this one on the on the TV on the broadcast, but and I understand that some of the riders felt like it was not rough enough, especially for Moto 1 um in for the 450s after they just groomed it. But as someone watching on TV, it actually made for pretty good viewing. I felt like the racing was closer um as a result of it, and I feel like they kind of followed and chased each other within a bike length so many battles all the way through to about 20th the the entire time. So, what was the gauge? Uh A, why was it nowhere near as deep as what we would expect the Gilman to be? And B, was it well received on track as much as it was for us as a on the broadcast?

SPEAKER_04 2:24

It's a bit of a tough question to answer. Um, I think the track in general generally races pretty good. Uh, every time we've been to Gilman, we are presented with some pretty cool racing. So I think it's partly the venue, the track layout. We had those new options in the uh chicanes that were after the finish line. Quite honestly, when we walked in on Friday, looked at that, we simply said, Oh, these are not going to work. Well, they offered some of the most awesome passing opportunities throughout the entire day, and we saw many passes set up through that particular part. So the changes that were made were good. Um, the soil is beautiful. It always is. All the way back to when I raced there, it was always a favorite. The soil itself is just fantastic. Whether it was ripped deep enough, I don't know. We had a bit of a hard base, but if you look at the amount of dirt that had pushed away from that hard base to the berms to the outside, it is a lot of dirt that had been shifted. So it's just the nature, I think, of the particular soil that's there. It's not sand as such, as it's like a bit of a red clay mixed sand. So it does go down kind of hard if you just leave it. Go there on a practice day when it's completely dry and and no prep. And I'm sure you'll find plenty of hard surface to ride around there. So I think it did pretty good as far as the way it developed up. There was a lot of lines in corners, a lot of corners blew out with their lines as well. So the riders had to think on the fly each lap. We saw it a few times where a particular line would disappear, and then they'd have to go looking for something else. Watching Byron Dennis ride around there, it didn't matter where he put the bike, he was able to find grip anywhere. Same with Aaron Tanty. Yeah, so I think the track itself offered quite a lot for the riders to race. And I I think I said it after the camera one. When you get a track that's so deep and ruddered, they're locked in to lines. I so much prefer a track that's easier, and and I don't mean that in the sense of flat and easy to ride, but no massive ruts where you can't move around the track. Being able to move around the track offers and opens up passing opportunities and different lines for the riders to get to explore around and be close next to the riders. And I think we saw a lot of that on the weekend. As far as before the Moto One, yeah, for MX1. I ran over to Mark Luxich, who was standing at the side of the fence at the time. I was watching this crater go around, and I ran over to him and was like, and and he has nothing to do with the track, but simply the knowledge and experience from you know many, many years of being involved. I said, Is this meant to be happening? Because that's pretty shit. Um, half of the track. I understand the start straight because they come on the start straight, and you know, there's a big burn that pushes up on the start straight and first turn for safety. Yeah, but then they just kept going, they just kept going and going and going. What are you doing? Everything was flattened. At least half of the track was flattened. And was it received well? Well, obviously, with the comments from Beaton on the podium, yeah, it wasn't received well for him. He he much prefers a rough track. So was it as rough as previous years? I don't think so. Um, but quite often, as I said, when you get an easier track, you quite often get good racing as well.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

Yeah, it got choppy for Moto 2. They kind of had some um braking bumps on the way in, acceleration bumps on the way out, but nothing that was disgustingly deep like you'd expect from our national level motocross. They're the they were the kind of choppy bumps you'd expect at a club day or going to a ride park on a weekend. Um, but it did get, and and I when Beaton said that, he was the first person I thought of being so fit and so strong, and he just loves it as rough as it can get. Probably same with Kyle, that they are probably looking at this track thinking, like, well, hang on, this is gonna bring everyone else that we've talked about that's third through to 10th right up to us. And in Moto 1, it did. I mean, we're gonna talk about that in a second with Ferris and then the charge he put on, and even Aaron Tanty, like you said, getting traction everywhere. He kept kind of cutting inside corners, getting traction and and making so many meters there.

SPEAKER_02 6:35

So that's good. Um the other thing with a track like that, too, is it does tend to lend to higher speeds?

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:43

Which I think that a lot of riders will prefer technical track because it does slow it down a little bit. Um, and you don't tend to have big high speed crashes. Not that I think we've seen too many, but that's something that is a big positive to a very technical track.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

Yeah. And Hammy, did they? I saw you do, did they have to change the with if they're expecting deeper sand? Did anyone change tires, teams that you know of, and go away from something that they would be used to? I don't know. I I wouldn't expect that they would have gone off the paddle tires.

SPEAKER_04 7:11

Yeah, it was all about the start. They would have stuck with that. Maybe, you know, it caught a few of the riders out. But even when you looked at the the harder surface, it appeared like it was still kind of soft. The that it break apart a little bit, but it did definitely have that harder base underneath it, and it did catch a lot of riders out as well. But that's that's the nature of the game.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Yeah, yeah. Um, that's good. There was nothing else to talk about, really, because fine weather. Weather was perfect, crowd looked okay. Um, yeah, like we said, the track as a spectator looked awesome to watch. I know some of the guys would have liked it rougher, but apart from that, the event looked like it was a ripper. Um, so let's talk. Uh let's start with MX1. Um, finally, Jed's streak has been broken, only just uh, and we're gonna talk about Moto 1 and Moto 2 probably briefly. We'll break them up. Yeah, so yeah, so Kyle Webster took out first place. Um he just pipped Jed Beaton, who went uh 3-1, and then um wasn't Todd, ran it out of the podium. Um so hey, let's talk about Moto 1 because like I said, watching on the broadcast, we I thought it'd be rough and it wasn't, and then all of a sudden it was racing really fast that track, and Dean Ferris just sh like shot out of a cannon and was running that pace. We have been asking this whole series like, can someone run with Kyle and Jed? Is it anyone's gonna run with Kyle and Jed? And and he was one of the guys, he and probably Crawford, that we thought, well, maybe they can possibly tanty. Um, and do you think, Hammy, until we'll talk about the bike expiring, do you think it did enough he did enough to prove that he can do that speed, maybe if it's not quite as rough a track?

SPEAKER_04 8:51

I think Ferris can, and uh over the coming rounds, probably will run with them guys with that pace. I think Ferris is still working into this series with his bike and the setups and how he feels comfortable. I did notice and didn't bring it up, but wanted to that it looked like he was much more in tune with his bike than Metcalf had said on the broadcast that they had done some minor changes. Um, Brad McAlpine had confirmed they'd done some minor changes, and it definitely looked like he was a bit more comfortable.

SPEAKER_03 9:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:25

Saying that though, there was uh evidence that for him to ferris that is to run at that pace, he was pretty much on the edge. There was a lot of little mistakes, um moments out there that might have the opportunity to bring him unstuck. But I think he is going to get there. I do believe that he has the opportunity or has the chance to to run with these guys for the full 30 minutes. I'm not sure if it gets a bit rougher, but he's a he is a technical writer, and you've got to remember too that Gilman, along with Wonthaggy for Dean Ferris, is not a favourite track. It has never been a good track with results. Yeah, I think in the stats I looked at, and I can't quite mean now because I've kind of forgotten, but he maybe has had one podium in six starts at Gilman. And that's not that great.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

No, not for someone like him, four-time champ.

SPEAKER_04 10:23

Correct. And the year that he won the championship, the last year that he won the championship, he went like a 6-4 at Gilman. Yeah. The year he won. So it's not a strong, strong track for him. So for him to do that, even though the bike expired, and I'd be interested to know what it was because it didn't seem like there was enough smoke or steam, whatever it was, to show that it probably would end up expiring. I don't know. At the start, when there was just a little bit as like, oh, but then I was expecting it to show more, it didn't really.

SPEAKER_03 10:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:56

So yeah, it's a shame. I'd like to have seen him get that that position at the end. Yeah. I don't know if he would have been able to hold on to it, but at least the second would have been good.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Yeah, because it was funny. It started smoking early in the motor, but he he would have ridden for 20 minutes. I can't remember which point it actually expired, but he went for quite a while.

SPEAKER_04 11:14

It was pretty late, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:16

I'd say he was hammering the clutch too. Yeah, he talked about that at the start. Standing round just using it and yeah, yeah, it's funny.

SPEAKER_01 11:23

It's either engine or more what coolant usually when it looks like that.

SPEAKER_04 11:29

I mean, can it look like it was hot breathing and coolant to make it? More steam related, yeah. Correct, but at the same time, it didn't look like there was enough steam that had come out of it over the moto to suggest this thing's about to blow up. Yeah, so I don't know. I really don't know. We can only speculate on that one. Yeah, uh, either way, we did call it that there was steam or smoke or whatever it was, and we hope it's gonna make it to the end. Yeah, it just didn't get there.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

I've sent uh Dean and Brad a text to try and get to the bottom of it, but I haven't heard back, so they're probably maybe still trying to work it out themselves exactly what went wrong. So uh if we find out later on, I'll update everyone. Um so yeah, Dino, we're gonna get to Dino in a second because obviously he'd explain he DNF'd moto one, but then finished in moto two, so he was further down the order. Um, but yeah, we'll obviously start with Kyle. Kyle's day. Um first moto, obviously, Jed Beaton goes down. Now, if Jed Beaton hadn't gone down in moto one, is Kyle he'd already gone past Kyle when he went down, obviously, too. Is Kyle staying with him fresher in the day? Maybe he's got a bit more energy. Do you think Kyle had enough to show that he could have stayed with Jed for the whole moto and challenge towards the end?

SPEAKER_04 12:40

I think so. Qualifying early in the day, um, Kyle is on top and clear on top. He was almost a second faster than anyone else. Yeah, um, he was not able to put it together as good in the poll shootout. But even in that moto number one, those two boys have come together a couple of times this year, not intentionally, not dirty, anything like that. But Kyle's ended up on the bad side of it, and the outcome, not directly to the contact, is that he's ridden over his head, yeah, and he's ended up crashing out of it. So maybe there's a situation where he's taken a breath, he did drop back a little bit, but at the time of beaten crashing in moto number one, Kyle was back on the rear wheel of beaten. Yeah, so he had closed back down, he'd taken his time, he'd looked at some lines, and it appeared that he was back in the fight and ready to go for it. And being that that track is a favored for Webster, I think that he had the potential to run up there, and especially with the fact that they couldn't get around Ferris, he was well in the fight. Yeah, he was definitely well within the fight.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Yeah, okay, because um, like I I felt like you know, the way he went past um Kyle in moto one and Moto 2. Kyle, like you said, he didn't put up a huge fight this time. Maybe he's aware that these chasing him is a chance to go down, or maybe making content as a chance to go down. So he almost kind of made way, but then in moto one, he then stayed with Jed and kind of chased him through.

SPEAKER_02 14:09

Um, he's obviously thinking Moto 2 looked more like I'm settling for first here. I know, but overall.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 14:15

Moto one looked like it was like Hammy said, I'm gonna regroup here, find some lines, have a breather. We're only 10 10 minutes into this thing. Uh Dean's out front. I'll see how Jed goes getting around Dean. I'm gonna latch on and go with him. So and then Jed forced unforced error, you know. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:34

And was what was can I say, was it unforced? Or was it the fact that that Webster was back onto the rear wheel and and there's pressure there?

SPEAKER_02 14:43

I'd only say unforced because how many times has Kyle chased Jed in the past and he hasn't done this?

SPEAKER_04 14:49

So I know there's a bit of both, yeah. It was a very basic crash, too. It was, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:57

Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_04 14:57

So I agree, yeah. You know, we we will never know, but maybe there was some extra pressure there.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

Oh, yeah. I I'm leaning towards maybe pressure. Hammy, um, Briggsie and I were talking about this on yesterday night after watching AMA supercross, and you talk about maybe a little bit of pressure on the rear wheel from two of those riders there, and you can see where the pressure can got to them. I I felt like, yeah, Webster was putting the pressure on him, he was forced to go fast, and then you gotta think, obviously, too, they've got Ferris up in front, so then you could kind of don't want to get Jed might be thinking, I don't want to get caught behind Ferris if I've got Kyle right up McClacker, and I've got to figure out how to get past Ferris while Kyle's trying to get past me. So maybe there was pressure to get out and put a little bit of a gap on him and and Webster before he got to Ferris. Um, but either way, either way, sorry, it was good riding from from Kyle. Stayed with him. Um, and he takes the overall. Like you said, Hammy, maybe this is him re we realizing that you know what, I have pushed it a little bit too hard at times in the first two rounds. Sorry. And uh, and you know, I don't need to push it that hard. I've taken Moto 1 and I know I can settle for it's almost like I feel like Moto 2, you're right, Briggsy. Those two know how fast they are, they know they are a clear gap out to everyone else. So when he's when he knew uh Jed finished in third in Moto 1 and he knows all he's got to do is finish in second, well, no one was gonna get to him in second anyway. So, what was the point in charging and pushing hard at all in Moto 2?

SPEAKER_02 16:18

Yeah, well, he had the overall, yeah, and they and they even in Jed said in the podium after Super Pole, they had a gentleman's agreement about who was going to go first in that. So they train you guys, they clearly know they're the two to be. Yeah, and I want to ask Kyle about that when he comes on, if he gets on, yeah, um, about how that works and who goes first and then what. But um yeah, you know, like and it's good that they have that rivalry but also that friendship, yeah. So they're clearly pushing each other to the top, and it hopefully continues all year, and hopefully Kyle can close that points gap up and it keeps going.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

Yeah, well, what are we down to now? We're down to uh 30, 12 points. Um, so and with plenty of rounds left, plenty of time to make that that up. And like we've seen, you can all you gotta do is have one average round. I mean, not even an average round, just uh finish mid mid-uh, you know, fifth, sixth, seventh, and that's gonna come back those points. So it was good to see Kyle. Also, just mentally, Hammy, when you're racing at that level, and all of a sudden the guy's just won four straight, and now you've been able to break that entirely. Um, mentally for Kyle going into this last kind of round before a bit of a break, good for his headspace.

SPEAKER_04 17:25

Yeah, uh, I had a conversation with someone in the pits leading into the weekend. This was a we've still got plenty of racing left, obviously, but this one was pretty important. If we saw a runaway double win by Jed Beaton on a track that he'd never won on before, and he beat Kyle, who is the master at Gilman, mentally, yeah, that's a big problem. Um, you'd be starting to scratch your head going, what have I got to do to get this win? So I think we saw it at Canberra, we saw that rebound from Kyle, which he needed to do. We saw a solid result this weekend as well from Kyle. So he he's staying in the fight. I don't think he has the better um mind space out of the two at the moment. I think Jed's still pretty solid. I think he's still walking away from the weekend going, yep, I'm still in control of this. But certainly it isn't a runaway thing at the moment. I think still Kyle is definitely in the fight, yeah. Um, which is great for us. It's great for them, it's great for the series to keep it going like that. I was I'm glad the result turned out that way. As I said, if it went the other way, it would have been tough at the next round and moving forward to stay in it.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

Yeah, because we've only got it's only two weeks until the next round, 24th of May. So, like that's going to be kind of fresh in his mind that he's you know they're out he was able to peg one back. Um Jed Beaton obviously was next in line. Um, now there's no doubting whatsoever that it was just an off first moto. Jed Beaton is probably still the guy to beat. He did mention that he wants a rougher track, and part of me thinks, did the guys say this when they get off, get to the end of a race, especially maybe when they haven't won, as in to like frighten the competition, like you know, this I can go faster than this, just make the track rougher.

SPEAKER_04 19:14

Yeah, I don't know. Um I'm I I get it, I I understand exactly what he says. We are at a national level track, and and and again, why I ran over and said, Why are they flattening the track? It's not meant to be doing that. Um, but Jed's good enough. Um, all those guys are good enough to ride a fast pace at a track, no matter what it looks like. Um, yeah, it might have brought a couple of guys a bit closer. So what? Jed can still go out there and win. What I was surprised with in Moto 1, Jed made some passes pretty quick. Yeah, he did. Um, yep. But then he got to Ferris and he wasn't able, like we've seen at the other rounds, where he's gotten to whoever's leading and then instantly made the pass. He genuinely, and it wasn't just on the flat, easy parts, on the rougher parts, he still didn't have an answer for Ferris in those parts on that early in the early part of the race. Yeah, so I think it was just you know, getting into that rhythm. Maybe by the end of the moto, things might have changed. Um, and it was a very uncharacteristic mistake, obviously, for Jed Beaton, but it was a simple one. And that makes me think maybe the mind wasn't completely thinking about the position he was in. Maybe, you know, maybe it was that slight amount of applied pressure from Webster back onto the back wheel, and just the focus wasn't there for that minor second, and it just took him down as far as just an easy crash.

SPEAKER_01 20:41

Yeah, he's tucked the front a little bit, looks like looked like on screen. Um, he was flying up until then, obviously, passing everyone. Part of me reckons too, Ferris is so experienced and he's been around for so long. If is would there be anyone on that track in better at blocking than Dean Ferris? Surely not. Maybe Toddy Waters.

SPEAKER_04 21:01

Yeah, maybe Toddy Waters. Look, and and that's the thing though, it it wasn't that Ferris was blocking, he was just running the lions. Yeah, okay. To to go and and make the pass, you had to go out and explore and find something different. Um, so yeah, I don't think it was that Ferris was blocking. I think Ferris was doing a great job up front. I think he had the pace to be up front. Their lap times were showing that the pace was still there. So I don't think it was actually blocking, but uh he just he didn't have an answer at that point. That being said, when we look at moto two, and we're we're privileged in the commentary box to keep an eye on lap times. No one was matching Jed Beaton in lap times for the entire moto of moto number two. Yeah, uh, and it wasn't just by a tenth or two, it was in seconds in some times. So there's no doubting he he does definitely love the roughness, and it does, it's always been the separator, we know that. Yeah, um. But yeah, I I think Jed could have done that on the the smoother, easier track as well. If if he uh if you found the lines, if you got into that groove a bit earlier.

SPEAKER_01 22:09

I think he won Moto 2 by 13 seconds off the top of my head. I'm looking for timing and scoring, but off the top of my head it was it was a it was a large gap. It was a lot. Yeah, I know Kyle would have backed it off, especially and there he had a big gap then back to um Crawford, I think it was. Um so uh but yeah, he was absolutely flying. Um okay, Wilson Todd, let's talk about Wilson Todd because I feel like that was a better round for Wilson Todd. Yeah, and and Moto 1, he was going far, he was flying in Moto 1, especially. Um, he's got to be happy that he's now he's podium, he's up on the podium, and he was kind of like a solid podium. He wasn't far off those guys. I feel like if Carl and Jed are in a league of their own slightly after that round, we've seen Wilson Todd and Dean Ferris probably just nipping at their heels as maybe a clear breakout group of guys in that. And maybe you could add Nathan Crawford into that group of guys that are um you know that third and fourth position before bumping back. Probably maybe add Aaron Tanty there as well. But Wilson Todd has got to be pretty pleased with that round.

SPEAKER_04 23:11

Absolutely. It's been a long time coming for Wilson Todd. He's such a talented rider from what we've seen over many years on the 250s. I was so excited to see him jump up on the 450s, and then obviously, injury after injury, it always affects the riders. He wasn't feeling 100% on the weekend. He said that on the podium that he's pretty sick. So to do that performance feeling sick, it's great. It's a mental win for him. I think that's the big thing with with him is truly believing that he belongs there, which he does. He does, he's got the pace, um, especially on a softer track. He definitely has a pace, he belongs there. So it was good to see that he finally got that result, and I hope that he can continue that and bring another name into the mix at each round, not just a one-off at each round moving forward from here.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Because he he had Tanti in that second moto, putting so much pressure on him. In fact, Tante got half a wheel on him, uh, and he managed to kind of just keep him at bay, and then in that those last few minutes, he actually scapped Tanty back out uh to take the pressure off. So, you know, Tanty's a former MX Nationals champion in that class, in the 450 class. So he knows how to apply pressure. We all know how fast he is and mentally tough and strong he is as a rider, Aaron Tanty. So I feel like for Wilson Todd, he's I know he's not a rookie anymore in the 450 class, but he's still one of the you know newest guys in that class that it's running in the top five. Um, so I thought he did well to handle the pressure from Tanty in Moto 2.

SPEAKER_04 24:40

Yeah, absolutely. Uh it was again with the ability to see the times, there was waves of attacks from Tanty where he'd be back a little bit, then there'd be a big push, and then it'd drop back a bit, and then another one. That must have happened like four or five times. So it wasn't just a one-off close race for him. They were back and bored with that pressure the entire way through. Yeah, um, good to see. It's great to see. Finally, we get that result out of him, as I said. And I just keep hope it keeps coming from the rest of the uh for the motors moving forwards.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

Yeah. Uh Nathan Crawford, he's uh geez, he's still kind of creeping his way up that um finish board. He was ended up fourth, he ended up with a fifth and a third, I think, um, for the weekend, which is you know pretty impressive, um, especially considering he's had now a total of uh six weeks on that bike, maybe. Um and do you what the question I've got though, I'm looking at his results and I'm thinking, could have he got these results and could have he done what he's doing on the KDM? Because I feel like I know that first round was just a one, it was all over the shop, right? We know there was other stuff happening in the background for round one at one thaggy. However, I I feel like the speed that he's running, I've seen him run that speed on a KDM. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_04 25:55

Yeah, no, no matter what you say, what I say here, someone's getting in trouble. Okay, it's from what you're trying to say. I don't care.

SPEAKER_02 26:04

In my opinion, he can, and he should have been. Yeah. Like I'm not I I don't know Nathan well, but I think when a rider makes up their mind that they're not happy anymore, then they're just not happy. It doesn't matter what they're riding, what you're gonna do, that they get some perception in their head at times. And I'm not saying that's all of them, but when you feel like you can it's just time for a change, maybe maybe it just is. Like whether it's coach, trainer, um, brand, bike, team. Um, if you think that that's gonna help you, then I think that they get in their head and and look, it's clearly helping him. Yeah, not saying it's right or wrong or indifferent, but for him, that's probably that might be what he felt he needed, and he's gone with what he he thinks, and yeah, if it's paying off, it pays off.

SPEAKER_04 26:52

Yeah, yeah. Look, no matter what way you look at it, he it is working for him. Uh, I'm I the beauty of motocross is that it's it's not all about the bike, it's about the rider. Yeah, um, and and it shows he has the talent to be able to race up there in those positions. I I was disappointed in the first race that we didn't actually get to see what he did because I know how far back he was at the start, and then as they crossed the line, he was on the tail of those guys. I'm like, where the hell did he come from? Yeah, and on that last lap, he was two seconds a lap faster than anyone on the track. I'd love to have seen what he was doing out there on on camera, or even just being at the track to witness what he was doing to make up all that ground because there was something special going on in moto number one for him to close up like he did.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

Yeah, and he's always had that ability. I mean, no one's ever questioned his ability. Yeah, he's an incredible rider. It's just I think he's just had some struggles for the last few years and he just needed a change. And this I I hope we see the best Nathan Crawford for the rest of the year, to be honest, because I'd like to see him battle in Kyle and Jen.

SPEAKER_01 27:58

Yeah, he looks uh whenever I watch Crawford, and I like this because I can't do it, but he looks uh I mean busy on his feet on the bike, so he kind of was always on the balls and onto the arches. He kind of moves around a lot when he's getting up on over the bike, and he looks really comfortable, especially on that Honda. So we hope we'll see a little bit more of him. I've just had a message from um Dean Ferris to say that he's not 100% sure on what happened to the Kawasaki. So we'll just leave it at that, I guess, and we'll wait for uh Kawasaki to make something a bit more public. Um, hey, also too, uh it looks like we've got Kyle Webster here, so I'm gonna bring Kyle in before we get down into who filed in behind us. We'll see if this works with the audio. Here we go. Kyle.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

Hey, have you got me? We got you, mate.

SPEAKER_01 28:41

The audio sounds pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 28:43

Oh, perfect, mate.

SPEAKER_01 28:44

I got I got Danny Ham and Briggsy. We're we're still recording. We're we're midway through the top 10 of the 450s as we're breaking it down. So mate, it's lovely. It's great to have you on, especially after such an impressive weekend, mate. What uh how'd it feel to get your first win of 2026 under your belt?

SPEAKER_00 29:02

Yeah, it was good. It's always good to get the uh the first win. Um I I think like the second race obviously wasn't fantastic, so that was a bit of a bummer, but for the most part, in the overall, it was good.

SPEAKER_01 29:16

We we felt like um Briggs and I were saying uh that maybe Moto 2, you know you didn't need to win. Uh you know Jed had finished third. Um we were both kind of saying that you and Jed are just in a little league of your own there at the top, so you can kind of almost if you're not gonna beat Jed, you're definitely gonna come second. Was there at any stage in Moto 2 when you thought, you know what, I don't need to push like ridiculous and have a random little crash and end up third. I can finish second, and all that matters is I take the round win. And did you kind of back off a little bit in Moto 2 at all?

SPEAKER_00 29:48

Yeah, definitely at the end. Um I had a I had a couple laps where I got caught up with the lappers really badly, and then I actually locked bars with one of them uh in one of the turns and down the straights, and then by that point I was like I had already lost a fair chunk of time to Jed, and I uh just thought, you know, after how the first couple rounds have gone, I might just ride this one in and not land on my head.

SPEAKER_01 30:12

Yeah. Smart move, mate. Smart move. Moto Moto 1 though, uh, we all said as well, um, when Jed made a pass on you, you stuck with him and applied a lot of pressure. So we were both we were all kind of agreeing that running you two running the same pace as each other doesn't seem to be a problem. Fitness is there, we know bike skill is there. Um we were trying to debate: do you think the pressure of you on the rear wheel of Jed? We know you guys are buddies and that you train together as well. Do you think a little bit of rear wheel pressure might have forced him into that mistake in Moto 1?

SPEAKER_00 30:43

Um, I'm not sure. It's hard to say. I think it's it's it's a hard position when you're in the middle of two people when you're like not worried about who's behind you or but you you're concerned about who's behind you and you're also trying to pass someone in front of you. I think that's tough. And also the first moto, they prepped a lot of the tracks. There was really not that much like room to pass, and it was super slippery. So yeah, I don't know. It was hard to hard to say. Like by the looks of it, like when Jed did wash the front there, I think that was just uh just a bit unfortunate. Like landed off that off that last roller and uh yeah, slid out.

SPEAKER_01 31:20

Yeah. That you talked about the track. Um we I was Santa Hami beforehand. We loved it. It looked fast as a sp watching from the broadcast, it made for some really good racing. It was like dirt track but with jumps. Um, because it didn't get all that rough. Jed mentioned he would have liked it rougher. Would have you liked it to kind of have been left with less grooming?

SPEAKER_00 31:41

Uh yeah, probably. I think that's they fixed a little bit too much of it. I think uh like the first and second turn, fair enough, and maybe like some up ramps, but I don't think they needed to do as much as they did. Uh, because it kind of just I think the hard part is it makes like the first half of our first race, you know, like pretty near. Yeah. You just sort of all following each other. Like, I think it's different at some tracks when it forms up really quickly, like when they prep, say an appen or a toomba or wherever where they rip it, and then in three laps time, there's already 14 different cuts there again. Um that's fine. But yeah, on a track like that, I think it was probably a little bit too much.

SPEAKER_04 32:26

Do you think that this year you're a bit of a master there, Kyle, in that place? What is it? It's seven starts, six wins. You're a bit of a beast around Gilman. You've done many, many laps there in the past. Do you think the track was different this year with the way it was prepared? Do you think it was a bit shallower?

SPEAKER_00 32:41

Yeah, it was a lot shallower than usual. It's normal that's probably normally how a state title is. Okay. Um, whereas the national is normally really deep, really rough, a lot slower, and the turns sort of hold up a little bit more. There's more, there's more room, like more variety, if you know what I mean. Like it's it's generally a pretty one-line track, but there's normally more more room to do something. Whereas on the weekend it just felt like you were sort of coming into the turn, sliding to the closest thing you could find, and then you're out.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

Hey mate, Brigitte here. Um seen round one thaggy. The bike seemed to move around a lot more. Looks like you might have found something, done some testing for round two and three. Uh, to me, it looked a lot more settled at Canberra, and then especially on the weekend. Does that is that just me more you favoring them conditions, or you did just do a bit of testing and find a little bit in the bike between round one and two? Or was Wonthaggy just uh the practice crash led to the to the uh bit of soreness over the weekend too that sort of made it a bit harder?

SPEAKER_00 33:52

Yeah, Warning was definitely I was beat up on Sunday. Um but yeah, no, we did we've done a lot of testing since Wonthaggy and actually even more since since Canberra again. So I think I think we're in a good window at the moment with the bike. Um Canberra, like obviously was really ruddy. It wasn't so much super rough, but at Gilman it was that fast, sort of twitchy rough, which I think which I think we got it in a good spot for. So hopefully that that's the window we need now for the rest of the year and we don't have to do too much more, which would be nice. We can just focus on riding. But yeah, the the guys at the team and stuff have been yeah, they've done so much work. It's been uh a really, really solid, like whatever it's been a few months uh or month or whatever. Um but yeah, I think we've got to end a good window.

SPEAKER_01 34:41

Hey, we talk about um you and Jed kind of being in your own league at the top there, but this weekend for the first time we saw Ferris having a run in Moto 1, especially even in Moto 2, obviously had to come from the back and he he charged through pretty hard. Um, Nathan Crawford kind of had a push through as well. When you guys are lining up on the start, are you thinking okay, some of these guys are starting to find our pace, or is it or are you and Jed, do you still feel like you and Jed have that extra fitness, confidence, bike skill? What is it you think that might be still separating you you from that next three or four guys?

SPEAKER_00 35:18

I don't I don't know to be honest. I mean, I think like yeah, I I honestly don't know. I think everyone works hard, they all do you know the hard like the most work they can during the preseason and then through the weeks and whatever. But yeah, I guess when I'm on the line, I try not to think about anyone to be honest with you. Trying to think about what I'm doing. But yeah, I mean, like like you said, Dean did ride really well in that first moto. He um he was yeah, he was really solid. It was it was hard. But I think I don't know, it's it's really hard to say. Like I think some of the tracks some of the tracks it's easier to find the difference, and then others it it isn't. Like you look at like on the weekend, I guess it there wasn't a massive amount, especially in the first moto, there wasn't a massive amount of things to separate everyone. Um, but then like yeah, someone like one somewhere like one thing where the tracks really technical and and awkward, there's yeah, normally a pretty big gap. Well, this year there was for Jedi had a massive lead. So uh yeah, I don't I don't know to be honest with you. I try not to think about it too much.

SPEAKER_01 36:20

Hey, we also talked about tire choice for this round. Um, you guys kind of come into Gilman thinking it'll be probably deeper sand than that. You mentioned that was kind of state level prep. Was there any discussion back in the truck about going away from the scoop, or was it just it's never a question?

SPEAKER_00 36:35

No, it's never a question there because no matter how hard it is on the bottom, you're always sort of heading towards the burr, like the sandy berms, or uh and the straights are generally pretty soft, and more importantly, the start. The start there's quite soft as well. So yeah, it's never been a question other than the paddle.

SPEAKER_04 36:55

That start as well being that it's a dirt start, you'd have to, yeah, the paddle would be the other way to go. You couldn't think of anything else.

SPEAKER_03 37:02

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_02 37:04

Did um did Jed kind of surprise you, Moto 1 when he he passed you? Looked like you then settled in and just sort of wanted to sit behind him. And then also at what point did you know I've got to get around Dean? And you made that good move up the inside just to try and look for that extra bit of points, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 37:24

Um no, the pass in that turn, I wasn't surprised because I knew Jed was close, but also I tried to go one route wider um to see what it was like, and yeah, obviously it just went too wide, and I knew Jed was right there. So I don't actually think like, yeah, we made a bit of contact with the exit of the turn, but I don't think it was that bad really, to be honest. Um once I got into that run, I was expecting it. Um but then after that, yeah, once sort of Jed went down and um I'd spent a bit of time behind Dean, the track kind of started to form up a little bit more. So it was more about it was still hard to pass, but I was trying to just find that point where I could get, you know, maybe Dean would get held up by a lapper somewhere, and I could find that little little gap. And I managed to get close to the switchbacks after the finish and then just run it up the inside into that first turn and just find the smallest little gap and get in there.

SPEAKER_02 38:21

That was decent. It was a decent pass and the little blip of the throttle. You could see it on TV. Hammy actually mentioned it in the commentating. Um, it was pretty impressive. Kind of like a got to commit right now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:35

That was great. Um you're right, go for it.

SPEAKER_00 38:39

I was gonna say sometimes it's just a matter of just getting your bars literally just in front, and that might just be a little tiny blip of the throttle.

SPEAKER_04 38:46

Hawomba next, uh, it's a tough one generally with the ruts and everything. What's your approach into it? We know how great Jed has been, like Canberra with the ruts as well. He's been a very tough competitor over the last years. Um, I can't recall the results from last year. It's Hawumba with yourself, but it seems like it's a tough track to really race hard against the other guys. It's one of those ones where you've got to race the track a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 39:12

Yeah, um, I'm really looking forward to it. I've had like in the past there I've sort of had a bit of a tough time, but the last couple of years have been really good for me. I won a Jed and I tied in 2024 there, and I I won there last year. So I I like it. Um I think it's yeah, I think I think it's a cool track. Like it's um it gets plenty of lines, loads of ruts, it's fast, it's easy to elevation, it's kind of different to what we've been riding. So I'm actually looking forward to that one a lot.

SPEAKER_02 39:45

Um, mate, just speaking on Jed, you guys train together. You ride together every day, day in, day out, essentially. When you do rub shoulders or bars on the track, do you quickly, I guess, not I'm not trying to drive a wedge here at all, but uh there's got to be some frustration at times that he may be a bit faster or you're you're a bit faster. How do you diffuse that week in, week out and say such good mates, as well as be so competitive? Because it's damn impressive. I see a lot of kids can't even get along from 65 up to 250s. Yet you're racing at the highest level, week in, week out, and and battling. Um, just run us through that because I I'm I love hearing this stuff, and it's pretty impressive to me that you can hold that friendship and high regard for each other still.

SPEAKER_00 40:34

Well, I just think it's uh like racing's racing, you know what I mean, at the end of the day, and yeah, Jet's been better so far this year, so it's it's not a matter of I don't think me disliking him or me getting super frustrated frustrated at him is gonna help me in any way. I think the only way I'm gonna get better is by focusing on me and you know working out what I need to do better, and that's uh that's just the way that I look at it. Like I don't really have bad blood towards anyone that I race against. I think it just there's so many different factors in motocross, and on the day if you're on, you're on. If you're not, you're not, you're gonna know about it really.

SPEAKER_01 41:12

Hey mate, last question uh for you before we let you go and get back to driving. Um you had a bub last year. Uh how how are you going with uh being able to train fully and put all the time in that you is required of an elite athlete off the track and on the track, I guess, and as well as the family life stuff. Has it been in a different start to the first to your your first season with a f with a a newborn?

SPEAKER_00 41:36

I know it's been awesome. It's it's like everyone says, such a shift in life. Um it's it's been really, really cool to watch him sort of grow and change over over the last six months. And I think that's I don't know, just like everyone says, it changes your uh perspective a little bit. But no, it it like as for writing and changing and all that uh writing and training, it hasn't changed anything there, you know. Like I've still treat like it's it's a job for me. So from whatever I have to do on any day, it's uh that comes first, and then once I'm finished with that, then when I get home, it's uh you know, looking after Miller and spending time at home with Jaden and whatnot. And uh I think it's just yeah, it it hasn't changed anything writing-wise, but just I don't have any free time anymore to go and do to go and play pickleball or something like that. I think the other week I went for a surf for the first time in ages, so that was uh that was pretty cool. But yeah, that that's really the only thing that's changed like in day-to-day life is just the free time that I would have had to go and you know, go and do something. I I just my thing that I do now is hanging out at home.

SPEAKER_01 42:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:43

How how was he were were they there for your first um top step of the podium? Did you were they kind of standing in front of the the podium?

SPEAKER_00 42:52

Yeah, yeah, they were there, which was really cool. Um I think obviously he's still so young, so he uh he's just taking everything in at the moment, but it is really cool to see him at the races and you know around everyone and it it's actually sick.

SPEAKER_01 43:06

Yeah, for sure, mate. It's a cool moment to have, even if they're obviously not gonna remember it at six months, just for you as a dad to know that he was there for you know, yeah, exactly. You f he witnessed your first win of 26. Hey, mate, thanks for coming on the podcast today. We're gonna uh it's been awesome to talk to you out. We'll obviously try and catch up with you um at most of the rounds and certainly as the season ends. But good luck, mate, in two weeks' time when you guys go up to Toowoomba. And um, yeah, we'll speak to you soon.

SPEAKER_00 43:30

Yeah, no, thank you. Thanks for having me on.

SPEAKER_01 43:32

Thanks, bud. See you, mate. Oh, that was cool. Um, yeah, there you go. Kind of hammy, as you said, and and you did too, Briggsie, that uh he knew he didn't need that win in Moto Two. So he was happy to kind of he he almost moved over in that left hander when Jed went past him. He didn't put up a fight, he kinda went, I don't need this win.

SPEAKER_02 43:55

Yeah, uh to me he had more to lose than to gain when he was already in that overall right. So

SPEAKER_01 44:00

And also too, we we've spoken about this as well before, um Briggsy. He's got to be the nicest guy and the most humble guy on in the of any race series in Australia, right?

SPEAKER_02 44:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:10

Yeah, he's a legend. Jed's a great guy, too. Yes, he is. Yep. Totally.

SPEAKER_04 44:16

Um, I like your question, uh Briggsie, about, you know, how do they keep their friendship and everything? The way they approach it with the fact that racing is racing and it's left out on the track, and that's it. Not that either of them have ever really done something that's been so deliberate or intentional.

SPEAKER_03 44:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 44:31

You know, the one on the weekend was a coming together of a couple of lines, like Kyle said, maybe a little bit too wide on his behalf and open the door. And I don't even think that Jed was expecting that his line was going to push that wide. So you know, they've both got that respect to or that that thought process to know that there is a respect there. And if they do come together, it's not a deliberate, I want to take you down or anything. Um, and I think that's a good way of approaching it and they're being able to do it. It doesn't matter how much respect. Sometimes you're gonna get a little bit shirt-headed. Yeah, yeah, and that's the way it is, but they do such a good job just to be able to, you know, leave it on the track and then walk away from it. So it's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 45:10

Yeah, I reckon that's the case. I reckon too, as if there wouldn't be an element of them that that thinks that was fun, that was a sick pass. Let's like, let's go. It lifts that like you know, um, competitiveness in both of them, and I think they'd actually enjoy that rather than it if it was just like a training day where they're not allowed to pass each other without getting too close. And they would write they would uh revel in that, I reckon.

SPEAKER_02 45:31

I I think Ross would have a lot to do with diffusing it as well. Um, you know, and and they're they're so professional and they just go about their jobs, like Hammy said. It there's a lot of respect there. It's it is impressive to me because you see Deegan and Davies, it seems like they hate each other. And I guess it feels like everyone hates Deegan at the moment, but you know, there's always that alpha dog mentality somewhere in the sport, and you know, they both want to win. So sometimes, like Tammy said, I it it would be frustrating when you're you're doing the same work, you're probably faster at the practice track, but on race day, you just can't get there, you know. So it does drive people to emotions, and and that's what really stems from this.

SPEAKER_01 46:09

Yeah. Um, all right, let's get back. We'll just finish off the 450s before we get through the rest of the um of the classes because I'm conscious we're going on for a bit here. Aaron Tanty. Uh, that's to me, I felt like that was his best round so far. He looked the fastest, you know, picking good lines. Um, he was flying in moto two as well. Like we said, he kind of caught up to um Wilson Todd. He had a moment, I think it was in moto one off the start, where I thought he was gonna go down hard. Moto two, yeah, collected bars.

SPEAKER_04 46:40

Yeah, uh he it's so for him to catch up to where he did, it was massive because that was putting him well back in the field off the start.

SPEAKER_01 46:46

Yeah, yeah, definitely. He and he and um Crawford kind of did a good job at pushing their way through the field, and same with Dean Ferris. We'll get to him in a sec, coming through a moto two. Um, but yeah, Tanty, Tanty, like we kind of just said, he's nipping at the heels of Kyle and Jed, and I'm seeing more of him every round to prove that he could maybe battle with those two. Is there a round that would suit Tanti better of the ones coming up, whether we're at altitude or terrain?

SPEAKER_04 47:12

Oh, I I don't know. Um, I would have guessed the round that we just did was probably gonna be the one. I I I just think every round, the more time Tanny's on the bike, I think he better and better.

SPEAKER_01 47:26

Um Regan Duffy, what a round. That was impressive. He's he was sixth, and for a while there he was a top five guy, and then he kind of faded towards the back end of the motos just a little bit and got got past a bit. But um, for someone to have gone through what he's gone through in the last five, six, seven years with injuries and everything, and and everything like that, he um I thought that was a pretty cool breakthrough race for him this season. Can you see is he a confidence rider? Can you see this setting up a good end to the season?

SPEAKER_02 47:59

Uh for me, I look at Regan and and I think a soil the soil really helped him for me. He's a West Oz kid. Um, it's got to be familiar, a little bit similar to a Manji, I guess, in some some sense without the high speeds. Yeah, but Regan's always had the talent, he's just had, like we said, a couple of really bad injury injuries over the last few years. He's got speed. You you watch him ride and watch him on Insta, and man, that kid can haul. But I think just getting back, he's on the emha this year and settling into the pace, finding his feet a bit more with the racing this year. I expect to see him around that top five. Like that's I've you know, a few years ago he was battling for podiums and and getting podiums consistently. So the speed's there. Um, I don't know where his health is at 100%. He might still be battling through some issues, but yeah, great ride from Regan. I love seeing him up there. He's a good kid, and yeah, can't wait to see more from it, hopefully.

SPEAKER_04 48:55

Yeah, look, Taralgan, maybe soft for the circuit. There's not really a lot on the the calendar this year as far as the soft when you think of what's next to Womba, Taralgan. Uh what else we got? QMP, A Cotton Dale. There's there's not a lot of softness out there anymore. It's all gonna be happens on the circuit too. Yeah, see, it's another one.

SPEAKER_02 49:18

And it's a shame like we've lost a full dedicated CN round with cool and the last two years, you know. So it's we don't have them specialty rounds, but I still think Regan can do it in hard pack.

SPEAKER_03 49:29

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:30

I I do believe that. I just think that yeah, he's figuring out that bike a bit still, too.

SPEAKER_01 49:35

Yeah, okay. Um, now the two Austrians, Zach Watson and Todd Waters, came in next. Todddy, Hammy, you mentioned something either on the broadcast or earlier about Toddy not looking comfortable, especially in Modo 2. He was kind of further back than probably Todd he would expect to be. I think he started to push through a little bit towards the end and and move his way up. But um, did you feel like Todd just wasn't comfortable this weekend?

SPEAKER_04 50:02

Yeah, I don't I don't know. Like we speak with Todd quite a bit. He's one of the very easy ones to talk to when we go through the pits on the Saturdays, and he's been very, very happy with how everything's been. Uh, it was uncharacteristic for the year that we've seen so far out of him to see him back as far as he was. I don't know if the hoax thought maybe there might have been a bike setup that didn't quite gel. Not sure. I honestly the the rougher the track gets generally the better Todd Waters gets. So I don't have an answer for you on that one. I'm not sure what's going on without speaking to him.

SPEAKER_01 50:39

So um, so there's a couple of guys that kind of got uh jumbled up there. They all kind of mixed in together. Um, and we're gonna I'll run through them in a second because the battles between all of those guys were epic. It was like there were battles all the way through to 20th, but I feel like from like fifth, sixth, seventh all the way through to 14th, they were all split by like a second or two um there for a while. But the one in the middle of all them is Dean Ferris on the final scorecard because he finished uh because he DNF'd in the first moto. Now he scored 15 points in the second moto. If he had to finish second in the first moto, which is kind of where he was when his bike expired with a few minutes to go, um, he would have finished on 37 points, which would have put him fourth. So a fourth has turned into a twelfth. I mean, it's not I know I know it's too early to say that could be season. No, it's that's season over. Yeah, reckon it's it's enough of DNA. Rigsy's called early.

SPEAKER_02 51:35

Yeah, no, it uh in in the seasons at the moment where Kyle and Jed are one-two every week, yeah. You know, unless he's up there getting one-twos with them, I I don't see him bouncing back from that. Yeah. That's 25 points in the hole. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 51:52

Yeah, not not as far as the the top steps in the championship. You don't know how it's gonna play out as you move through. Uh it'd take something pretty crazy to happen to a few guys for him to be a contender to consider a championship. But there's still that possibility of getting up there for maybe uh a final step, but it's gonna take a lot of work from here.

SPEAKER_01 52:14

Yeah, yeah. He looked despondent, didn't he? When it when it when it stopped moving and he went off the track, he just stepped off the bike and walked away. He didn't even look back. He was the poor guy. He had his best start, he was kind of doing the best he's done all season, and I felt for him, and we all everyone knows how much of a legend Dean Ferris is. So for that to happen like that, bit of a bummer.

SPEAKER_02 52:34

Well, I think I think his goal shifts a bit now, doesn't it? Like it's gonna be like, I just want to get an overall, yeah. That's my goal for the season, and and that's what I'd expect out of him to focus on.

SPEAKER_01 52:45

Yeah, it must be hard for him, knowing that you know he he's only come back, he signed a one-year deal with Kawasaki, and this is coming out of retirement for the third time off the top of my head. Uh, so he's gotta he's gotta be thinking like this was my last go. I mean, obviously you said that a few times before now, but this is sort surely his last go, and up until that DNF, he was still there. You know, you never know what can happen. One of the other guys could have DNF'd, a Kyle or a Jed, and then all of a sudden, if he's consistently that guy who's just 10 or 20 points total behind them, he's into a top two position. Yeah, must be disheartening for poor odd Dino. Um, so there's that, then there's that next crew, Rogers, Jackson, Zelensky, Sweet, Rasandic, Fitzpatrick. Um, they were all having their own little battles, which were awesome because even when they guys were coming through to lap them, they kind of couldn't get out of the way because they didn't know if it was the next person behind them and made for really good viewing. Um, and there's that's I think, especially like we discussed, because the track didn't get too rough, it showed that when the tracks don't get rough, we have a bit more depth in Australia. It was a you know, they were only seconds apart from each other all the way back to almost 15th. Um battles when you were kind of on the track watching Hammy. I know you guys stare at the TV screen a lot to call the call the race, but did were the battles as good live as they were on the broadcast all the way back through the field?

SPEAKER_04 54:03

From what we could hear, yes, it you could hear the uh Trent Ma and the commentary going pretty nuts a lot of the time and not knowing exactly who he's talking about. So uh it seemed like there was a fair bit going on out on the track outside of this class and every class, it seemed like there was something going on that you could find some action. Yeah, so it was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 54:22

Yeah. All right, let's talk MX2. Um Alex Larwood won one. He's proven that he's gonna go fast this whole series. Um, hey, also, too, was um Kingsford busting his shoulder and getting a collar a plate put in in his collarbone. They kept that pretty quiet.

SPEAKER_04 54:40

I didn't very quiet. Yeah, yeah. We found we found out um after the race one, probably. No, no, we we knew Friday night. Okay, yeah. He uh Friday night we we heard some rumblings of it. Saturday he didn't turn up to the track until maybe 45 minutes before Riders Briefing. Uh so that they didn't have to talk to anyone, I guess. I don't know. Maybe they're kept trying to keep it super quiet, or yeah, it was it was kept very quiet. Um no one knew the weirdness of the professional motocross industry, honey.

SPEAKER_01 55:19

It's funny, hey, because it's one of those things where no one knew, like understand from from a competitor standpoint, you don't want anyone to know lining up, but from a branding standpoint, like even Kingsford's own brand, it's it's a girl, it's an epic story to tell tell. Like, you know, so many of us it was all broken. I've got a broken collarbone. I didn't think about riding for months as a as a punter, you know. It's it's so for him to come back three days later, there'd still be stitches in his collarbone, you know. Um and and the reason we're talking about that so early is because he's obviously now surrendered that red plate that that's now gone. Um, and it's gone Alex Larwood because he's gone one-one. He was flying. Uh, he kind of came through the pack, especially in Moto 2, I think it was. Um and just was making pass after pass and then cruised across the finish line. He got himself out in a big gap, and that was kind of it. Um, noticeably faster on the day, Hammy, than the rest of the field.

SPEAKER_04 56:16

Yes, yeah, without a doubt. We we kind of expected that was going to be the way as we went into it. He his hometown, he's had good results there in the past for a moto, and he's never really and that's against you, Connolly's of the time. Uh, he's always been a very fast rider, but he hasn't been able to put two together on the date. So we knew that he was going to be the guy to beat. Uh, it was good to see there was a battle there in the second one with Kingsford. Um, but it's dangerous for the other guys at the moment because he's got some bit of momentum going at the moment. That that steamroller's rolling along pretty damn good. Yeah, it's gonna take a lot to slow that down.

SPEAKER_01 56:57

Yeah. Um the on to the KDM guys, because they seem to find each other a lot on the track and they both end up battling each other like they did. I think it was in Moto 2. Both Dennis and Walsh were kind of going toe-to-toe. Hammy, if you're a team manager or you're you're Carl Blunden, are you kind of thinking to yourself, how is this happening? Don't take each other out. We just need someone because of what's happened in MX1 with losing their tier one rider. We just need a KDM somewhere near the box. Can you stop going near each other? Does it worry you as a team manager?

SPEAKER_04 57:27

Probably, probably a bit. But I think maybe with other riders, more so. I don't believe these two uh when you watch them. Yes, they're they're aggressive and forceful, but I don't believe that they're um a danger to each other. I think that's there's a fair bit of respect there, and the team's got a lot of trust in them that they will do the right thing.

SPEAKER_03 57:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 57:48

Um, of course, they're gonna race for position, yeah, and that's always gonna happen. But I don't think there's gonna be too much of a worry in that particular team. If it was another team in years past and and some of the riders that have lined up side by side, then yeah, maybe you would be absolutely chewing your nails off. But I think Hulk London's pretty relaxed with the guys he's got there at the moment.

SPEAKER_01 58:09

Yes, that's Byron Dennis and Dylan Walsh we're talking about. Obviously, we're talking about because Byron Dennis ended up second for the weekend. That's a good result for KDM. They've kind of, you know, they're splitting up the Yamaha Honda domination across the three premier classes nicely in that MX2 class. You mentioned Hami um Byron Dennis when you were there live was fast. He could put the bike where he wanted. Did he look I know La would just kill everyone, but did Byron Dennis look just as comfortable and as ease at ease putting the bike where he wanted?

SPEAKER_04 58:41

I think so. And both races, Byron Dennis had to come through the pack. Uh if he can get a start, I would love to see what he can do. But from what we've seen in the past, he rides better when he comes through the pack to get into that position. When he has got a start, it hasn't had the intensity early on and hasn't been able to flow on with it. I don't think a win is too far away for Byron Dennis. I think it's going to take maybe a few things falling into place, a good start, maybe a bit of a bad start for Lawood for it to happen. But I think there's one coming pretty soon for Dennis. It's the strongest I've seen him. And as far as consistency, he's one of the most consistent out there. Yeah, one bad race by the Honda, and then the consistent points start to really come into play in the championship.

SPEAKER_02 59:30

Yeah, yeah. I think he's gonna be the first one to challenge Larwood for the win to really push that pressure on and get the win over Larwood.

SPEAKER_01 59:39

Yeah, okay. Is that because um Kingsford and Cade's now gonna be coming back from a collarbone? We've got a round in two weeks, which doesn't leave him much time, and then two weeks after that.

SPEAKER_02 59:49

Yeah, I just think he's shown the most potential um aside from from Larwood, to be honest. He's been second best every week in it essentially. Um, I I kind of was hoping Ferguson would push into that spot as well a bit more, and he is, but I just think Byron's just riding with a bit of confidence at the moment. He he looks like he wants it, he's a big one, and he's doing it from like Amy said, he's coming from the back. I think if he can get it a good start and be in that top five, he's he's gonna win one soon.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:20

Yeah. Um Ryder Kingsford in third, that was pretty solid for him for the weekend. Um who did you expect more out of this year? Ryder or Kate, Hammy?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:33

Ryder. I expected more out of, but like he said, and and there was another one that was kind of kept kind of quiet at the start of the year, coming off a pretty decent injury at the start of the year. So he's had to ride his way back into form as well. Um, even so, I thought by Canberra, maybe we would have seen a little bit more out of him. Uh, this is definitely the rider Kingsford that we were expecting to see. Yeah, I think uh this is the track where he's done well in the past uh and it works with his writing style. I think that it was a good thing that it's it's happened now early in the championship because had he not got this result this weekend, maybe maybe it would have dragged on a bit longer into the championship. I think after this weekend he's gonna go away from this going, yep, I'm I'm back into a position where we can start challenging for this and start to believe in himself a bit more. And we should see him definitely running up there. As far as what you're saying with who's next, Kingsford or Kingsford, I don't think they've quite got it like we're seeing with Dennis. A rider, if he does another performance like that at the next round and maybe even a bit better, then we'll throw his name into this mix as well for sure, because he is a rider that can definitely run up there and be a winner. I just don't think he's quite there yet. But this weekend was a massive, massive improvement.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:53

Yeah, part part of that might be bike too. He's just finally learning and figuring out the bike and what works for him on that bike coming off the MH last year. So, yeah, plus Hammy said the injury, so he hasn't he probably lost a bit of time testing, he's riding himself back. Yeah, he'll he'll be one to watch the next few rounds, I think.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:12

Noah Ferguson was next fourth in MX2. Um, I we did a little factory ride piece in ADB uh an issue or two ago, and I I kind of you know, I was chatting with Scottie Bishop, and I was like, Oh, I think you know, I like the look of Noah this year, and I was kind of secretly hoping for some really, really impressive results. This is a good overall result this weekend. However, Moto 2, I was getting frustrated watching because I felt like he got stuck behind Birchill, and I was like, you know, Birchill's no slouch, he's fast, but Noah seemed to be faster, but he couldn't, he just couldn't get past him, he couldn't make that pass. And then he got past uh was it Alex, was it uh um Alex Anderson or someone went past both of them? Um what what what is that a is that a mental game thing for Ferguson or is the is he is he does is he kind of thinking oh I don't really need to pass here, I'm gonna probably end up, you know, he was 34 points as well, only four points in the end off rider Kingsford to go up onto the podium. What's stopping him from just shoving it down the inside of Birchill and and taking off?

SPEAKER_04 1:03:15

I don't have an answer. We've seen it a bit where he comes through the pack at a rapid rate, and then it'll get to just and it's not just one set rider, but a rider. And that that that forward speed seems to just take a halt. Um, like you said, there was a double pass from Alex Anderson, got around both of them and pretty quick, and then he still struggled after that. I think he's got the talent, the speed, everything to make it happen. Yeah, it just doesn't seem to be executing as good as he needs to. Um, it's not to say he can't. I've seen some incredible rides out of Noah Ferguson. I've seen some rides that have dropped my jaw onto the ground, and I'm just waiting for it. I'm just waiting to see that again.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:01

Yeah, yeah, I I think I am too, to be honest. Because I I feel the same with Noah Ferguson. I feel like he could come out and win by 15 seconds. Yes, wow, okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:10

Yeah, from what we've seen in the past, absolutely. That's that's what we're waiting for. And yeah, I think if he if he is to believe that uh and and know that he could win, if he's only gonna take one result, and then that's gonna happen, it's gonna keep going on. It's just we've got to get that one result.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:29

Um, still decent fourth overall for the round. He's got to take some confidence going into the next two rounds that kind of bunch up before they get a month off. Um Dylan Walsh was the next kind of in line. We know Dylan's fast. Moto one, he finished third, and then Moto 2, he's binned it, and he's ended up finishing far further down the pack. He only scored 11 points. Um has it been he's the import? Uh the UK import. Has it been, Danny? Would you say it's been a success? A still waiting to see probably the full his full potential come through. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:04

Yeah, we're still waiting. We're still waiting. From the opening laps that won thaggy, fastest qualifier. Yeah, he's got he's got the speeds. Uh Moto One was great for him on the weekend. Moto two, he went down in first turn. I knew I caught it out the corner of my eye that a KTM went down, and I was almost 100% certain that it was him. On our highlights at the end, it was confirmed. Yes, he went down in the first turn. So he's come from last to get to there. Could he would we expect him to pass a few more riders? Maybe. Uh, we we on camera on TV land, we didn't get to see any of his riding. We don't know if he had damaged bike, if he got hurt in any way. I have no idea. I think he could have, you know, if everything was a okay, that maybe he should have got a little bit further up. But I really don't think we have seen the best of him just yet. We started to motor one. I expected to see it in motor two. We probably would have seen it had he not crashed.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:57

Yeah, okay. Um Okay Kingsford next, we talk about the collarbone. What injury time frame? Obviously, he's come back three days later, so he's gonna be there in two and a bit weeks, providing nothing else happens. Um, how long until you guys have probably both had collarbone injuries, how long until he's gonna be back to full strength? Are we talking July when we come back from the little one-month break?

SPEAKER_04 1:06:17

Yep. Yeah, it's not gonna be it's not gonna be the next round. He's still gonna be gritting it out, it's gonna be better, of course. Two weeks of healing with a plate. Uh, there's still gonna be uh tenderness, it's gonna be swelling, he's still got pain to deal with, not as much as the weekend, but no, he's not gonna be a hundred percent. He'll he he could surprise us, yeah. But it doesn't take much on a rut truck, rut track like to Womba to tweak you around somewhere unexpectedly and put a little bit more pressure on that shoulder. So it'll be playing on his mind, I think. Um, he had to do it, he had to do it to stay in this championship. If he didn't do it, he's another 27 points down from there.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:56

So it was a massive effort, a soldier effort to do it.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:00

Oh, totally. It was it was so impressive. It's yeah, only seen in our sport. I feel like there's no other sport where they're gonna line up three days later um with something like that.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:08

Or rides through it like Dakar with Chucky, but yeah, yeah, correct, correct.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:12

So it's uh it's incredible the bravery.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:14

Like you said, Honey. Next round will be a telltale for K, but honestly, and where he's at, because obviously I don't think he's going to ride through the week, he's gonna rest it. So whether he loses a little bit of fitness and and whatnot from that, I don't know. They that fit these guys, but it's definitely a confidence killer too, potentially.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:36

Yeah, because he's uh he's he's 19 points down from Larwood, which like we said, you can make them up pretty quickly if you have a few decent. That's not much, it's not much. So that's he's it was uh obviously a good idea to kind of stay in there um and to just to go and hang on and finish where he did. I was just thinking to myself, man, he's he's shown a lot of grit, which is good. Hey, and look, even for for future for future teams and sponsors, that's that's something that you can hang your hat on, you know, you can turn around and say this didn't stop me. So I think if I'm a team manager and I'm looking for someone who's gonna push through the pain and and put everything else, put racing before everything else, that's a good that's a good look. Um one other thing I would thought would be uh just because we're up to another KDM rider would be interesting to kind of talk about would be Matdoc Dixon finished up seventh for the for the round and he's obviously kind of semi-privateer KDM. Um if do you think there's any frustration out of KDM with Nathan Crawford bailing after round one? They've got three KDMs in the top seven in MX2, and we know Dylan Walsh can ride a 450 after last year. Would have would would have they if they had been given at least a month or two's warning, do you think they would have pushed Walsh up into a 450?

SPEAKER_04 1:08:48

If the decision was made before round one, probably. Yeah. Uh I don't think they want to change it now that obviously they've started the series. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:57

So um it's gotta burn a little bit. It's got especially well, look, Maddie Dixon has been really good. He's probably, you know, he's he's showing up every round, he's always at the front. Um, you put him under maybe uh better support from that team, even if the machinery that they're on isn't too different in the you know, in the 250. Just having the support of a team might make bump him another position or two further up every round. He's then all of a sudden a fringe top five guy, and you can bank on Byron Dennis being a top three guy. You got two pretty good positions there, and then Dylan Walsh ends up as a top five guy in 450s. You all of a sudden looks a lot better for poor old Kyle as motorsport manager over again.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:36

Well, the funny thing is, everyone that I've spoken to about this has said, Oh, Dylan doesn't like riding the 450. And I'm like, man, he did pretty well in Supercross on the 450. Like, why wouldn't you just give yourself that opportunity, in my opinion? I mean, it's easy to say that, but man, 450's you you just got to take that chance. I think he'd be really good. Like he's so smooth when he's when he's on.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:02

Yeah, agreed. And look, you Hammy, you've raced on teams like this. Bonus structures are better, I'm guessing, in the 450 class. If you can do well on a 450, you've got potential to make more money too, yeah, by the end of the season.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:13

I it's been a very long time for me since I saw any kind of contingency. Well, we know it, yeah, but I believe so. I believe so. The 450 is meant to be or usually seen as a better contingency program.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:26

So yeah. Um, Ryan Alex Anderson, he continues to do pretty good. He seems to like get a bit of TV time, I think, because he makes a lot of passes. Uh, and yeah, he he he was riding pretty well on the weekend. He made that double pass over Seth as well, which was impressive. Um, I you know he finished up eighth, and I feel like that's unfair because he seemed to be going fast at times and making passes. And then I looked at the scorecard and I'm like, well, how'd he finish eighth?

SPEAKER_04 1:10:52

Um I think it's the nature of that class. There is a lot of talent in that class, uh, and there's a lot of mixed results because of that. So it doesn't take much to have a what is seen as a bad result, but a pretty good race still. But you're just down the order. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:10

So they're four guys. And a track like that actually seemed a bit more start-dependent.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:18

If I'm being honest, because as times are a little bit closer and everyone was running similar paces, it was a little harder to pass than the separators of big ruts or roughness, and where you can sort of charge one section and just that little bit more for five percent. You can't do that on the whole track, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:35

Unless your name's Dean Ferris and Nathan Crawford, because they seem to go through a lot of people real fast, especially in that second moto. Um, Seth Birchell, he ended up ninth. Um, you know, still developing into that ride, obviously. Um, that was pretty good. Like we said before, he held off um Noah Ferguson for quite a bit as well, which was impressive. Um uh so yeah, that was it was good to see Seth there. And then the the standout in Moto 2 was Nakajima, the the little Japanese rider. He was fourth in Moto 2 and was running the pace, he was going fast.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:10

I was thinking opening laps of practice, and I was I was I was surprised. I'm like, man, he is flying today. But the the thing that's the thing with NX2 when you watch practice, it's a dead flat track. There is nothing to work with, a few good berms and stuff like that. And then he didn't perform in moto one. I put it down to yeah, it was the flat track, but then he comes out in Moto 2, does that pretty impressive?

SPEAKER_02 1:12:32

Is this the track? Was it Gilman last year where or the year before where Haruki threw the nice scrub? Yeah, it's the year before. They must have a similar track back home. Pretty comfortable in these conditions.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:44

Oh, Haruki did well as he did on the Miracle.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:49

Yeah, Moto 1, he had a cracker too Haruki Yokoyama. So it's good to see the two Japanese. They were uh 10th and 11th, uh one after each other. And then I believe now they head back to Japan. Yeah, that they're not the is that the last round are they doing the whole season?

SPEAKER_04 1:13:03

I thought they were doing the whole season, but I can't give you a confident answer on that. I'm not too sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:08

Okay. Well, mate, even even for uh Nakajima to run fourth with the Aussie boys knowing how stacked that class is, he'll take some confidence going back to Japan uh when he does, if it's either halfway through or at the end of the season. So um that's good to see them get some good results and the international flavor in that class with Walsh as well up there. That's that's pretty cool. Um Reed Taylor, Rees Budd, Jace Cosford kind of ran out the end there. Um, and yeah, I guess I think Jace went down in Moto 2. He was kind of running in a top 10 position before he went down, so he'd be a bit bummed that he couldn't hang on to that that position because um he would have finished a bit further up.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:45

Three more names that could be potentially in the top five as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:48

Yeah, definitely. I totally agree. Um okay, let's talk MX3. Um look, Draper, I feel like there were two there were two riders that kept coming together in uh in it was it Draper and Devison kept coming together in Moto 2 of MX3. Um but either way, Fisher 1-1. Was he going that fast on the day, Hammy? I mean, he he he was kind of pushed a little bit in Moto 2 by the looks of things before he kind of then gapped out um from Fuller. Was he clearly just the better rider? And also too, this is his first one one, I believe. We haven't had a one-one yet from Fisher.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:30

Um yeah, it's his first win, absolutely. Um, yeah, he was. He was he was that good, but he also positioned himself well on this on both starts. Got around the first term within the top five, positioned well, put himself up the front, but then ran away. It wasn't that they were right on his heels, he just ran away. So, no, it was a really good result out of him. Um, good to see because that now throws him in the mix as a winning contender for the rest of the year against Draper. If Draper looked like maybe it was starting to go all his own way, well, it's changed now. I think we've got someone else to battle out there and be another guy.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:07

Yep. Because he he didn't kind of get the results in those early rounds, and now he, like we said, dominated in that. What was it, do you think? Track that suited him, or is it is that a mine, a headspace thing? How do you go from start? Yeah, confidence, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:22

All of the above. Um, I think he had some crashes possibly in the opening rounds as well that would have hindered him. But you're right, it starts confidence. Um, the track that suited him. Everything just fell into place.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:34

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:35

Um, and that's all it takes. Just that first win probably led to the second win.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:40

Yeah. So um Jackson Fuller came in second. Um, hey, good to see a KDM in the top three, like we said, splitting up the Honda and Yamaha kind of party, which is always good to see more manufacturers in there. Um he's coming fourth overall. He's had a he had a good kind of heart, a decent round one, then he just had an average round two. Uh and round three has been a good one. He's only what what by how far back is he? 24 points back. So again, it's not out of the question for him to start pushing towards the front, especially because he was able to beat um you know Draper, who is I think Draper's leading, isn't he? Yeah, Draper's leading the championship. So yeah, he's 34 back, so he's still yeah, okay, he's pulled away a little. Yeah, he has. Hey, Draper, did Draper and Devison they kind of were battling a bit in Moto 2? Did I see that?

SPEAKER_02 1:16:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:30

Um Jack Devison, I feel like he had that at that incredible round uh round one. Yeah, round one, he was doing good, and then it's kind of tapered off a bit from there. Do we is there anything happening? He hasn't gotten hurt. There's nothing else we know, it's just maybe pressure's getting to him, or as the season wears on, these guys are young, they're still finding their way in a series that's going to be this long and and this much travel. Um, yeah, is it anything else that you've heard, Hammy?

SPEAKER_04 1:16:57

I haven't heard anything. Um, we see it a little bit though, with some of the riders. Uh, they can start good and then just fall off a bit. He made he's made a lot of mistakes in the races, even when he's been pushing forwards. Um, I think that's really hampering him. Maybe he not makes these mistakes, his results show a little bit better. Yeah, I think uh there could be some frustration after such a good opening round, and now things have been rolling this way. Maybe it's just playing against him a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:26

Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:27

I think he's definitely a rider that can do it. He's proven in the past that he's a rider that can be up there. So if he can sort his stuff out, then he'll be yeah, a contender, but he's got some work ahead of him.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:39

Do you know what happened? Do you know what happened to um Draper in Moto 2? He's just so far back.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:48

Um I I think he went down once. Um, I think he actually came together with Devison, possibly.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:56

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:56

That's uh I can't remember 100%, but yeah. But back on Jack, I mean Jack sort of really lost a bit of momentum at Canberra, um, which is weird because state titles he won Canberra um in the MX3, and then I think he was second to Reese Buddy in MX2. So you know he's he's got the speed. I think he just needs a a good round um and pull it back together and get on with it.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:26

Yeah. Um Seth Morrow, he ended up fourth. Kind of had one of those days where he was kind of third and fourth and fifth for most of the day, and then didn't really get noticed, and he ended up coming fourth, which is pretty solid for Seth. That um leaves him where's he finished, where is he at the moment? He's um still down in ninth, but hey, a good ride, especially an improvement from rounds one and two. Um then Riley Burgess. Good old Riley. We I know he trains out with you, Briggsy. Um, third in Moto one, and then he must have stuffed it in Moto 2. I'll have to find out off Boydy what happened because he's also our tech editor, Matt Boys.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:01

One of his when I watched it, I seen he was 25th or something around the first corner, and Draper was 21st or something. So both of them really had bad starts in Moto 2 and and worked their way up. But like I said before, I I don't think this track allowed for the technicality to be a big different differential factor in a sense. Uh, where a rough track can make a difference. This one was a little bit smoother and faster, which just brought the field a bit closer, which is great racing for us to watch, but it just doesn't allow that speed in the really technical stuff to shine as much.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:39

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Because he was um a little bit further back down in in moto too. He'll be disappointed with that too, because it's put him it's dropped him out of second in the overall into third, only by two points to Heath Fisher.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:51

And he is pretty fit, so for him not to push through a bit further on the second moto surprised me a little bit with him.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:57

Yeah. Um, hey, the other one, Cooper Rowe, he had a uh cracking second moto. He ended up third uh on the Yamaha he DNF'd the first moto. Do you know what that was a big one? It's a big crash, yeah. Do you know if he's a do you know if he was good?

SPEAKER_02 1:20:16

I I I assume so. If he mounted up for route race two, I mean that was a big crash. Like, yeah, he went down hard. He came out of that corner and collected come together with that other rider. And yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:30

That other rider is Allingham, who had the worst weekend out of anyone. Yeah, unfortunate for him after such a good strong performance at Canberra, it just did not go his way at all. I think even in practice, I saw him on the ground. So he really, really had a tough one.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:48

He did, and he led laps at Wontagy at one stage, so you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:52

Yeah, it's a bit of a bummer for him. Hey, further down the list, too, kind of the the we went from into um Riley Burgess into Corey Easel, Joe Dunn ended up eighth, Cooper Rowe ended up ninth, Mason Brown tenth, um, Heath Davey in um in 11th, he had a really good second moto, and then Seth Thomas, who had a cracking moto one and was going fast in moto two, and then he had a big big off, and he looked like he might be a bit sore. Um I know, Hammy. Did you hear anything? I know Briggsy, he trains out at your place as well. They haven't reached out or said anything.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:25

Uh I haven't heard. I'm messaging Kurt Near. Um, but yeah. Of course, Seth, he's a good kid. I hope he's alright, and he's the future of this class next year. I think he'll be one to watch. And we'll have a uh Blake should be stepping up next year into this class too. So we're gonna have some good junior battles and some older kids still taking the reins.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:47

Yeah, definitely. Um, yeah, he seemed okay though, Hammy. On did you see him walking back into the pits or anything when you were there?

SPEAKER_04 1:21:55

No, I didn't see after the race if he was okay or not. There, we're as I've said before, we're stuck in that commentary box, we don't get out until four o'clock by then. He was probably already gone. Yeah, but yeah, he he did really well in that first race. He surprised me actually in that first race. You know, we used to seeing him in that that sort of eighth, tenth position, and I thought that's where he was just gonna ride the rest of the race out, but he just kept moving forwards, it was impressive to watch.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:22

Yeah. Um okay, that was it was just MX1, MX2, MX3 in um at uh uh Gilman, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_04 1:22:32

It was, but yeah, and we had the 65s too.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:35

Yeah, uh, we had the 65s as well. Um, yeah, which what did how'd that go down on the day, Hammy? How'd the 65s go down on the day?

SPEAKER_04 1:22:43

Uh look, it was pretty good, actually. We had some pretty cool racing to be able to call with the 65s, they were back and forward a lot of the time. It's a tough track to get around on a smaller bike. Um, no, it was it was good to watch. There's some talented kids out there, which is great to see, and it's just going to keep developing as they move through. They've got a couple more showings this year, so yeah, it was cool to see them out there having a bit of a blast around.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:08

Yeah, I think it would have definitely two with worlds coming up, probably helped the uh MA guys make a selection or two, which should be good.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:16

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:16

Um, we had Ryder Mad De Figlio, he won it with a he went one-two on the day. Yeah, uh, he he trains with Taylor Thompson just down there, and he's come here a few times. He's a good little kid. Ollie Kale, he's from out sort of west. Um, they live out near the Hardings, so Stella Harding, she got six. But yeah, all these kids that they're all amazing little kids. Hudson Francis, he he went represented us at the MX and Nations and got the podium on the 65. So he got third. Um, Blade Regan, I haven't heard much of him. He was fourth, Joe Thurbley fifth. But Stella, mate, uh, she's one to watch, I think. Uh she's uh the next Charlie Cannon, in my opinion, the way she's riding at the moment, and battling these boys at that age, she's killing it.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:04

So yeah, it's awesome to see her in there in the mix with the boys.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:08

Um, okay, and then Flynn Flynn Burgess Riley, his brother instead of Flynn was their little tester on the RFN that day. He was, he was, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:17

He's ripping.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:19

Yeah, so no, all good kids, good families. The 65s are it's a good class, so yeah, it's good exposure for them, too, which is awesome. And they're damn fast, some of these kids.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:29

Yes, yeah, they are. I know. It's scary. It's also yeah, it's a bummer when you look at them and you think, I probably couldn't keep up with you, and I've got a bike that's you know three times the four times the capacity, but anyway. Um, hey, we're off to Tooomba for round four on uh May the 24th, where MX1, MX2, MX3, and the 85s will be back. Um, let's talk really quickly. Uh, who in MX who in MX1 and MX2 do you think Toowoomba is gonna suit? Which kind of rider?

SPEAKER_04 1:24:58

Well, you've got to think about camera if you're looking at Toowoomba for ruts. The tracks generally ruddy. Uh, I don't know how much rain they've had up there, whether it's gonna be a real mud that's going into it, or if it's gonna be extremely dry. The amount of rain is gonna determine how the track turns out. It's it's one of those tracks that it's very hard to get the water into, and it plays a big part. So look at your past years of Canberra, the guys that run well at Canberra generally run pretty good in those conditions with the ruts. You've got to think of Beaton, he's definitely up there. Kyle said that he won last year, so he's definitely gonna be an option. Um, think of you know, maybe maybe to womba could be a saving grace for Kay Kingsford because he was exceptional down at at Canberra as well with the ruts. So maybe he might be able to slow the pace down and be able to ride the ruts better than everyone else. I don't know. It might be a saving grace, but yeah, anyone that can ride ruts, it's a pretty major one for that.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:55

Yeah. Um, and then last one I got for you percentage-wise, MX1, MX2. Who you got for the title? Um, Jed, Kyle, Dean, Todd.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:07

Yep. So I percentage-wise, I'm gonna go 60-40 between Jed and B uh Jed and Webster. Yeah, I don't I I think Jed's got the upper hand at the moment, but they can change in a round. So uh let's hope for our sake that it changes this weekend so that it keeps it well and truly interesting.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:29

That's what I was about to say. For me, it I'd have to agree there. But if if Kyle comes out and wins to Woombra, it's back to 50-50 for sure. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:37

Well, it's gonna be so good, isn't it? Especially with a bit of confidence for Kyle coming into Toowoomba. He's got a win under his belt now. Uh, so who knows where that's gonna take him. So, yeah, that's exciting. Um, and I'm I'm probably 55-45. I'm gonna pull Kyle in just a touch closer. I feel like it's gonna take some confidence out of that, having a chat to him today, hearing that he feels fine. It's no different to any other year. So I've got room for a good kind of last well, five rounds of the series.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:04

Um, well, straight after to one button, Kyle flies to US. So oh, he does, that's right. He's doing some outdoors, so which will which will that'll help. Yeah, yeah. He'll come back with more speed, but it will be hard going from winter to summer back to winter.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:20

So that's true. But hey, he's done it before, and he's also been been good coming back. So he did obviously last year. Uh all right, guys, thank you so much for jumping on the podcast. Uh, we're gonna catch up again uh in two weeks' time. I'll actually be on the road. I'm driving out to Fink to cover Fink and we leave on the Saturday. So we'll try and do this podcast on the Monday or something. I'll bring all my gear with me and I'll do it in the back of the of the camper. Um, but yeah, I'll see you guys. I'll speak to you guys after round four in Toowoomba, Queensland.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:48

Thanks, mate.